This, however, was not the case with the Baja 1000-winning XR650 Honda ridden by Johnny Campbell.

Johnny Campbell stands proudly behind his butt-kicking Honda XR650R. The he chewed his nails and sweated bullets when he let us ride the beast.

Bruce Ogilvie, the man behind the development of the XR650R, brought the Baja bike out with him during our test session of the new XR650s.

Quite naturally, we were eager to sling a leg over this bike, just to get a feel. Bruce looked a bit nervous, but just asked us to take it easy on the gearbox, as he had no spare gears at the time and a race was coming up soon.

He also informed us that the bike was exactly in the condition it was after the end of the Baja 1000. Heck, the engine hadn't even been rebuilt. All they did was change the oil, slap on some fresh tires and do a valve adjustment.

In spite of a dry weight of 270, Campbell's bike doesn't feel that heavy when you ride it. On normal jumps, it flies neutral and level, with no gymnastics required.

Bruce also noted that the bike had been timed at 114 miles per hour, with the Baja gearing, so low gear might be just a tad tall.

OK. Now go back to that first paragraph and re-read it.

Done? Good. Then forget what you just read, because it did not apply to the Baja-tuned XR650.

This bike positively RIPPED through the gears!

While it's normal for most any bike to spin the rear wheel under hard acceleration in the lower gears, we didn't expect the Honda to throw a huge rooster-tail in top gear, as well!

That's right, bunky. This gnarly beast sprayed dirt back like a jet-ski, in 5^th gear, and the acceleration was as brutal as your garden-variety 500 cc two-stroke MX dirt bike with stock gearing.

Our test track had a small supercross-style section on it, and we talked JC into doing some casual jumps.

After a few passes from a standing start to flat-out, I was curious as to how quick the bike was. With no light-guns or speed traps at my disposal, I resorted to the old glance-at-the-stop-watch technique.

My best guess is a bit over 13 seconds to get the bike would out tight to 114 miles per hour.

Why is my timing relegated to a guess? Maybe it's because I almost wet myself glancing down at the watch at 114 miles per hour to get a reading. You think it's easy? Well, it ain't! So you'll just have to live with my guess-timate.

He responded by landing on the downslope smoothly, just like McGrath and friends.

The rush of going at that speed ? on dirt - is incredible!

Aside from the sensation of the landscape going by at blurry-eyed speed, some other things penetrate your frontal lobes; first of which is that the bike was rock-solid stable at 114 miles per hour, in spite of the fact I was on slippery, baked-dry Mexican adobe dirt.

The other important sensation is that the XR650 goes exactly where you want it, without thinking about it. Directional changes at high speeds take little more than a nudge at the bars and a slight shift of your weight, with a tweak at the throttle … and that sucker is locked in to the new direction like a homing missile.

Since this was a modified racing version, it was substantially stronger than the basic Honda.

Here are the numbers:

• Stock strangled-EPA bike ? 43 horsepower
• Lightly modified bike, as per dealer specs ? 55 horsepower
• Campbell's Baja bike ? 67 plus horsepower

The Baja XR650R felt extra stable on the high-speed sections, including this particularly gnarly downhill. Just gas it and go!

For details on getting the stock bike to run right, refer to our in-depth article in the January issue of ORC. As you might recall, we were the only publication to test the truly stock version of the bike, and the only one to tell you how to fix it.

Amazingly enough, once you do the basic cleaning up/jetting mods on the stock bike, it puts out more actual horsepower than the 628 XR that Campbell won the 1998 Baja 500 and Baja 1000 with.

RACE MODIFICATIONS

• The compression ratio has been jacked up one full point.
• Real race gas is used to deal with the increased compression.
• Answer tapered aluminum bars are used, with special bar clamps.
• An IMS big fuel tank is used, with a dry-brake filler for speedy gas dumping.
• An Ohlins adjustable steering damper is used to keep the front end stable when whacking rocks and ruts at speed.
• IMS tank is vented through the steering head hollow stem.
• Exhaust system is twin pipe, twin muffler, made of stainless steel. And yes, the sound of the exhaust is genuinely thrilling at full honk.
• DID premium chain is used. Gearing is set for 114 mph.
• Slight internal gearing changes were made to yield the most flexibility and widest use of power in the all-important 45-70 mph range, where the bike is most of the time during Baja-style racing.
• The airbox has been heavily modified and runs a K & N filter. Large holes were also cut into the airbox lid and screen was riveted to the lid to keep rocks out.
• Special ultra-wide pegs were fabricated.
• Factory special Kayaba forks were used with about an inch more travel than the stock bike. Lower legs are carbon fiber outer skins with a metal liner inside. They're about three pounds lighter than stock, and the triple clamps have more clamping surface and are stiffer.
• Oil-in-frame sight lines allow you to check the oil level at a glance.
• Dunlop rock-eating tires are used for desert racing.
• A special mid-range torque cam replaces the stocker.
• Increased windings make for greater lighting capabilities.
• A works KYB (high-priced stuff) shock is used. And, no, you cannot get one. The range of adjustments is greater than stock, and the valving is made of bi-metal, which expands and contracts with internal temperature changes, to keep the actual damping action consistent.
• Frame and swingarm are completely stock.
• Numerous nuts, bolts and fasteners are the lightweight high-priced spread.
• There's some foam stuffed between the plastic skid plate and the frame, to keep junk from accumulating there.
• The kickstand has been removed, which saves about two pounds.
• Bike has been carefully re-jetted to accommodate carb, intake and exhaust changes. A very, very cold plug is used for the high speed running.

WHAT'S IT LIKE?

Hand-fabricated stainless steel exhaust pipes tuck in tightly, reduce weight and add some horsepower.

Actually, the race bike is easy to start. No mystery. Just get a crate to stand on, keep your handoff the throttle, find top dead center, go a notch past that, and give it a mellow kick. It'll snarl to life.

The bike is a cold-blooded beast, and requires a long warm up. This is good, which means that the cooling system does a superior job.

You don't hear a lot of tick-tick-tick noises from the engine. It's tight.

The bike is tall, but once you park your buns in the saddle, it feels right. At 5'8 ?", I can touch both toes to the ground when sitting centered on the saddle.

When taking off on the race bike, there's a slight flat spot right off the bottom, which means you can stall it if you're not aware of this glitch. But with a slight slip of the clutch and a few extra revs, the bike pulls smoothly and strongly away.

Works Kayaba shock has all the trick parts, including hard-anodized innards and bi-metal valving. A closer look will reveal extra section welded on the stock pegs.

A few tentative trips through the gears reveals outrageous acceleration! This sumbitch pulls hard, and it pulls long in each gear. You can easily torque the front end off the ground, without tugging on the bars, or going through any gymnastics. Just goose the gas. Instant wheelie!

When the first turn comes up, you realize that this bike takes its time turning, unless you push the front end down and whack the throttle, forcing it to power turn. All things considered, Campbell's bike is much happier and more comfortable on high-speed turns. On slippery, no-traction surfaces, the bike was as close to pure magic as you're ever going to find.

I found myself shifting up a gear on big sweepers, and rolling the throttle on gently, hanging the rear end out just a bit, and feeling much like a fat flat-tracker. Lottsa fun.

Jumps. Hmmm. Here, I could feel the weight when landing, but the high-bucks suspension did a great job. The course we rode on had a few double jumps, and I avoided all the ones you could get hurt on. A little 30-footer was easy, and the bike felt like a 250 Mxer, until I over-jumped it and landed on the flat stuff. Then, the weight lets itself be known and the G-out was no fun.

Air box has been opened up plenty and a K & N filter hides under the plastic.

Suspension-wise, the bike took the bumps in stride, mostly ignoring the smaller ones. There's something to be said about a heavy bike with a great suspension: The bike doesn't move when a small bump is hit, and the suspension does all the work.

Mufflers are light, small and delightfully barky. There's noise and there's music; this was a symphony of sound.

Where does it fall short?

When the bike has to slam down hard on either end, it's no fun. Go through a set of rockers and lose your rhythm, or misjudge the front-end touchdown, and the entire chassis will pitch heavily and you'll get an unfriendly jolt.

Ohlins steering damper is adjustable for the terrain. Answer tapered bars replace the weak stockers. Dry brake filler is installed on the Big IMX tank for quick re-fueling. Tanks vents into steering head tube.

However, overall stability is superb. Out track had a long very bumpy downhill in it, and the Baja bike simply ate this whooped-out section of real estate alive. All you had to do was keep the gas on and simply trust the inherent stability of the bike.

When watching Campbell come down this nasty hill at speed, it looked like he was way over his head, but he did the banzai charge lap after lap, and later told us he was simply cruising.

This emboldened your writer to try this. So I went out and screamed down the hill and did not die, which surprised me a lot. Johnny's bike responded well to lots of throttle, and if you have the nerve to simply hang on and trust the bike, it will reward you with speeds beyond your normal skills.

BITS AND PIECES

• Brakes. Typical Honda. Excellent.
• Shifting. Not as smooth as a CR, but better than the older generation XR 600s.
• Clutch. Solid and smooth.

  Campbell and his Honda crew can tell the oil level at a glance with this external view line setup.

• Ergonomics. Nothing got in the way when you moved around on the bike. Layout was natural and controls felt right.
• Vibration. Low. Bike is not tiring to ride.
• Grips are first rate stock Hondas.
• IMS tank did not bother my chubby thighs when riding, so your thighs should be just fine.
• I loved the smell of the race gas!
• Cracks were developing in the stainless steel exhaust twin pipe system. They should have brazed the flanges, rather than heli-arced them.
• Suspension was on the firm side.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Probably the most amazing thing about Campbell's Baja winning bike, is that it's not that much removed from a stock XR650R. Sure, they've pumped a bit more HP into the engine, but a stocker (with cleaned up jetting) can easily be geared to 104-105 mph, which should be enough to satisfy all but overall Baja winners.

Da good stuff! Genuine works KYB forks eat the bumps, and no, you cannot afford a set.

As for the trick suspension, quite frankly, it didn't seem all that much better than the stock stuff. No doubt, there are plenty of local shops around who will be able to dial your suspension in for you, if you're fussy.

Me? I think the stock suspension is just fine for trail riding and casual racing.

You could probably duplicate (by and large) what Johnny Campbell rode to victory in the Baja 1000 for a few thousand bucks .

All you would need to beat him at his own game, would be some juevos grande to let you travel at the speeds he does … and then some.

But the basic bike is yours for the asking.