More old pics

[merv]

I never did have any cam chain problems with any of my Hondas but I did manage to block an oil way to the head on that XL and toasted the cam bearings. McIver and Veitch in Dunedin did needle roller bearing conversions so I had that done on it.

What was wrong with trying to really fly the XL (and any similar trail bike in those days including the TS Suzukis) they just weren't built as strong as today's bikes. The steel rims bent, the spindly forks bent stretching the wheel base from too many jump landings and the alloy hubs disintegrated eventually. The XL250 I think introduced alloy wheels and by the time the pro-link XRs came out you had bikes you could ride hard, crash and abuse and they didn't break. The MX bikes were a bit flasher but you couldn't ride them everywhere like we did on our trailies.

[merv]

Another cool pic. Here I am 10 years on when I'd bought my XR200RD new in 1983. We were still wearing all the flash clothes then too and trail riding from home as that's what dirt bikes were about - you could ride them anywhere. I hung onto that XR 15 years and sold it with original everything inside the motor except I had replaced the clutch plates. Even the cam chain was original. You could crash them and not break them - again I sold it with the original clutch and brake levers still intact. That was probably the best bike I ever owned for its intended purpose. I have been dissatisfied with the dirt bikes I've owned since because they do not have the all-round capability the old XRs had.

[Big Dave]

All the cool chicks rode SL125s then while real men had XL175s and crazy guys had power saws.

My friend Brian has a fully restored XL175 just like that and KR Editor McKay has one approaching mint condition as well.



The RAT boys in Arthur's Pass

[merv]

Cool I always liked the snow being a North Islander it was a bit of a rarity when I went to live in the South.

We kept our XL and it was still running in near original condition (wasn't mint as it had been used hard) but needed some engine restoration if I was to want to keep it forever. However, I was arm twisted to sell it to Chris Harris complete with all the parts I had for his collection in 2000 (by then it was over 26 years old) and then lo and behold those buggers decided to quit bikes and auctioned them all off. I think he sold mine for about 4 times what I sold it to him for, thinking he would give it TLC. Like it was still warranted and rego'd and I rode it over to Motorcycle City when I sold it to them.

Here it was in 1997 as you can see in good nick except for the worn paint - we didn't have scuff proof when we were riding these things hard.

[Motu]

Those first Pro Link XR200s were the best of the lot I reckon too Merv,I beat the living daylights out of mine - I walked away from it like Obi Wan walked away from Anakin Skywalker,left it for dead....but you can't kill an XR200.The frames would break above the rear engine mount,I've seen a few like that,and I rewelded the broken weld on mine.It was a revalation after all those years of twin shocks to be going down a fire break in 5th gear using the full 300mm of suspn travel bouncing from one side of the track to the other and think nothing of it.I would rev mine so hard it would get to the end and come back the other way....I think that's what bent the valves.The orange XL175 and first Pro Links were the best of the small Hondas.I still have an SL125 somewhere.

[MSTRS:Me]

but could do around 80-85 with an extra tooth on the gearbox sprocket. It was 14T stock, I ran it 13T for trail and 15T for road.

Did the same with my TS125. Changed it so often that I never bothered refitting the sprocket cover.

[Ixion]

..I would rev mine so hard it would get to the end and come back the other way....I think that's what bent the valves...

D'ya think. I suppose there just might be some connection

[Motu]

D'ya think. I suppose there just might be some connection

I remember when it happened too - the XR200 was the best hillclimbing bike I've ever ridden.And the technique was simple - just nail it in 2nd and never back off,ever.....but a little too much air time was my undoing.By that stage it was jumping out of 2 gears as well,but I had a spare motor to drop in.But I was moving and stuff had to go...just another sale of hundreds I regret....

[MacD]

All the cool chicks rode SL125s then while real men had XL175s and crazy guys had power saws.

I so wanted an XL175, mostly because a couple of guys around the corner had them with straight through mufflers! My 2-stroke MT125 didn't cut it in the sound stakes (although it probably had as much power).

[merv]

I so wanted an XL175, mostly because a couple of guys around the corner had them with straight through mufflers! My 2-stroke MT125 didn't cut it in the sound stakes (although it probably had as much power).

Nah I was telling you earlier the MT's were way too narrow in the power band and an XL would eat an MT250 let alone a 125. I think for general use an SL125 would have been quicker than an MT125. Those old strokers didn't have any top end in stock form. I tried various pipes on the XL and always found in the end that the stock pipe had the broadest range of power so used that most of the time. Whereas the stroker boys would have needed a pipe just to have any semblance of top end speed.

[MacD]

Nah I was telling you earlier the MT's were way too narrow in the power band and an XL would eat an MT250 let alone a 125. I think for general use an SL125 would have been quicker than an MT125. Those old strokers didn't have any top end in stock form. I tried various pipes on the XL and always found in the end that the stock pipe had the broadest range of power so used that most of the time. Whereas the stroker boys would have needed a pipe just to have any semblance of top end speed.

Yep, I agree with you about the XL175's, however the MT125 went OK against SL125's (if I remember correctly - although it could just be the fog of time )

[Groins_NZ]

Theres an older looking XL250 parked on The Terrace, Wellington - anyone here own that?