Time Tricks

TIME TRICKS

HONDA IS GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ITS XRs. THE RED thumpers have always made ideal playbikes, but now Honda wants them to be known as competitive enduro mounts as well. To that end, the 1985 XR350R and XR600R have been fitted with the most impressive digital-readout enduro clock ever put on a dirt bike as original equipment.

This isn’t the first time a digital clock/odometer has made a dirt-bike appearance: Kawasaki tried it first on the 1983 KDX models. But those first Kawasaki units were beset with problems, not the least of which were hard-to-read numbers, and a clock and odometer that couldn’t be simultaneously displayed on the screen.

Kawasaki learned from those mistakes, and its ’85model KDX200 has an improved clock. And it seems that Honda also learned from Kawasaki’s mistakes. The clock on the XR600R/350R has large numerals that are easy to read, even in bright sunlight. The instrument’s right side features a built-in countdown clock that starts with a push of the right-hand button. The left side contains the display for the odometer, which reads in miles, tenths, and even in hundredths.

Resets are made easy with the two left-side buttons: The far left button advances/retards the readout in full miles, the second button advances/retards in tenths of a mile. Pushing the right-hand button (after the clock starts) changes the odometer display to miles per hour, just in case the rider wants a speedometer. The button second from the right is intended to be pushed at the three-mile speedometer check that all enduros include; and if there is a mileage difference between the XR’s reading and the designated three-mile point, the odometer will automatically compensate for it, eliminating the need for the rider to make mileage recalculations during the event. This calibration but-

ton also makes things easier if you’ve changed to a front tire with a different diameter; pushing the button at the three-mile point recalibrates the clock to compensate for the new tire’s diameter. That recalibration remains in effect until the unit is shut off.

The odometer is driven by a normal speedo cable from the wheel to a junction box under the numberplate; two wires run from the box to the odometer/clock. Three AA batteries supply electrical power. An on/off switch is recessed into the left side of the unit. To eliminate battery drain, the clock turns itself off after receiving no input for two hours.

Simply put, Honda’s digital odometer/clock unit is the greatest OEM enduro instrument ever offered on an off-road bike. It makes standard-issue clocks and odometers seem prehistoric by comparison. Luckily, for those riders who want the latest in timekeeping gear, adapting this unit to other enduro bikes shouldn’t be much of a problem. Except for the cost, that is: Buying all of the individual components will set you back a cool $250. —Ron Griewe