Honda xl500, anyone have/had one?

[Gandalf123]

Really into classic bikes and 80s trails bikes in particular, current ride a 81 xt250 and was always leaning towards getting the xt500 when my restrictions over but reall like the look of the xl500, I know the xt500 was a successful and popular bike but haven't really heard much about the xl, so..

Can anyone compare them both?

Thanks [/img]
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Honda sh50, Honda cb100, Hongdou cg125, kawasaki z250, Yamaha xt250 - (1981 model)
Mod 2 passed - 3/05/12

[Fizzer Thou]

There are several differant types of XL500

https://photobucket.com/images/xl500/

- both monoshock and twinshock.

I have read on www.xrv.org.uk about people who have restored these bikes and at times have resorted to adapting parts from other models like the FT500 in order to get the bike going.

I would say that there is a massive differance between the XL and XT500 models.But Yamaha did do slightly better with the XT550 version.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[Teflon-Mike]

I had the XT500 'in the day' I never had an XL
The suggested wisdom was that the XT was an 'animal'.. which riding one, it certainly was.... I think the love child of a mule & a camel with the stubbornness of a perpetual pmt wife thrown in for good measure, and the waywardness of of a red-head whore!
It was certainly entertaining!
But not a particularly well balanced motorbike!
On road it liked to paw the air rather a lot, was very light on the front end, YET rather ponderous in its steering!
Off-Road, it was even more of a barge... prone to sinking.... and rather better and slinging mud, gravel, small rodents, children or anything else that came near its knoblies around, than actually shoving itself along!
It was hard work!
A Thoroughly 'NASTY' motorcycle.... and I'd have another in a heart-beat... If they weren't so ridiculously expensive!
I had an SP370 before it. The contrast was like night and day. The Suzuki, was EVERYTHING the XT wasn't.
On road, it was nimble and precise, well balanced and handled beautifully, for a big trailie of the era. But rather 'pedestrian'. You had to use the handling to keep the average speed up.
Off road? Incrediby useful. It was a lot heavier than my trials-bike, and taller, but the slim tank, and narrow nose seat, meant it was incredibly agile, while the power delivery was far more manageable, and I could pilot the thing competantly through tamer trials sections.
But it ran out of puff a bit early, and didn't have the shear stomp to lift the nose like a trials bike; it took a lot more determination and commitment to tackle more tricky stuff...
Comments from others suggested that the XT500 was somewhere between. It was decidedly 'Honda-Freindly' and lacked the animal rawness of the Yammie and was a far 'easier' bike to ride, and more 'useful' on or off-road, but much more of a hand-ful than the smaller 'zook.

In today's world?

There are more XL's about, I think. They sold in vast numbers in the US, and many made it over the pond as 'grey-imports' in the 90's.

Parts support for the Honda's tends to be good, but Yamahah maintained more interchangeability between bikes, so a lot of bits for them are actually easier to come by, I think, and with specialists like Yambits, neither would worry me on that score.

I'd be far more inclined towards the XT500, I have to admit, because it IS 'Legend', and they made far fewer changes to the model, than Honda did.

And for me, it WOULD be a bike only to haul out on a Sunny Sunday and go scare myself stupid and remind myself I'm not a fit teenager any-more!

As a more sensible daily rider for some-one who IS a fit teen-ager (or just beyond!).... XL500 would probably be the more 'useful' machine of that type, it was the better all-round bike, I think.

And pro-or con, depending what you 'want' from it; not so likely to get old duffers like me coming over and crooning over it, and whiling away your time, while you try and sort locks and lid, reminiscing about 'back in the day'!
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[Gandalf123]

Thank for the link fizzer, Nice detailed answer mike, will probably end up going for the xt! I really like the low end grunt of the xt and am worried that the xl might not have that in exchange for a bit more top end! So will stick with Yamaha :p

I think the knobblies on mine are due for a change soon, and tbh, I think I only really like them because they look quite mean & more 'traily'.. And since ATM it's just a commuter bike for myself and when taking pillion, do you think some Pirelli road tyres would be better suited? Or would you go with knobblies again?
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Honda sh50, Honda cb100, Hongdou cg125, kawasaki z250, Yamaha xt250 - (1981 model)
Mod 2 passed - 3/05/12

[Teflon-Mike]