Staff Stuff
Staff Stuff
How many old bikes have been left to rot for nothing more offensive than rust, leaks or a stripped shaft? Sure, we live in a wasteful, consumer-driven society that demands we replace scratched toys with shiny new ones, but this is also an information age in which OEM, salvaged or aftermarket parts are only a phone call or a mouse-click away. And it appears the abundance has created a buyers’ market, so keeping less-than-perfect bikes on the road and out of a landfill has never been easier. Especially for popular models like the XL pictured here. Breathing life into a discarded bike can be hard work but a fun adventure. Just ask me.
Still smarting with disappointment
wrought by a fickle 1989 Yamaha XT600 (“Cheap Seats,"
2005), I was determined to find a modest two-wheel alternative to my aging Ford Ranger.
When a friend offered
me a long-ignored, non-running 1973 Honda XL250 for $500, the hook was set. The bike had been parked after the splines stripped out of the kickstart shaft and lever-no small inconvenience on a kick-only motorcycle. Repairs beyond replacing the shaft and lever remained a mystery, and for all I knew, this would be just the first of many more to come. Still, conscience dictated I take that risk.
CW’s review of the XL250 in April of 1972 provided inspiration for the work ahead. "The best off-road bike Honda has ever produced for sale to the public... Quiet... Sophisticated... Minimal vibration. .. Easy to start... Excellent gear spac-
ing... Low center of gravity... Damping
right on... Fine handling... An instant best-seller. " The XL also surprised everyone by winning its class that same year in the tough Virginia City Grand Prix.
Once I got the bit in my teeth, things moved swiftly and relatively easily. Shaft and lever were delivered from APF Motorcycle Salvage (apfmcsalvage.com) for $120; a complete Hap Jones gasket set via eBay was only $20; removal of a circlip on the clutch gave enough play to free the faulty kickstart shaft and allow insertion of its replacement. The repair process also gave me the opportunity to polish engine cases, sanitize the stator and shower all appropriate moving parts with WD-40.
Amazingly, one swift kick easily brought
the Honda to life; that’s right, just one. Noodling with the carb corrected a couple of minor hiccups, and everything appeared sound on local shakedown runs. Best of all, the starting remained
first-kick, hot or cold.
To celebrate, I meticulously repainted the blacked-out Motosport badge on the exhaust heat-shield to match the original colors. All that finger-painting finally paid off.
Closer inspection revealed many more projects, including a non-op odometer, a dimpled tank and sagging springs, but all of these fixes are within reach and have yet to prevent the XL from charging daily around Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Fresh tires and brakes are on the immediate horizon, and that head gasket’s not going to seal itself.
Despite these minor imperfections, the camera loves the Li l Honda. So do I.
-Keith May
