BMW F650GS Dakar vs. Honda XR650L

We chose two-dual sports with opposing strengths to see if it’s best to have refined street capabilities or a taste for the dirty stuff. Honda's XR650L is a [motorcycle] that has gained a legion of fans thanks to its powerful and dependable persona since its introduction back in 1992. Since then it's won Baja races too numerous to count.

The opponent for the XR is the BMW F650 GS, a [motorcycle] that has a superb pedigree (2000 Grenada-Dakar rally winner) and owner loyalty to match, if not exceed, that of the XR faithful. Our Beemer tester came in Dakar guise, which means that it has a longer-travel suspension, larger-diameter wheels and knobbier tires than the regular GS.