Reddit mentions of ELIKE T-92 Self-Recovery Digital Multimeter Amp/Ohm/Volt with Diode,Continuity, Capacitance,hFE,IR Detector and Livewire Identification

Running like shit isn't normal, running lean and not being fun is.

Before starting on making sure it runs right watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70jokjTaGT4

Next never go back to the crappy dealer you went to, find a good mechanic you trust if you can't or don't want to work on your bike.

Pressure wash your bike, a clean bike is a much more enjoyable bike to deal with.

Grab a copy of the service manual here : Grab it soon I don't know how long the link will stay live

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23536619/Honda-XR650L%20Service%20Manual.pdf

Carb's are easy to work on, they just seem scary, get some good screw drivers, the phillips looking ones are JIS ( google it ) and get flat ground straight blades, take a picture of every step, work slow and lay it all out where the cat won't walk through the work area.

Confirm you have a good tank of fuel, you would be amazed what duping the fuel and replacing it with ethanol free premium would do, on an XL you don't really need premium as it is like 9 to 1 compression ratio won't make a difference, but the no ethanol is nice if you can get it. I suggest adding Startron (fuel stabilizer) to every tank in case the bike sits at all.

Before you go spending money, do confirm that the plug wire is in good condition, the plug cap is in good condition, your stator is putting out good voltage and the regulator / rectifier is working. With a reasonable set of skills, a digital multi meter and a couple of beers this should take an hour. If you don't have a multimeter this one is a great little unit for cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/ELIKE-T-92-Self-Recovery-Capacitance-Identification/dp/B01B9P49B0/ref=pd_lpo_263_lp_t_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XRHTJ2KEEXVZHGTVFTFW

You should also confirm that your valves are in spec, not hard again and if you have the tank off it is all right there. The other half of the 6 pack and another hour at most.

That said all is pretty easily fixed, unless the motor in general is toast, so yes, dump the smog crap, open up the airbox, jet the bike properly, Dave's mods are good, even better fit an FCR carb jetted properly depending on budget, and grab at least a slip on muffler to lose a bit of weight and add performance and make the bike sound better.

Once you get it dialed in, spend money on suspension and brakes.

Go ride that beast.

OK, that makes what you can do somewhat more limited. Can you get your hands on a multimeter -- at worst, you should probably be able to acquire yourself a cheap one?

That would allow you to, for example, measure current as a function of voltage, and compare ohmic materials (resistors, etc.) with things that don't have a linear response curve -- light bulbs, diodes (LEDs), and so on. Also many other things, but that was an example that occurred to me as a pretty classic E&M demo lab that is still pretty open to creativity.

E: It would appear that /u/journeymanpedant had the same idea, although specifically focused on diodes.

I'd recommend buying a very small and cheap multi meter. You can measure the resistance of the wire without ever having to coil it so you can get a ballpark estimate, most of the time it'll be pretty close if the wire is cut to length.

Something like this

reason78,
i'm no pro engineer and would use a meter just for small projects. So I guess a cheapo meter will be sufficient. On Amazon, I see $10 meters:

• ELIKE T-92 Self-Recovery Digital Multimeter Amp/Ohm/Volt with Diode,Continuity, Capacitance,hFE,IR Detector and Livewire Identification
  
• Topone LCD Digital Ohm VOLT Meter AC DC Voltmeter Multimeter
  
  
  Would love to hear from you all about these inexpensive meters. Which of the 2 is better?