The Honda XL (and other vintage singles) thread!

Hey folks.
I am looking for a larger tank for an early model XL 350. I saw an old article posted on oldrice that mentions a Vesco skinny/fat tank http://www.oldrice.com/XLDiet.htm with a 3.3 gallon capacity. Anyone know if Vesco is still around and if so would they still make this tank? Any other larger capacity honda (or other make) tanks that would fit on an xl350? Also looking for a back rack specific to a '75... and here is a pic from last week's 500 miler in the Mojave:

OK.

Tell me I shouldn't go pick up a '76 XL125, not running, no title for under $100. Told it "pops" but doesn't start. No rear lights, but front ok. Not trashed that I can see in pictures.

I am old. I know better.

On the other hand, it took me FIVE WEEKS to find a LEO to verify VIN on one of the Passports, so I'm not too concerned with no license plate, and I live in rural farm area.

C'mon, tell me not to. Please?

DON't DO IT! Just walk away! wait, who am I kidding? Have you picked it up yet?

$100?? Sheesh, you can pick up soda pop bottles in a weekend to make that! oh...What? It comes in cans now??

Ah come on Kismet!
For 100 bucks,, man,, good thing I don't know where it is..
They're like stray puppies aren't they?
Cute, simple, easy to live with,, appealing in all kinds of ways..
DO IT!

I am going to look at an 84 XL200R hopefully tomorrow is there anything I should look for? Take in mind that I am not very mechanically inclined. They are asking 1495, is that a good price? Thanks, kevin

Just the usual stuff for what I know..
Check fluids for color and smell, look for rust in the tank, leaks, cracks, weird welds, lights all working, registration (check numbers and dates for correct and current), check out the owner too (does it feel/sound right or like bs).. One thing I tend to do too is start the bike myself, preferably cold, ride it a little if possible, run it through all the gears (5?), let it sit idling for as long as you can (like several minutes) to see if it loads up and starts smoking... Oh, and run a little google search on it, 1984 honda xl200r, and read up on the lill' beast... Be informed.
Geez,, that was a lot of advise,, didn't think I had much to say.. lol

Hey Folks.
I am trying to figure out a problem with the clutch on my bike. (xl350k1) the clutch is not engaging when I let go of the clutch lever. I have ruled out the plates and springs (changed friction plates and measured springs) and cable tension seems not to be an issue. I am thinking it may have something to do with the internal clutch lever on the left side crank case cover. i can usually kick or pull this back into place, and the bike will go into gear. Anything I should keep an eye out for when I take off the crank case cover? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I don't have any personal experience with this,, but have usually found exploded views either from the SM or bikebandit pretty handy..

There is an adjustment on the left side of the engine- should be behind a rubber plug above what kind of looks like a grease zerk on the side of the engine case. If adjusting it doesnt help, you may have a bigger problem. I have seen a couple of different XL's where water has gotten in the case where the clutch actuator goes in. The water sits in there forever and starts to eat away the magnesium until the whole actuator pops in and out of place. Only remedy then is a new engine sidecover.

Couple of things, got all the electrical working on the '78 xl175, close to being ready for legal road worthiness..

The '76 xl350 parts junker now has a freed up engine.. That vinegar stuff is incredible.. Took a couple of weeks and a few refills but it worked.. Now that I can rotate the engine I've found the shift lever shaft is busted.. What is it with these hondas and busted shafts? Anyway, I started to pull the LH engine cover off and have all the bolts out, popped loose but something is holding it on still.. Clutch actuation linkage? Oh, and how far in do you have to go into the engine to change the darn shift shaft?

Thanks y'all

Thanks! the adjustment helped. I had tried the adjustment pin before but this time gave it a bigger twist. guess that was all it needed.

Thanks again.

You know, the more I look at these two bikes and the condition they are in,, the further I lean toward using the best of the 350 on the 250. The 350 has just been too abused and has so many warning signs while 250 is the more original and less beat up of the two. Both are '76s, having high pipes exiting on the rh side, the tanks, seat, fenders, and side covers look about the same..
The forks on the 350 are longer and the specs show them to be stiffer. I am hoping the stock muffler (second half of the exhaust) from the 350 fits the 250 with a minimum of fuss (the 250s is badly rotten).
Aside from the motor, which I'm sure would produce better power someday, what other components on the 350 are superior and would enhance the 250?
Oh, and has anyone here used a Time-Sert to repair a crossthreaded spark plug port.. Or does anyone have a better idea on how to repair the port?
Thanks y'all.

Keen-sert, hela coil, whatever, they all work good for repairing threads, spark plugs included.

You want to part with the 350 motor? Got a project that needs one...

Me being in Kali-forn-ya and you being where? Usualy shipping such heavy oily things is a pain.. And, I ain't so sure about gettin' rid of it.. I am contemplating tearing it down to see what the tweakers did to it, or if somehow the internals are undamaged by their abuse. Matter of fact, that's another good reason not to sell it, could be a pile o' junk..

I recently bought a '73 XL175. It starts OK, but it would idle high without any choke. After a minute or 2 the idle would fall by itself to 1200, a bit bouncy on the RMP's. If it went below 1100, it would die. The carb was set very rich when I picked it up (3 turns out, manual says 3/4 to 1 1/2) and needed to stay rich to run. I had to clean the (new) plug often.

I replaced the coil/condenser but only with another used set - no difference. Voltage at the battery was/is close to 7V when running. I was getting around 100# compression so I changed the rings, now I get 125+#. The cylinder head and exhaust chamber of the valve cover needed a lot of cleaning.

I could then set the mixture @ 1 1/2 turns out but still had all the behaviors stated above. The plug still fouled quickly.

I went into the carb and discovered the slide had a ding on the lower edge that kept it from lowering all the way. The needle C-clip was set at the top-most position, lowering it to its maximum. After setting the needle C-clip to the second from the top notch (raising it to 'typical' per the manual) and filing the slide smooth it wouldn't idle even with the idle screw all the way in. I had to adjust the throttle cable to keep a pull on it. Setting the needle C-clip back to the top fixed that.

It'll now idle at 1200 with the idle screw maxed all the way in and mixture at 1 1/2 out. After about 10 minutes it'll REQUIRE a plug cleaning.

I have yet to clean/treat the rusty tank but it had an in-line fuel filter, now a new one.

I'm still thinking it's the carb but can't find a replacement. Ebay aftermarkets don't have the same fitment to the intake boot - cylindrical end fits into the intake boot and is hose-clamped.

This is the first bike I've ever done any disassembling on so I'm very new at this. Any suggestion is welcome. What do ya think?

Sounds to me like you're suspicions about the carb are in the right direction. Keep looking for a correct carb. Or, can you get a new slide? Get your gas tank clean too. It's cheap and easy and then you can rule out future contamination of rust. There's a thread around here (search under old skool) for storing steel tanks. That'll explain it well enough.. Vinegar, it's my new favorite cleaner..

Still workin' on the 76 xl250/350 parts swapping..
Took the good muffler off the 350 (rear half of the exhaust), fully expecting that I'd need to weld up some sort of collar to make it fit the 250s front section. Totaly unwarranted worries, it slid right over, clamped down and fits great. It weighs a ridiculous ton though, I can fully understand why folks chuck the stock exhaust for aftermarket, even if there were no power gain, the weight savings alone would be worth it. Oh, and checked the 250 for spark,, nice blue happy zappy ignition! Gotta get that heli-coil/time-sert thing done! She'll be thumpin' along the trails again in no time!

I can't seem to find any carb parts for the XL175 right now. I though I used to see Keyster rebuild kits on Ebay all the time. I took it apart this weekend and noticed a small nick in the main jet intake (stock size). I'd just like to replace all the components. Anyone know who definately sells a kit?

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/honda-motorcycle-xl175k1-1974/o/m9379

I don't know of anyone selling kits, looking at bike bandit/the above link I saw they have some of the carb's parts available. These lill' 175s are a bit challenging to find pieces for.

Good hunting.