Hi Michael, your right..the XR650R is a beast with awesome grunt!, that was my worry when I bought my Tenere. However as I rode off from the Dealership I knew I'd made a good choice. ..firstly it was pretty civilised compared to the XR, electric start, a key!, a battery, better lights. Secondly it felt good. .rock solid and lovely to be on. After I had run it in and started to push it a bit harder I realised that whilst I still loved it I was finding it a bit TOO civilised..!, the power delivery a bit restrained. With info gained from this forum I have done a few simple mods that have transformed the way the bike delivers it's power, and once I have bought myself a free flowing exhaust I'm sure it will be even better. Wether these mods translate into horsepower figures I don't know or really care..what I do know is the bike feels brilliant to ride. ..powers out of roundabouts with a great feeling of torque and grunt!. It's become a bit of a beast but with all the practicalities my XR lacks. I can off road it, tour on it, hoon around town on it. ....and the list of possible mods is endless. Brilliant Bike! Steve