Before I can talk about anything now that you have said what you've said. Please tell me you did NOT give up that Norton... I hope you don't have one of those Billy Joel stories like when he dumped Christie Brinkley... Christie Brinkley. Most guys like me can only dream about Nortons and Brinkley.
Actually it was a sad story about that. I was young and foolish back then... I took my bike into a shop to have some minor work done on it. When I came back he talked me into modifying the bike to get better performance. Like an idiot I agreed even though there was nothing wrong with the performance! Probably the gruntiest bike ever made... When I finally got the bike out of the shop I had a hard time kicking it over. Turns out he had put bigger valves in it along with boring it out and putting bigger, high compression pistons in it. I finally got it going, but the next time I changed the oil, a pint of water came out of the oil tank before the oil came out. I pulled the head and cylinder off and found out why: with the bigger cylinders, the head gasket was not up to its job and there was a partial leak between the cylinder and the pushrod tunnel, not enough to stop combustion however. This allowed combustion products into the crankcase, which is where the water came from. Also he put such large valves in that they ran into each other. The reason I finally got the engine running by kicking it over was from bending the cheesy light-weight pushrods he put in enough that the valves no longer hit each other (very much). Anyway when I checked the rod bearings, they were trashed also, from using water as an engine lubricant. This "mechanic" had butchered my bike. That was a sad day for me. I sold it as a basket case. I had that bike for 3 years (paid $1285 for it new in 1969). I later got a Norton Commando I kept for 25 years, but I never liked it quite as much as the N15, even though the N15 was a bit more primitive and had worse brakes (single leading shoes!). Handled better than the Commando though. Here is a nice article about these bikes: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/match03082900.html Your picture shows an earlier model. Mine looked more like this, or the one in the article:
God I love the look of that bike!!! And am so sad to hear of how it got butchered like that, really a shame. Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest, by the way yes my XR is quiet and that's a stock exhaust. I think that's the reason it is quiet, I'm not a fan of slip-ons (like cheap DG's) though I see so many old XR's with them. Though I actually like DG pipes for two strokes like the '82 PE 175 I rebuilt a couple years ago, sold it, but always looking for a good old rice burner two smoke! I do understand about how high up the XR sits, it's tall for a 250, though I actually like it (except on highways that cut through large hay fields and there's a lot of wind buffeting at from the sides) since I do take it off road. Since you put your XR on a diet, do you know it's weight and how does it handle being lighter? I'm also curious about any cures; theory or factual for the braking dive you might have heard over time. This model XR is know for that, on the street its most annoying though on the trails I find it actually keeps me upright in tight twisty trails.
No, I don't know the weight. It's just a thing for me, stripping off extraneous stuff. It's not like I'd actually notice the difference riding it! Nice looking PE. I thought dirt bikes were supposed to be covered in mud! My current street bike is a '99 Triumph Adventurer. I like it pretty much but at my age it is a bit heavy to be pushing it around in the garage and so forth. Might have to downsize some day. Here are a couple of links you might want to put on your web page: http://www.rickramsey.net/XR250L.htm http://justxr.com/jh_info/xr250_tips.html
That bikes been dirtier than a bus load of politicians at a whore house! I figure every 20 years or so making it look pretty is the right thing to do. I'm familiar with the Ramsey site, sort of a classic for the XR crowd, but I was not familiar with the XR250 Setup Tip site - I don't suppose that's "the" Jeff Dunham, how cool would that be! Either way, definitely worth linking on my page, thanks!
Hello, Im new to the forums, there is some pretty informational stuff in here. Im new to the two wheel scene too. I have a 91 XR L and am looking to do pretty much what that Rick Ramsey guy did.
Any reason in particular you're going to make those mods? My 250L is basically stock except for tires and farkle, in my opinion it handles just fine. But to each his own, what are you looking to do with your bike? Trail, road, both etc?
Well I just took the engine out and sent it in to a shop to get a smokey engine fixed. I might put some performance parts in the engine while its all taken apart. I'm really not sure why I like this bike so much but I'm attached. I would like to do a lot of riding both on the street and in the mud. So I figured that this bike will serve me well if I return the favor and give her some TLC.
Aren't we all?! When you get the bike the way you like it, and are getting ready for the highway and maybe hitting the slop out on the trails I can suggest the Wolfman bags if you're thinking of doing any ADV rides. I added a Wolfman Beta Plus (not the mini) bag and I have to say I am loving it! I got the Plus because the rack I made for the back end is 9 1/2" wide and the mini would have bunched up. The plus sits nice and tight and so far is super stable on the trails. The pulls are a bit flappy on highway even when I have them tied down, but what the heck! I strongly recommend the Wolfman enduro tank bag and the beta plus for all the XR 250L since for the price they're hard to beat IMHO.
John, That is a sharp looking bike. I'm quite impressed, that actually looks like a nice bike to hit a long ride on. Which brings me to my up coming dream. Now granted its a dream and I know there are a lot holes in it, but here it goes... I would like to set up my XRL similar to that and get down to Brazil for the upcoming 2014 World Cup. Im going to need A LOT of work, but in due time I have 3 years to get my baby in order.
Now that will be fun!! No question the XR can take that kind of ride, with planning. Of course you should post your prep work for that and the trip itself thats a significant ride for any bike! But for the season here in Maine it's time to pack things up, squirelproof the air box, grease everything up, etc, etc and pack her into the woodpile for another winter. Travesty or testimony to the XR, the bike not only takes abuse when I ride it, but arguably some abuse when I store it since I keep it in the wood pile. It really is a tough ole bird.
Hi guys! Really nice thread! I wanted to ask you if I could come in with my bike, since there's no thread for those of its kind, and I don't know if many of ADVrider's users have this bike (I just know of one appart from me..) The bike is a XR 250 Tornado.. Would be like a more modern XR250L, if you accept I could post some photos and tell you a little more about it.. Greetings from Argentina!
If you want to post something then you have to tell us about the best Asado, and Chimcurri sauce in your area - with recipe! I've not seen a Tornado myself, but there are a few North of the border if you do some searching on the site you'll find others who own one. Slap a few photos up when you get some time, love to get a good look. Thanks!
About asado... I can tell you how to make a good one... The chimichurri is a traditional kind of sauce that is put in the meat while you are grilling it, and can be also put on it when you have it in your plate.. It can be homemade or you can buy a little dehidratated preparation that you can use for preparing it, it's the easiest way to do that.. If you are comming, just tell me, we can always make a really good asado.. About the bike, I'll have to wake up a thread that was updated last year, but I'll try... hehe! Here are some pics of my bike (Now it has the handguards on) Thanks for the little place!
Very nice! Are those oil cooling lines coming out from under the oil filter? For the most part looks like an updated XR 250L with a single exhaust. Also, my nephews wife is Argentine, she graduated from Fundación H. A. Barceló in Buenos Aires a couple years ago, and they're both practicing here in Maine... well she still has to pass her state Boards.
What did she do her degree in? I'm studying in the Universidad de Rio Cuarto... to be a Veterinarian... The lines that come to the filter, actually come from the oil radiator that is in the right side of the bike, between the frame and the tank.. It is said to make about 21HP, what about the XR250L? Another question, can we chat a little by facebook, msn, skype or something? There are not so much XR250Ls here and I'd love to know a little more about it.. And it would be useful to have some more ideas for my bike...
Skype: paintervecseyhome FB: John Painter, Lewiston Maine USA Based on 249cc and 9.3:1compression at 8000RPM the '91 XR250L has roughly 21HP. In my experience the bike is so reliable, nimble and torquey that I'm good with relatively low HP, that's why I spend time on the 250 and under thread too. Is way funner for me to ride on these smaller bikes. 1991 XR 250L Engine Displacement 249 cc Bore x Stroke 73 mm x 59.5 mm Engine Features 4- valve SOHC Compression Ratio 9.3:1 Intake Valve Clearance 0.03 - .07 mm Exhaust Valve Clearance 0.06 - .10 mm Engine Cooling Air (just like on yours, but no oil cooler) Ignition Spark Plug NGK DPR8z Carburetor 30mm Main Jet 120 Transmission 6 - speed First Gear 2.769 : 1 Second Gear 1.941 : 1 Third Gear 1.45 : 1 Fourth Gear 1.13 : 1 Fifth Gear 0.923 : 1 Sixth Gear 0.786 : 1
