Honda Xl350r Vs. Yamaha Xt350

HONDA XL350R VS. YAMAHA XT350

CYCLE WORLD COMPARISON

MID-SIZE DUAL-PURPOSE DUEL

DUAL PURPOSE, THAT'S A MISleadingconcept, a will-o'the-wisp that attempts to motorcycle that clearly have more than two functions. Dual-purpose machines can serve competently as city bikes, touring bikes, explorer bikes, dirt playbikes, enduro bikes, secondary road sportbikes, all-around fun bikes. That's seven purposes right there, and we could name even more.

But regardless of how many purposes they may serve, all motorcycles of this type do not fare equally at all tasks. The smallest ones are more adept when playing at slower off-road speeds or zooming around town. The biggest perform better on the open road, but can be rather clumsy in the dirt, as well as demanding a strong right leg for starting.

Between the small and the large, though, there is a perfect size that enhances the multi-functional nature of these “dual-purpose” motorcycles. That balance seems to be right around 350cc. This is enough displacement so that freeway travel won’t spin an engine’s heart out, without the weight and bulk that can limit off-road use mainly to smooth dirt roads.

Only two motorcycles sold in the U S. fall into this class: the Honda XL350R and the Yamaha XT35G. Honda’s XL is a street-legal version of the ’84 XR350R, and is in its second year of production. Yamaha's X T 350 is an enlarged version of last year’s XT250 dual-purpose machine.

Both the Yamaha and the Honda are remarkably similar—in specification, in weight, and in appearance. And out on the road, that similarity persists, with each motorcycle having its own slight relative strengths and slight relative weaknesses. Only in an off-road environment, where the Honda is the overwhelming champion. is there any significant performance difference between the two.

Apparently, the Honda’s off-road superiority is the end result of numerous subtleties, because the two machines are so similar in so many ways. Both use 350cc, four-valve, fourstroke. single-cylinder engines. The Honda has its valves arranged radially (their centerlines all aimed inward at a common point), and controls those valves with a single camshaft operating through two rocker arms per valve. The Yamaha engine has its valves disposed more conventionally, at least by streetbike standards. Two parallel intakes lean 36 degrees away from two parallel exhausts. The valves are operated by two camshafts through bucket tappets, with shim-type adjusters. Honda’s system is the more complex, and, with its eight rocker arms, more subject to wear; but its screw-type adjusters simplify routine maintenance. And while Yamaha’s valve gear should require much less frequent attention, its shim adjusters make valve adjustment impossible without special tools.

There are strong similarities in the carburetion systems, as well. Both engines have a separate carburetor for each intake valve, with progressive opening of the two carb throats. This ensures that the mixture drawn into the cylinder at small throttle openings arrives mainly through a single valve and a single carburetor throat. The intention is to provide the low-rpm throttle response of an engine that has a small carb and not a lot of valve area, with the high-rpm power output of an engine that has a large carb and more valve area.

Not surprisingly, all of these design likenesses yield similar results: Both engines produce almost identical peak power and offer about the same performance in a full-on drag race. The Honda, however, makes more mid-range, which is of great importance when riding off-road, where the conditions often demand something other than peak horsepower.

Overall, though, the most noticeable difference we observed between the two engines was in their reliability: Our test Honda’s ignition system quit making sparks due to a defective pulser unit. This is an atypical problem that would be repaired, free of charge, under the XL’s warranty. Thus, the failure didn’t affect the results of this comparison, and we mention it here only for the record.

The chassis designs of these two dual-purpose machines run even more parallel paths than do their engines. Both follow the long-travel, single-shock dirt-bike model, with the Yamaha having slightly more travel at both ends. Both bikes have similar wheelbases and seat heights near 34 inches. The Yamaha is a scant two pounds lighter than the Honda, so the bikes are almost identical in all important dimensions.

But they don’t feel that identical. The Yamaha’s suspension is substantially softer than the Honda’s, and, under the weight of a rider, the Yamaha sits lower. The distance between seat and footpegs on the Yamaha is less, as well; accordingly, the Yamaha feels shorter and somewhat smaller than the Honda, although slightly wider. The XL is almost as narrow as a motocrosser.

That motocross feel continues when the Honda is ridden on a bumpy, rutted trail. Under those conditions, the Honda acts like a real dirt bike. Its suspension absorbs bumps without excessive bottoming, while its engine pulls strongly and steadily even when the revs drop below optimum. And its crisp steering allows the rider to pick the best lines.

But the Yamaha, when ridden at the same pace, can be a handful. If the rider lets the engine rpm drop, he’s penalized with soft mid-range power and often must downshift, whereas he probably wouldn’t need to do so on the Honda. The Yamaha’s too-soft rear suspension often bottoms with spine-compressing force, and its steering has just enough imprecision to keep the rider’s adrenaline flowing if he’s trying to maintain a spirited pace.

That difference in steering feel between XL and XT is remarkable, at least in the dirt. Some of the Honda’s greater precision may result from it having firmer spring rates than the Yamaha, but there are other, more significant reasons. The Honda’s Yokohama tires, particularly the front one, simply work better than the Yamaha’s Bridgestones. Admittedly, both bikes slide their front tires too much on soft surfaces, and both would be improved off-road with a good set of knobbies; but the Yamaha would be improved more, because the misbehavior of its stock front tire discourages a rider from really pushing hard.

Also contributing to the Yamaha’s lack of precision is a limber front fork. The Honda’s fork holds wheel and handlebars in a more rigid relationship, which gives the XL a solid feel that the XT doesn’t have.

Any differences in suspension action are yet another result of the different engineering priorities of the two companies. The Yamaha was equipped with soft springing and damping that provide a superb ride under most street and mild dirt-road conditions, but it wasn’t given the ability to cope with deep, off-road bumps and humps. In contrast, Honda fitted the XL with suspension components that have stiffer springs but are more friction-free; thus, the XL controls its wheels better during off-road use, without any real sacrifice in ride quality.

On a twisty section of paved road, the two are more nearly equal. Without the distraction of off-road obstacles, keeping the Yamaha in the best part of its power is easy, and it will accelerate right with the Honda. Neither does the XT’s soft suspension or steering create any real problems; the steering differences are less noticeable on pavement, and although the XT moves around slightly more on its softer suspension, you'd have to search hard to find any street conditions that it couldn’t cope with. In fact, both the Yamaha and the Honda will unravel some twisty roads as quickly as many sportbikes, and with far less rider-effort.

And in two more-typical environments for dual-purpose motorcycles—highway riding and in-town use—the Honda and Yamaha are virtually dead-equal. The Yamaha’s engine may feel slightly peakier, but the difference isn't as marked on pavement. More noticeable may be the Yamaha’s slightly wider, more rounded seat and its cushier suspension, items that make the Yamaha the more comfortable for an extended stay. Against that slight edge in comfort, the XL offers a character that’s sportier and more aggressive.

But not by a large margin. These machines are so much alike in so many ways that, for town and highway use, at least, deciding between the two comes down to a matter of individual taste. They both start on the first or second kick (most of the time, anyway). Counterbalancers in both engines smooth out the worst of single-cylinder vibrations. The riding positions on both are comfortable from zero to 70 mph; for higher speeds, less-upright positions would be more appropriate. But 70 mph is about where engine vibration starts to intrude, so each bike’s riding position is well-matched to its respective engine’s capabilities.

And so, too, are the bikes closely matched to one another. In fact, for anyone considering one of these machines strictly for use on the street, or for exploring dirt roads at an easy pace, choosing between the two will be difficult. But for anyone expecting the “dual” in dual-purpose to carry real meaning, for anyone looking for a motorcycle that performs well under all conditions, the subtle as well as the obvious design elements come into play. And Honda has simply spent more time in selecting those elements—things such as springs and tires and damping rates—that allow the XL to work on-road and off.

If that’s important to you, then the XL is your motorcycle. 0

HONDA XL350R

$2098

American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

YAMAHA XT350

$1949

Yamaha Motors Corp.