The Honda XL (and other vintage singles) thread!

[dorkpunch]

Added a how-to in the first post for making your own side covers...

[sturleyau]

Welcome Bow3022,
A 1980 model with only that amount of mileage has got to be pretty good even for $600.
I have rebuilt a 1972 model that only had about 5000km on it and it took me 2 years. I'm not slow!
The issues you may have as I see it would probably be the various seals in the motor. These tend to dry out and become brittle hence not doing their job.
Definitely recommend you change the fork oil and the engine oil straight off.
Do about 500 to 1000miles then change the oil again. If there aren't any leaks at least you will flush the remains of any old gunky oil out.
Oil all cables and adjust.
The valve seals may also be aged but I haven't replaced my and I have no issues with them.
The bike looks quite straight and original and if you need parts, most are available from Honda (at a price) also Ebay always has XL250 parts especially in USA.
I know at least 8 blokes over here in OZ that have or are restoring XL250s and there are quite a few parts available here as well.
Good luck with your purchase and welcome again to the madhouse.
Regards
Glenn

[sidetrack one]

Can you still get the 23"" front tyres?

[Bow3022]

Would the difference in the years not make parts interchangeable, lets say the brake lever perhaps? Are there certain years to which generatiion of 250s' started?

[sturleyau]

To Bow3022,
The XL250 Motorsport was brought out in 1972 and designated XL250K0, followed by K1 and K2 etc. Up to K2 they were pretty much the same. Parts were still interchangeable for most things. These were sideport bikes and the next addition was single carb, centre port with a different shaped barrel. After that Honda created the heads with 2 carbs. From then on I get lost as my focus is the 1972 model.
If you go to www.cmnsl.com they have online parts lists for most models and you can see the differences there.
Incidentally I have a carby here that has the choke on the right hand side and throttle on the left. I think this is off the XL250S.
Hope this is of some help.
Glenn

[Bow3022]

Say hello to a new owner of a 1980 honda xl 250s. =]

Theres not that many issues. The bike runs pretty darn good and i'm a happy camper. Cept for 1 issue. The electrical wiring......

The brake button wire was ripped from the button itself. I can solder that back. And the Blinkers don't blink. Is there a wiring diagram that i can look at? Or do you vets know the issue already?(the headlight works and the running backlight works). Any ideas?

Edit: Got the brake lights to work. =]...I like to work quick. Lol.

One side question though, my horn, brake lights arent that bright. Why? Is it because of the 6v system? The battery is new in the bike, it was purchased but 2 months ago.(i have a reciept of it, the previous owner gave it to me.).

Edit #2: I clean out the contacts in the switch. Still no go. The signal indicator light on the main board(with the neutral and highbeam light) lights up when i try to turn on the signals, but they dont flash. Is there a flasher unit like a car?

[Keep_it_on_the_DL]

Originally Posted by Bow3022

Say hello to a new owner of a 1980 honda xl 250s. =]

Theres not that many issues. The bike runs pretty darn good and i'm a happy camper. Cept for 1 issue. The electrical wiring......

The brake button wire was ripped from the button itself. I can solder that back. And the Blinkers don't blink. Is there a wiring diagram that i can look at? Or do you vets know the issue already?(the headlight works and the running backlight works). Any ideas?

Edit: Got the brake lights to work. =]...I like to work quick. Lol.

One side question though, my horn, brake lights arent that bright. Why? Is it because of the 6v system? The battery is new in the bike, it was purchased but 2 months ago.(i have a reciept of it, the previous owner gave it to me.).

Edit #2: I clean out the contacts in the switch. Still no go. The signal indicator light on the main board(with the neutral and highbeam light) lights up when i try to turn on the signals, but they dont flash. Is there a flasher unit like a car?

Yep, it has a flasher relay. You will want to find a relay for a 6 volt system. You can possibly get them from your Honda dealer. A 12 volt relay will work, but the signals will flash very quick. I had the same problem with a 78 XL175.

[Bow3022]

do you know where the flasher is located? And what it looks like?

[dorkpunch]

on the older bikes is a small silver rectangle box, located above the key switch which was under the gas tank on the left side. Your bike I belive has the key up by the speedo, but I would assume the blinker box is under the tank. Sometimes they are round too, but the rectangle one is about an inch long and half an inch thick, with two or three wires plugged in to it.

[FastMag]

So I just picked up a 1975 XL175, where is the best place to get parts for these things. I found a place call Babbits online and then saw parts at Bike Bandit. Any other help would be great. Thanks.

[Bow3022]

The place to get the parts would be ebay or your local honda dealer. I'm gonna head on down to my honda dealer to see if i can find a lever bracket to replace.

[Bow3022]

sorry for the double post guys but, i went out to pep boys and i couldnt find a 6v flasher relay so instead i bought a 12 volt. Plugged it in, didnt work.

Any ideas on what it could be?

Also, when i lifted my tank up, there was a green wire hanging bare. Now my flasher relay is two pronged and it had a grey and black wire on it.....Any ideas of what this mystery green wire is?

Edit: I ran a test on the sockets. I used a multimeter to see if there was any current or voltage running through the socket. Nada. Any ideas?

Well i guess i've narrowed it down. Its the flasher. For some reason i got the signal lights to turn on.....Now the issue is, where can i get one thats not gonna cost me 40 bucks? Are there any aftermarket ones?

[Frostbit]

I think that I'm posting in an appropriate thread (and other vintage single).

I just bought a sweet little 1980 Yamaha XT 250 that has spent it's life in a heated garage. It has less than 600 miles on it, starts on the first kick, not a single scratch to be found, complete service manual and all for $700. I'm getting the fluids changed, cam chain adj., valves adj., new air filter (dry rotted), and new tires mounted. At that point it will be very close to the day it rolled off the showroom floor. Here's the problem........ It feels sinful to ride this great little bike. Should I turn around and sell it to somebody that's more of a collector than a rider because I'm definitely not interested in being a collector?

[sturleyau]

Hi Frostbit,
What a great little buy that is. It does seem a shame to ride it though, but that is what they were built for, not to sit around.
Just a quick thought about the condition of Old-New motorcycles.
My 1972 XL250 had only done 5000kms when I got it and it started first kick, however!, all the internal seals had dried and become brittle. 2 years later when I had stripped and rebuilt it I hadn't touched the seals and oil gushed out of the motor.
I had to pull the motor out and replace the seals.
The lesson I learnt was that even though these bikes are nearly new they have deteriorated over the years. Unless you want to sell it as is, I suggest you pull it completely to pieces and replace all the rubbers/seals. Also clean and regrease the swingarm as the grease has probably turned solid especially since it has been in a heated garage.
I have had my XL250 on the road now for nearly 2 years and it is a lot of fun. I get more people talking to me when I ride that than when I pull up on my 2003 Blackbird.
I hope you have as much fun as I am having.

Regards
Glenn

[Frostbit]

Thanks for the tips Glenn,

I have dropped it off at a talented mechanic's shop and he's giving it a thorough once over before it's set free onto the roads/trails.

The air filter had turned to dust so I'm sure there's a few other dry-rot issues.