In the UK the Freewind has always been damned with faint praise – but a dodgy name shouldn’t disguise the XF’s capabilities, on and off road. We picked one up this spring for a grand (26K miles on the clock) and been having fun with it ever since. (Updated 28.12.22)
Partly because of its relative obscurity and age – the last new European models were sold in 2004 – a bit of background may not go amiss. The bike was conceived as a competitor to BMW’s F650, a sales success. But the XF is lighter, faster and more agile off road. And it’s very easy to make it even lighter: the bike has become a prime target for scrambler style rebuilds (see next pix). Simply changing the end can and link pipe on ours saved an impressive 3 kilos. And then there’s the plastic. In some ways it seems a shame to ditch the OE livery ours sports (along with the surprisingly effective screen), but it is tempting to go naked. We did this (pic above), but kept the front fairing because it works so well on road. Then again, 90s colour schemes seem more in vogue these days than retro rebuilds. Either way, the XF sports a tweaked variant of the incredibly robust DR650 bushpig lump. And is all the better for it: twin carbs and revised top end yield 47 bhp, which makes the XF the better road bike, helped by its more tarmac friendly geometry. You can hustle it as well as cruising at 80mph. Specifications
Off road, the DR remains a legend, and the XS can’t compete with the former’s longer suspension and low end shove. But the Freewind still has a 19 inch front hoop, decent travel and a lower (830mm) ride height, which makes it far more accommodating to inexperienced dirt jockeys. It also has a bash plate and provides an ergonomically neutral stance for standing as well as sitting, although the DR would suit taller riders better. A key determinant in the progress any adventure bike makes off road is obviously tyres. We fitted ours with a TK70 front and TK70 Rocks rear, and headed for the hills. Terrain included wet grass fields, rutted tracks and green lanes. The rear performed flawlessly in all conditions. There were a couple of sketchy moments up front in conditions the TK70 wasn’t designed for, but nothing threatening: the soft suspension alleviated the load on the tyre. We spent around half the time with the bike off road, and I suspect neither the XF nor the TK70s were designed with that kind of usage in mind, but the combination still made for a useful farm bike. More adventurous off roading would necessitate firmer, plusher suspenders and TK80s, but we were both impressed by how far we got with the set up in situ.
If you’re looking for a very cheap, genuine mid weight adventure bike which can cope on dirt, the XF has to be on you radar. Yamaha’s XT 600 and Honda’s XL600 will cost more, and the Freewind’s origin bike, the DR 650, is becoming rare in some markets. None are as competent as the XF on road, and with the right tyres the Freewind is a blast off it.
UPDATE, 25/12/22
The two of us headed over to a friends farm on the XS for a Xmas Breakfast. The XS can do 90mph two up without threatening to fall to bits, and on empty roads we made excellent progress. Once there, I headed off road in muddy conditions in search of our host who was tending his sheep: no problem. There are quite a few adventure bikes that could have combined both roles, but not many that can be picked up for £1k. Which also means you can have your fun off road without nursing anxiety about the cost of a spill. Result.