TESTING THE XR'S ONLY XR650 PIPE 

I love these videos of the dyno runs and parts upgrades to see if their actually worth the money 👍✌️

This guy builds absolutely awesome engines and I'd trust him any day to build me a bulletproof engine, top quality work indeed

I just paid $1520 for a full Staintune exhaust system.,, (stainless steel, tuned ).. Australia.. Spoke to the owner personally, and he said that they did a lot of R&D on this system stating that it is the perfect size to suit the XR600R. They went up in size on the tubes 1mm at a time until they started to lose power on the dyno, then stepped back to the last size before, and the power gain was very impressive. So when I have finished building my 600, I'm going to dyno it with the stock system and then with the Staintune system. The Staintune system has a fully welded silencer/ muffler and will never need re packing.. Made by hand in Australia.. Cheers from Australia 🍻

Hard to beat a lot of stock components. All the power came from the cams, manics porting & compression. Nice job guys & thanks for sharing.

Love Al Baker and his contributions to the XR community. But yes for me , and 99 percent of 650l riders, the stock headpipe is much more usable. Thank you so much for doing an objective comparison and having the integrity to post. I have a 2008 xr650l in need of a freshening up. Ill go thru it this year and do chassis and brakes then find a good mechanic to do the valves and maybe carburetor swap. Thanks again Team Kaplan for doing the good work. Btw, love the gary Nixon jacket...legend.

Now I know to stick with my XR 400 Stock header pipe, and save burning my leg at the same time. Awesome build by Jeff. Long live the XR'S. God bless.

3:49 gave me a cackle I didn't know I missed... You lads are doing the Lord's work out here. Awesome and keep on chooglin'!

I went crazy on building that motor also. Big extended cooling fins, valves, porting, rod, 683cc, same pipe as yours, 2 oil coolers (sutton and vintage big lockhart), air intake mods. It did run very well. I never could solve the very hot oil temp problem out here in the desert at hwy cruise speed, always suspected the stock headpipe made it run snappier. Your dyno test confirmed that. I was told to go FMF on the pipe. Never did. Should have kept the bike but like a dummy I sold it. Now wanting to do another and just take it easy on hot hwy runs. They really do run great with some work. Thinking 9.5:1 big bore, headwork, titanium valves, stock cam, fmf, Sutton cooler, airbox mods, (extra snorkels on top), barnett clutch, aluminum frt sprocket, fork brace. Sweet machine. Hard to beat. My previous one is in the coso vids on my channel if you want to hear the snap down low. miss it. Great vids as usual! I learned good on this series. Also used to race an 86 cr500 at friday night mx Ascot Park, Gardena.. good times, just sayin, can relate. Thanks!

Amazing that Jeff is back, he is an absolute honour to watch and learn from! Need to swap the stock carb now for a 40mm FCR carb now and smiles will go through the roof! Now you guys just need a Xr 650r to compare results! I personally think this modded L is making more now then a stock R! God Bless you all

Beautiful. ALOT of work went into this testing. Thanks to you both for the passion to test things for bikes for us. Waste of money buying this exhaust pipe. Stock is better in this case. Well done guys I love watch your passion at work

Hell yea jeff is back hope he getting better . Been watching this and it is so good to see it confirmed with dino 👍. I have a xr600r and changed the whole pipe and i had my suspicion’s ! This was great to see , my stock header pipe was rusted through so i did not have much choice . The pipe i found is a “ White brothers “ full system new old stock still in box . Sounds great half the weight and looks the part but the power dose feel like it comes on mid to full range i then added a tooth to my gearing at rear to make up for it . I have a video on it on my RU-vid channel @ old dirt bikes Xr650r. Video title “ XR600R new exhaust | White Brothers exhaust, fitting and test ride “ i run 68 pilot 155 main and 2 turns out , of course i have no dino to check but I adjusted by reading plug and by sound prob out a bit but rides nice . Would love jeff to see my bikes and work i do 👍👍👍. Great vid as always

So I also found if you do a little grinding on the inside flange of the stock header,it flows equally as well as any aftermarket header.thats why I didn't waste my money on one.i took the heat shield off and did a header wrap,which dropped the engine Temps by 50 degrees. The difference is how close the header is to the oil lines.

Would love to see this done with the FMF power bomb header and see what the outcome is.

I've owned a few 650l"s.. I have 2 now. They pull real hard between 3000 - 5500 rpm. Past that they fall away. They are meant to be shifted Not revved. Best hillclimber. I've got 60,000 miles on my 2004. Been all over on it.. I love that bike.💜💚

I saw that ke100 in the background, I got one brand new and 1987 for my 15th birthday, I rode the wheels off that bike best times of my life!

Wow, guys - thank you!!! I was one of the guys last year that was saying you might want to try the XR's Only head pipe in addition to an aftermarket muffler. Boy, was I ever wrong. Thank God I saved my stock head pipe. Now if only I can find it... I know it's out there in the garage somewhere... It's been ten years...

Right on with an honest review!!! You could seriously get a lot more views/subscribers testing all the Moto performance parts out there than giving your honest reviews like this!

I saw the video of XR650 tuning. More videos like this please. I could work with this man for free just to have a chance to learn from Him. Incredible knowledge and passion. Greetings from Poland. God bless you all.

Love seeing Jeff back and going through a few minutes of the College of knowledge.👍

I'm glad to see Jeff up and back to his maniacal ways!

Would love to see a test of the aftermarket CDI boxes!

Love real world testing.. Keep up the good work guys👌

Finally someone doing a real world test that the real people who have these machines want to know.

thank you so much for doing this video guys!!! i have a 98 XR that is a 675cc kit , hot cams camshaft, ported head with a bit of a bump in compression to 9.25:1and a factory carb re jetted, it ran 39.8HP and 36.5TQ on the chassis dyno here in Edmonton Alberta. I was always curious what a header would do, and that solved it for me!! as a road and trail bike i do not want to loose any torque down low... that is where the engine lives 2000-4000 rpm all day long in 2nd and 3rd gear! you guys rock keep up the awesome content!!!

Ten years ago I took my stock header off my 95 XR 600R and put on the XR's Only header pipe. I went for one ride and found the exact same thing that your dyno showed. I went for another ride with it because it looked cool and I didn't want to believe the fancy cool looking part wasn't better. As soon as I got back to my garage I took that pile off my bike and put my stock Honda header back on. I think Al Baker started making these things before dynos were as common as they are now. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious the larger diameter XR's Only header is going to be a negative at lower RPMs and a loss of tourque as well. I still run the XR's Only tailpipe, the Honda one weighs a ton. Great video once again, you guys totally ROCK!

thank you so much for this! I just got a brand new zero-miles XR650L and could have been easily fooled spending unnecessary $$ changing the stock pipe. now I can relax about the exhaust, and maybe concentrate any mod efforts elsewhere.

Welcome back Jeff! It looks like your shoulder is recovering which is great. I dropped my BMW GSA loading it in my van in Sept and broke my ankle on both sides. One of the dumbest things I've done and man is it taking forever to heal. If I wasn't so cheap I'd love to have you stop in Delaware on your way to Florida next year and make a fire breathing dragon out of my XR650L. My XR is 99.99% bone stock with 14,000 miles on it. I just now put a chain and sprockets on it for the FIRST time. I have done the counter sprocket a few times. If I would have had a used chain in stock I would have left the rear sprocket on. I kinda felt guilty and changed it all. I have replaced the front brakes a few times and worn out some sets tires. All I've done is adjust the valves (easy enough for me to do), change the oil and ride the darn thing. I also always get 52 mpg. I only use this bike to putt around on the back roads. Quiet and doesn't disturb anyone or thing. Not my favorite bike in my stable to ride but once I'm our on it I'm ok, its just flat out fun to ride even though she ain't pretty.

My dads a friend of Al baker, cool dude and he just wants to keep the XR's alive. Glad you tested the pipe and let people know whats up with it!

Love the dyno runs!! Would love to see som old classics on the dyno🥰

great info guys! I know I can speak for all the viewers watching here that this is PRICELESS information that your providing to all of us out here in motorcycle land that don't have the opportunity to dyno every mod we do to our bikes and just have to trust what the companies are telling us. I can't say how much we appreciate the work you did here and so many other times like this across your channel. bless you guys and gals at Kaplan cycle. now we'd all love to see that xr75 on the dyno and see what the ol' girl pulls, can your dyno even handle that much output?😎 I just restored an 81 xr80 for my step daughter's first bike! powroll 92cc big bore kit, xr100 carb and xr's only pipe. and to be fair xr's only does offer alot of great products, the full exhaust setup did make a noticeable difference on the lil 80cc motor, so I can say they do have good products and I don't need a dyno to tell it picked up torque everywhere. I think in this particular application, they made the diameter of the headpipes too large and it killed exhaust velocity down low, only utilizing the size of pipes in the high rpm range. I also wonder how this pipe would have tested on a totally stock xr650, tho I suspect the results may have been even worse. I can endorse the company for many other good products for xr bikes tho, so don't hesitate to check them out!

I was waiting for that one fellas👍.......very interesting. My XR600 is pretty stock with a stock carb running a Wiseco piston, an FMF Q4 without spark arrestor, and a stainless steel header made by some dudes in Greece. It has a stage 1 Hotcam too, but i think i prefer the stock camshaft as the Hotcam seems to trade off a fair bit of top end for a small increase in bottom end power. It definitely feels better than stock off the bottom, although I've never dyno'd it. I might have to put my stock header back on to make sure I'm not trippin'. I'm in the UK and I've done all the work on my XR myself. It's a pretty good example and it's my baby, but i would definitely let Jeff work some of his manic magic on my bike if i could🙂. Would be interesting to see if the old advice about grinding the excess weld from the inside of the stock header makes a difference or not. Didn't that used to be an old Scott Summers tip? Would be good to see if any other brands header pipes like the different ones that FMF make have any performance gains or effects on the power curves. I always enjoy a Jeff episode, thanks👍

When I put the fmf powerbomb header and q4 muffler on mine with the fcr pumper carb it definitely felt more powerful

I just bought an xr600 off Jeff the Monster truck guy in Manchester. He’s a friend of the shop. It has a lectron carb which I know looses midrange power vs a keihin. Also has a full XR’s pipe. The bike is a dog at low and mid range and I have to rev the heck out of it for it to pull hard. Not what I want. I want a low to mid range beast. Thank you guys for shedding light on this! Once I get the stock carb dialed with a stock header. I think the bike is going to rip! Maybe I’ll bring it up to the shop for some before and after dyno runs.

The “wizard” is awesome. Thanks for these build videos!

I stuck to the stock header and muffler on my 2005 XR650R just adding the HRC baffle. Changed the jetting and uncorked the airbox and it rips the way it is. It’s a handful in the woods!

That's a kick in the bollocks for XR'S ONLY!!👊💥 they need to go back to the drawing board 🤣🤣🤣

Love the video on the XR. Just love the old air cooled thumper. Great to see your effort in getting more horse power, 50% is massive, well done. I think the dyno runs are great. Finally some true hp figures for dirt bikes, for some reason hp figures for dirt bikes are a secret . Here in Australia we never get hp for dirt bikes, even when tested by the journalists. Keep up the good work and thanks.

God to know! As the best bkke in the world these little gems are priceless for future mods. Roll on the 2023 model unchanged since before the big bang!

now im curious about how FmF power bomb header performs compared to stock pipe. thanks for this video i was curious about that header

Kaplan America myth busters edition 😆 Good to see Jeff ! keep up the good work

Dang, do one with the FMF powerbomb header! Good stuff thank you!

The XR75 was a fantastic bike in its day. I want the one shown in this video

Great follow up work . I thought it was going to be 3 or 4 more hp

I would have LOVED to see you dyno with the stock muffler. I personally like the stock muffler, i like quiet bikes for the trails near us. Usually houses near by and i like to keep attention off me.

I would love to see a xr650r on your dyno and compre to to that bike , keep up the good work guys , greetings from ireland 🇮🇪

Pulling my XRs only pipe tomorrow. Thanks Ken and the gang

There's nothing I like to see more than real world dyno numbers. Thanks guys.

As an owner of a 2015 XR 650 L I apreciate this analysis! Thanks from Costa Rica guys!!

I’ve had my XR’s Only exhaust on for five years now and no rust, and have never burnt my leg because I bought the optional heat shield. The exhaust note is great and doesn’t sound like a lawnmower anymore like the stocker does. I did the jetting and needle shim added a foam unifilter and the bike woke up completely, also added a 14 tooth counter so I must have gained there in the low and mids what I lost on the dyno? I don’t regret the purchase, it looks better, sounds much better weighs less and no rust. ✌🏻

Dang...those Honda engineers must have known what they were doing. Harsh reality for the pipe maker though, maybe they should hire a ME with his PE to check their design's. Really best way to increase power&torque through out the RPM range is a variable pipe length like the old Yamaha ex-up system..but better. Love your videos....you guys are stupid smart!

Da Kaplan channel is da best forget the rest. Mount the stock let’s rock. God bless America. 😎🇺🇸✌🏽

Thanks for settling that question! Thanks again Sam!

Who doesn't love honesty, an absolute stellar video. Thanks for what you do fellas. It's late but hey sometimes the facts take time haha. If I had the money I'd love to bring my 11 husaberg 450fe engine to you gentlemen to get freshened up. I got a small growing channel myself and am a huge fan of you guys. Keep up the good work. When I get some cash I'm calling to see how much a rebuild is for my husaberg. You guys are the best when it comes to engines.

I have the last production year XR600r In great condition. Also a XR400r in great condition. and a 1997 XR 200. Needs work. The RFVC motors in these bikes are top quality design. I found adding an external oil cooler really helps.

This is awesome, good effort showing you did try to help the pipe out by rejetting.

I wish you would do this test with all after market pipes

Was gonna buy a head pipe for my XR last week and something told me to wait. Glad I waited. Thank you guys for putting out these videos!

The XR75 was my second bike. It would start fields on fire from the flames that shot out the down sweep pipe. I love that bike.

The truth shall set you free. Thanks man

I’d love to see the big gun head pipe comparison… I’m really diggin your videos

Thanks for the dyno and " hammer of truth" report , I stopped buying from XR's only years ago because of poor fitment , overhype, under delivery

Jeff's Back ! fresh out of the Jello Tree ! love the dyno tests...would love to see an old RD350 done with and w/o Chambers , I have a feeling may be the same results

Was looking for this video ..thank you so much ..gaining fans 💪🇺🇸

Love these dyno videos! We can actually see specific numbers of what these bikes are putting out...

Well now i know to keep stock pipe if i get one. Awesome power improvement on 1st video/build. That was sick!

Thanks for the info. I bought the xrs only muffler and the recommended jet. Should be here soon. I can't wait.

There should be more tests like this one - thanks for sharing!

TEST the FMF Stainless Steel header (with FMF Q4). I have one on my 2008 XR650L, bought new, only owner. As you guys CORRECTLY stated, I run from extreme technical "A rider" trails to fast two track "Baja style". MOST of the RPMs are from JUST OFF IDLE to about 5k-ish. The bike DOES NOT like to run in the high RPMs. HOWEVER, I can "crawl" up nasty tech single track, just above idle to get through that nasty section on many Western Colorado trails. Butterknife (which should have been named Steakknife), Second Thoughts, Windmill Trail ("5 Miles of Hell" type stuff) outside of GJ Colo (4800ft elev.). ALSO, I have used a setup for the XR650L called "Dave's Mods"(carb setup), designed and tested specifically for the XR650L, since the bike was new. From idle to top RPMs, excellent pull, for me, and the way I ride. Thanks in advance!!

Thank you for the honest Assessment.

Huge respect for your Honesty!

Wow I literally had the headers n exhaust pipe in my cart on XR's only site just now for my '85 XL600R. (They said it'd bolt on '83-'87 XL's) Thank God for the hammer of truth n justice !!! lol 😆 Saved me a little over $500!! Keep up the good work gentlemen!!!! 👏

Hey my next build is going to be a 1981 RM125 like on the lift!

Great job Guys, Thumpers for Life!!!

Great stuff.👍 Cool to see were the gains and losses are.

To have that pipe effective at low mids a torque valve like the kedo one of the Yamaha TT 500 is needed for each of the exhaust valves

Should do a tail pipe comparison

Put a Big Gun complete system on an old old original KLR650. Little jetting work. Gained so much low and mid. Short shift all the time abs ride the torque. Those stock systems were pretty restricted. The stock Honda pipe must be pretty spot on.

Just want to shout out and say thank you. You guys just saved me $300 dollars.

Great video, I also love these dyno videos. Would like to see Jeff work on a DRZ400s.

Great video. XR's muffler just sounds right. Did not buy header for stock 8.3. Did buy Mikuni and muffler from XR's only. Runs and sounds great after leaner rod.

Beautiful bike. I just bought a 1999 minty. Runs like a champ. Thanks for the info. Love these videos.

Would be interesting to see what could be done with programmable ignition mapping.

BEAUTIFUL Video !!! This vid is to be shelved into the museum of vids for me !

Excellent content! Always such top quality! Been waiting over 2 months for my , XRs Only pipe, for my 85 XR600r!

big fan of the heat shield 🛡 🔥

Jeff's back👌

Thank you , I was about to order a full XR's only system , now I will just do the silencer . For the record , I have dyno'd the FMF HiFlo header pipe and there is no difference to stock , not sure about the FMF Power Bomb header , has anyone compared that to stock ?

I was waiting for this

Truth. Justice and the Kaplan way!!

You just Saved me $300. and 10% Horse Power. Thank you So Much. I have the XR's Only Muffler and stock header and a jet kit, Im going to stick with. Sign of Relief.

I’ve kinda always assumed a head pipe on a 4 stroke MX bike was a waste of money. I mean logically how much difference can one tune be better over another same size tube… The mufflers are usually less restrictive but the header is mostly just bling.

Yall put Al Bakers on BLAST !!! They been around alot of years too. Kinda surprised. But facts are facts.

I really want to see these guys put a Gen 2 Lectron carburetor on this thing see what we can really do.

I said the same thing to people 10 years ago on my xr650L. I felt more power putting stock rear and fmf header, rather rear aftermarket with header. The bottom was a train compared to full pipe.

Should do the FMF power bomb header the community would be very interested to see what that does

Thanks for letting us know!!! Gotta love the hammer of truth!!

Great series ! FMF makes a Powerbomb header with something that looks like an expansion chamber at the midpoint. It feel like it accelerates better in the mid range, but it would be nice to see if there is really anything there !

Thanks for the heads up on this......

I have a mint xr650 2001 model with 1000 miles and I'm glad I've kept it completely stock now

Cool video ! I run a XR650R. It would be cool to see the comparison using different head pipes on that machine.