Clutch pull is nice and light, and when you put the bike into gear, there's no "graunching" sound from the trans.

The bike will pull cleanly right above idle. As you run through the gears, the smooth, wide spread of power is obvious. If you hammer the throttle, chances are the front wheel will claw at the sky. Remember, we. re talking about the "modified" bike here. None of our testers wanted to ride the EPA bike much.

As you engage the higher gears, you realize the 650 has an outrageous top speed, even with stock gearing! It'll do 99 miles per hour as is, and with three less teeth on the rear sprocket, you can get a genuine 104 to 105 miles per hour. If that ain't enough for you, perhaps you ought to buy a Funny Car instead.

We put in numerous laps on a Grand Prix course, with long hills and plenty of room to let the bike use the upper gears. Stability at speed was great, with no hint of headshake or fuzzy steering. The bike turns well, without requiring a lot of muscle from the rider. It feels much lighter than it is.

Bruce O told us that the bike is really only a few pounds less than the old 600, but it feels worlds lighter. Some of the test riders saidf it felt much more like an XR250 than a full 650. As you work the bike, you notice that it's very slim through the mid-section, much like a typical two stroke Mxer.

Seating position is good, and going from sitting to standing is an easy, natural movement. Taller riders noted that the bars could be a bit more forward, but people under 5' 9" will like the layout just the way it is.

When stuffing the front end into a turn, it doesn't push, or plow. The old 600 used to fight you in sandy turns, but the 650 goes where you point it, as long as you apply some throttle. If you try to negotiate a sandy turn with the throttle off, the bike will fight you.

Where the bike really shines is on hard-packed, slick-surface, high-speed turns. Here, the rider can control the turning easily by proper throttle use. You can hang the rear end out and slide like a demon, or shift it up a gear and keep the rear wheel hooked up. The bike is happy either way.

When jumping the beast, you don. t feel the weight, unless you plant the front end with a slap-landing. The only place where the weight is genuinely noticeable is through a hard-packed whoop section. Here, you can tell you're jockeying around close to 290 pounds with fuel.

Braking is nothing less than stellar! Since there's plenty of engine compression braking, you feather the rear brake and hammer the front brake when diving into a turn. The rear end doesn't chatter around and none of the testers had problems stalling the bike when doing panic braking.

While the bike is not a featherweight, there are places where the weight actually helps you. Our test track had a tricky, narrow, rock-laced trail on the perimeter, and the tires simply deflected when hitting the rocks. The bike ignored the hits and kept going straight.

All the controls felt completely natural, and at no time did we have to hunt for a brake, shifter, or lever. This bike was laid-out by people who ride!

During the test, the 650 ran clean and strong on pump gas, without a hint of pinging or detonation. And guess what? You can actually reach the spark plug without taking half the bike apart, should the need arise.

Suspension-wide, the Kayaba forks and shock are worlds better than the Showa stuff that came on the XRs for so many years. We adjusted the shock pre-load a bit for the heavier riders, but no one sniveled about the ability of the suspension to take a hit. At first, you think that the suspension might be too soft, as it feels plush, but it will take a big hit with no sweat. One tester bottomed out the forks on a square-edged dip, but everyone liked the suspension as is. No need to run off to a shop for re-valving anything on this bike.

We never even screwed around with the clickers on either end. But they are there for those who are fussy. Most riders will like the standard settings and can spend their time riding, rather than playing with knobs and dials.

All things considered, the new 650 is a joy to ride. If you can. t extract a thrill from this bike, you are more than likely brain-dead, or a Sierra Club member.

Honda is going to sell every one of these bikes; that we guarantee.

Specs and XR600 Comparison