The Honda XR is a series of four-stroke dirt bikes produced from 1979 onward. The models with an “R” suffix were the competition enduro models, typically not street-legal from the factory, while the “L” models were the street-legal dual-sports.
The first XR model was the twin-shock 1979 XR500; the liquid-cooled XR650R — aka “Big Red Pig” — would earn a cult following as one of the greatest open-class enduros of all time; and the air-cooled, street-legal XR650L is still available with the same specifications as the 1991 model!
Even in stock trim, most Honda XR models are already capable off-road machines. Thus, scrambler conversions often focus more on aesthetics than longer-travel suspension or crash protection. Below are some of the XR-based scramblers we’ve featured here on BikeBound.com over the years.
Honda XR628R: Street-Legal Baja Tribute - Hot Rod XR from Italy’s GPgarage Moto… Introduced in 1985, the Honda XR600R was destined to become one of the most successful off-road bikes in motorcycling history. The air-cooled thumper would win the Baja 1000 […]
Baja Red: Honda XR628 Desert Racer - GPgarage Moto builds a ’90s Baja dream racer… Introduced in 1985, the Honda XR600R was destined to become one of the most successful off-road motorcycles in history. In a recent retrospective on the mighty […]
Tornado 293: Honda XR250 “Pig Tracker” - Rodando Sur builds a burly 293cc Tornado… While Honda’s lightweight dual-sport in the US and European market is now the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected CRF250L / CRF300L, the company has continued to produce the air-cooled XR250 Tornado […]
Frame to Fame: Honda XR680R Scrambler - The XRR Scrambler: 680cc Mega-Thumper from Parr Motorcycles… Since his first build back in 2018, we’ve been proud to feature the builds of Spencer Parr of Indiana’s Parr Motorcycles, watching his skills and reputation grow […]
Big Red Baja: Honda XR680R Desert Racer - From 1988 to 1996, the big-bore Kawasaki two-strokes ruled the Baja 1000, ripping across the desert chaparral at more than 100 mph, covering the 1000-mile race in 10-20 hours. However, their arch-rival, Honda, has never […]
Johnny Campbell Tribute: Honda XR628R Baja! - Desert King: GPgarage Moto builds a tribute to the King of Baja… Johnny Campbell is a living legend of off-road racing, a man known as “The King of Baja” for his 11 Baja 1000 victories […]
Honda XR400R “Rat Bike” from R.L. Allman’s Peter Pan - In this darkly re-imagined new series, Peter Pan flies on two wheels… Ronnie Allman is a young filmmaker whose fascination with motorcycles can be traced back to his boyhood days. He grew up in Texas, […]
Honda XR250 Tornado Scrambler by LBC Motorcycles - Retro Enduro built by Argentina’s Low Budget Customs… The Honda XR250 Tornado was a Latin American equivalent of the XR250L, sporting an air/oil-cooled 4-valve DOHC tuned for better low-end torque and slightly less peak power […]
Honda XR350R “Hoodoo” by Buscadero Motorcycles - Drool-worthy XR built for vintage motocross… The Honda XR350R debuted to a good bit of fanfare in 1983. Together with its big brother, the XR500R, the big red enduro would help change the way people […]
XLsinore: Honda XR600R Scrambler - The Honda XR600R was one of the most successful dirt bikes of all time, an air-cooled beast built from 1985 to 2000 — a wildly successful machine in both the desert and the woods. Out […]
Honda XR600R Street Tracker by RotaJG - The Honda XR600R — affectionately known as the “Big Red Pig” — was the king of the desert for a decade and more. Introduced in 1985, the big air-cooled XR quickly rose to dominance at […]
XARGHHH: Honda XR200 “UTE” by Revolt Cycles - Honda XR200 “UTE” built for two-wheelin’ across the Philippine islands… The Honda XR200 is one of our favorite trail bikes. The 2-valve oversquare engine, in production for some 35 years or more, has the eager […]
Honda XLR200 Tracker by Free Spirit Moto X Jets Q Kustoms - The Honda XLR200 was a genuine do-anything bike, a street-legal 200cc Honda thumper with parts scavenged from various models of the venerable XR series. Says Brian Jones of RealClassic.co.uk: “The XLR turned out to be […]
Honda 125 Scrambler by Slipstream Creations - Anyone who works on bikes for any length of time quickly accumulates a surplus of parts in their garage, shed, or shop. James Fawcett of Slipstream Creations is no exception. When his 13 year-old son, […]
Street-Legal Honda XR600R by Therapy Garage - Street-legal XR600R wave-chaser for a San Diego fireman! The Honda XR600R is a bonafide legend — the dominant dirt machine of the 80s and 90s. Built to compete with the 500cc two-strokes at Baja, Honda’s […]
Honda XR400 Tracker by Ace Custom Shop - “Black, black, and a lot more black” — one mean thumper from Colombia. The Sotomonte brothers of Colombia’s Ace Custom Shop founded their workshop in 2013 along with friend Andrés Cabrales. Though they build everything […]
Honda XR250R Scrambler by Vertigo Moto & Design - The Honda XR250 is one of the hardiest thumpers on the planet — a stone-ax reliable, air-cooled machine that offers a boatload of grins-per-mile, especially on the loose stuff. The 30-hp XR250R was the competition […]
Hot Wheels Honda XR250 Tornado Street Tracker - A South American Street Tracker built for the Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary… The duo behind Argentina’s Herencia Custom Garage — German Karp and Fede Cubik — have quickly established themselves as some of the top […]
Honda XR600 Scrambler: “End of Days” - A Baja legend built for the End of Days… When Wayne Hawes of Australia first picked up his 1991 Honda XR600R, he planned to use the big thumper for some light trail riding with a […]
Honda XL600 Dakar by Andrew Greenland - We have been watching the builds of Andrew Greenland ever since his red Honda Dominator custom was featured on Bike EXIF years ago. Since then, Andrew has turned out a stable’s worth of froth-worthy Honda […]
Honda XR400 Custom by Bunny Builds - Street drags are alive and well in Southeast Asia, with events like Speed Wars II utilizing portable light-trees for 1/8 mile action. Many of the bikes are stripped-down, small-displacement machines built in small garages and […]
Honda XR650 Tracker: “Alley Cat” - Here at BikeBound, we’ve been lucky enough to meet so many builders, riders, and fans from all over the world who simply “get it” when it comes to bikes. One of these is our new […]
Honda XR125 Tracker by Jerry Formoso Kustoms - The Philippines have become a hotbed of custom bikes — especially small-displacement, beach-ready thumpers like the 3B Customs XR200 and Revolt Cycles TMX155. Now we’re proud to feature another surfer’s delight from the islands — […]
Honda XR250 Tracker from Argentina - You know what we love? Dual-sport customs. Thumpers with style. Single-cylinder trackers that can jump curbs and climb stairs with rambunctious glory, that can race you to the cafe or take you camping with equal […]
