I had a '74 model XL100 when I was 12. I put that bike through hell, and it never let me down. I think I remember my dad paying $499.00 for it brand new.
that was a great era to be alive and riding owned a couple Honda's XL's and one Yamaha DT rode many other bikes. Many the manufacturers in the mid 70's were trying hard to put out quality affordable rides. Enjoyed your ride thanks for posting
So, 50 or so years after they were made, Honda XL175s are now reliable? Wow! I co-owned an independent motorcycle shop in the late 1970s / early 1980s. The XL175, at that time, had the reputation of having the shortest life span of any small displacement dual purpose bike (2 stroke or 4 stroke). Yes, most of them were ridden hard and put up wet by young guys that rarely or never serviced them, but these things just didn't last. I remember many of them succumbing to oiling problems to the top end which required, at a minimum, a new cylinder head. By the early 80s, the motorcycle salvage yards were full of them that were uneconomically repairable. You've got a really nice example of one there. You can tell that it's lived a comfortable, babied life.
In 73 I worked for Hammersley Iron in Australia , when a kid bought one new and road it 129 miles to the coast. and he promptly sold it to me and took the train home. That was the best little bike I owned. Love the story. and it sounds great.
I had a later 1981 XL185 in Ireland as an 18 year old. It was my everything bike and it I loved it more than any bike before or since. That 175 is BEAUTIFUL!
I'm 73 years old. I bought and owned a 1973 XL175. Before that a 1971 SL125. When you say it's might not be for a 250 lb. person you are correct, but for a 5'4", 22 yr. old it was great. I used it a a trail bike, but we did strip it down to bare necessities, and eventually put a Poweroll pipe and Super Trapp muffler on it. In 1975 I was looking to step up and naturally, a 250 would be the next size. Well the 1975 Honda XL250 went with a new suspension and that kicked the seat height out of the comfortable range for me. I then went to a 1975 Suzuki RL250 which was a trials bike and thin seat. It worked perfect for me and I still own and ride that RL250. I did love the XL175 though. You know what they say about hindsight.... Thanks for the video.
Very, very nice! I have a first year XL-250 waiting to be restored. It is complete and ready to restore, I have several bikes waiting in front of it, including a 1972 Honda SL-100.
My grandfather won alot of harescrambles and enduros back in the 70's on a 73 Xl 175 that was bored out to 196cc and I've had one red one and 2 orange ones over the years and still ride an air cooled crf250F which is similar to the XL and XR motors but fuel injected and electric start,very reliable and great engines if you enjoy riding more than working on bikes👍
I liked the SL 175 with the twin cylinder engine. Heavy, yes. But, the engine made it unique. In my teens, I started with an SL 125. Then moved onto an XL 125 with Elsinore shocks on it. Rode each of these bikes for thousands and thousands of miles in orchards and forests. It was teen bliss. Funny note: My Mom rode a Yamaha DT 100 with a Hooker header!
That was the first real motorcycle I owned. I road it to HS every day the last two years of school. Mine was gold. I wanted a MXer , but this was all I could afford(1980 $300 bucks). It was Soooo heavy. It was geared so low I could not ever take it on the fwy. 🤨. I also hated those dual carbs. I was constantly trying to keep them in sync. I kept a Uni-Syn in my back pack every time I took it out. I wish I still had it as values have gone through the roof. 😂 I have a XL like in this vid I think cuz I missed my SL so much. Haha
Bought a new 1975 xl250 back in the day and just recently bought a new klr230 to try and relive my childhood.Too much fun and my HD has just been parked in the garage all summer.Go figure.
My first bike was a ‘76 Elsinore MR50, 2 stroke. Same color scheme as this bike. I was 9 when I got it. My older brother had the ‘76 Elsinore 125 street legal version. It was silver and green. Great times.
This was my first bike back in 1975. I got my first job just to buy this bike. I rode it on the trails and to work. I loved the little guy. I wish I still owned it.
I owned a 250 XL in the late 80's. I bought a Suzuki Dr 400 Dirt bike. The guy I sold the 250 XL still owns it. I now have Yamaha XT 225 small dual sports are a lot of fun.
Imagine having a brand new on of these at 13years old, and it was street legal under my Fathers name! I could get 70MPH out of it on a flat road, it was low, and heavy, dependable beyond belief!
Who remembers when Dirt Bike magazine tested these 175's when they first came out? They had the cover shot, of the 175 in a pig pen, with a pig. Over 300 lb 175 with about 14 horsepower. A wallow hog of a bike. And now via youtube the best dual sport ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The internet is a funny place.
I had 1973 model and loved it. Not the fastest among some other bikes but no mixing oil and gas and dependable as a rock. The summer of '73 was the best. I was 16 and free.
Nice. I don't recall ever seeing one here in the UK where being a small island with a lot of people, we had a small market for trail bikes. But we did get the four valve XL 250. Not many of them, but that was a great bike and was reliable and went very well. Had an automatic decompressor linked to the kickstart. This was followed by the CB250 RS road version which was a light, sweet-handling and surprisingly potent little bike with disc brake. All these early Hondas last very well if you change the oil regularly and clean out the centrifugal oil filter. If you don't, they will bork the cam bearings. Later electric boot models were heavier and more prone to top end woes. The 175 looks pretty.
The TS 185 Suzuki was the most reliable. It didn't handle as good as the Honda due to it's 19" front tire. The Yamaha DT was the quickest due to their reed valve but new rings were needed more often than the others. The Kaw was middle of the pack in all categories and very reliable. The Honda was the only 4 stroke and was slugish compared to the 2 strokes. The Honda handled great compared to the others and it looked much better. I had several 185s. My neighbor had a 73 1/2 { the first XL }. I really liked that bike. Thanks for the video.
Very pretty little trailbike. My big sister had a XL125S which was very similar, and excellent. In the 80s I had a Suzuki DR400S that looked like a cousin of your XL - I loved it and rode it for years, including some quite serious offroad trips. I miss the time of those very simple and low trailbikes.
I’ve had the privilege to take my ‘72 xl 250 on 1000 mile off road rides in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Baja. Always an easy starter warm and cold, especially since I figured out the timing advance system on the points. Next June is Oregon and I have a $200 ‘76 xl 350 in the works
Had one when I was in my mid late teens in the 70's and managed to buy one recently off Ebay fully complete here in Australia. I'm in the process of fully restoring it now and get it back on the road.
Very cool! I recently picked up a ‘74 Honda mt250 in pretty good shape. I still have to de-rust and repair the gas tank and have to repair the oil injection.
Yeah, I know what you mean it makes you smile. I'm into smaller and lighter bikes too, I bought a Kawasaki KLX230, not as charming as your Honda but still a fun bike. And I also ride a Caballero 500 Rally (actually a 450cc), and I have a little monster 2022 KTM 350 excf which is a modern enduro-bike. I've never tried these smaller older bikes but I'd love to some day. We don't have many here in Sweden.
Had a mini (80), eventually traded up for a 125. Never did anything but add gas and oil and ride it, started 2nd or 3rd kick every time. Some friends have it at their farm, their kids rode the piss out of it now they’ve been restoring it for the grandkids.
I preferred the two stroke bikes. I rode them with the throttle pegged. I could rebuild 5he top end in an afternoon. My favorite was a Suzuki 250 Savage. It had the power to be ridden on the highway and then find a road that looked interesting and take it.
They were fine for the street. Not so much in the dirt. Heavy and underpowered. Even in the 70's the rear suspension was inadequate. I had no trouble leaving them in the smoke of my Honda MT125.
I had a 100 then wanted a 185 (UK forget what year) but had to make do with a 125 before going all 2-stroke and then big bike. I never had to work on them- buddy's 250 same , even with the cam shaft bearings thing. As opposed to all 2-stroke then big bikes- good job I liked working on 2-strokes then big bikes. Did you know that if the timing slipped on a Yamaha XS650 - the mark just before electronic ignition- and you blow a 25¢/old 20pence piece/2€ size hole in one of the pistons, it can still drive quite a way if the engine was Slick 50-ed. Which is a good job as cell phone won't be invented for about 20 years to call for help.
I beleive its the xl125 and smaller have a "balanced electrical system" that use resistance from the turn signal bulbs, the speedo light bulb, etc, as a buffer to the regulator/rectifier system. If you buy some project with a lot of these bulbs inoperable, it can toast the regulator rectifier, and they used to cost like $60, so they had a reputation for being a week spot, the modern solid state ones are like $4 and dont burn out near as bad. Anyone who rocks an xl of 125cc or smaller, i recommend swapping to a solid state regulator rectifier, and keep a spare, if you arent doing a super perfect restoration, that is just for looking at, not for using.
Hey Nathan! I might be getting a w123 300TD 1984 in mint condition. Lots of work already done on it, vacuum works great, locks work, all that, no rust, keept indoors overwinter. Passed inspection, they want close to 6k. It has 230k miles so wondering if this price is high or what i should offer. Any suggestions!?
@@yankeebotanist4699 I'd buy a w123 with 500k as long as the rust is minimal, motor doesn't have any blow by, runs and drives smooth worth every penny.
@@SirDrifto dope! I'll let you know! But it's in solid shape for sure so probably gonna get it! Can't wait! I'll post some pictures and hit you up when I get it!
That was back in my junior high days in Fla an you got your bike lisc. at 15 for anything under 500 cc , wasn't a honda fan because they ran lean at start up so got kicked alot and the steel the starter shaft and kickstarter itself was made of wasn't to good also the shifter internals had issues , I rode a 185 Ducati to school then switched up to a 500 Kaw triple then a 750 triple that I still have , for me any bike that you don't have to pedal against the wind is a good one 🙂
I had one like this. It was reliable but very slow, with little suspension travel. I only did one thing to it: an uppipe without a muffler. My neighbors loved me.
Had an 1975 XL 350: Wish I still had it! Now have a Y2K Suzuki DR-650 SEY which is actually much the same BUT is way-way better but, I do miss my XL 350. I get the same gas milage which is often 50mpg but is usually 48.5mpg just like my old 350. If you want to enjoy a bike like the XL 350 get the Suzuki. As an old Honda boy, it grieves me to say that the new Honda 650 SUCKS as compared to the Suzuki 650 Ride both and you'll know why! 1st I'll mention vibrations, OMG the Honda literally numbs your hands and feet and My Suzuki is as smooth as a twin. Bewildering isn't it! Yep!
A HUGE weak spot on these motors is the kicker ratcheting gear. They are fragile as glass. They will snap off right at the case. No one currently makes a replacement and other years do not interchange. IF you can find a good used one, you will pay through the nose for it. Just FYI. Fantastic bike but the kicker is a huge issue on the 175 from this era.
In 1975 I bought a xl 350 it burnt to the ground 2nd day I had it out in the woods .it backfired thru the carbs and caught fire ,i couldn't put it out i tried throwing a helmet full of dirt on it i tried peeing on it ,just burned right up!
Nope...I rode a couple of them when I racing motocross in the early '70's, I would take either a Yamaha DT175 or DT250 over any of the Hondas as much better "Dual Sport" bikes. The Yamaha 2 strokes of that era were king of what we referred to as Enduro bikes.
You call this bike an “enduro.” What exactly do you mean by that? Because it does not fit the definition of enduro that I use. Enduro afaik means an off road enduro race bike that is usually not street legal, but has a head and tail light for night racing, and can fairly easily be made Street legal in some jurisdictions. The XL175 is not a race bike, and was purposely built to be Street legal, so doesn’t fit the definition of an Enduro bike based on what I understand an Enduro bike to be
@@tecdive8045 we call enduros short for dual sport. The xl was never a race bike but rather an on and off road dual purpose motorcycle. We say Enduro for short but I'd say it's more so slang than correct terminology
I had a '74 model XL100 when I was 12. I put that bike through hell, and it never let me down. I think I remember my dad paying $499.00 for it brand new.
that was a great era to be alive and riding owned a couple Honda's XL's and one Yamaha DT rode many other bikes. Many the manufacturers in the mid 70's were trying hard to put out quality affordable rides. Enjoyed your ride thanks for posting
Dad bought a XL350 when they came out. It’s still in the family running strong.
Very cool
The XL 350 seemed like a big improvement over the old SL 350 twin it received.
So, 50 or so years after they were made, Honda XL175s are now reliable? Wow! I co-owned an independent motorcycle shop in the late 1970s / early 1980s. The XL175, at that time, had the reputation of having the shortest life span of any small displacement dual purpose bike (2 stroke or 4 stroke). Yes, most of them were ridden hard and put up wet by young guys that rarely or never serviced them, but these things just didn't last. I remember many of them succumbing to oiling problems to the top end which required, at a minimum, a new cylinder head. By the early 80s, the motorcycle salvage yards were full of them that were uneconomically repairable. You've got a really nice example of one there. You can tell that it's lived a comfortable, babied life.
In 73 I worked for Hammersley Iron in Australia , when a kid bought one new and road it 129 miles to the coast. and he promptly sold it to me and took the train home. That was the best little bike I owned. Love the story. and it sounds great.
@@williamoorejr very cool!
I bought a new 74 XL 35O when I was twenty. It was the most fun I ever had on a motorcycle.
I had a later 1981 XL185 in Ireland as an 18 year old. It was my everything bike and it I loved it more than any bike before or since. That 175 is BEAUTIFUL!
I love riding my 72 Honda XL250. Great Trail bike.
I'm 73 years old. I bought and owned a 1973 XL175. Before that a 1971 SL125. When you say it's might not be for a 250 lb. person you are correct, but for a 5'4", 22 yr. old it was great. I used it a a trail bike, but we did strip it down to bare necessities, and eventually put a Poweroll pipe and Super Trapp muffler on it. In 1975 I was looking to step up and naturally, a 250 would be the next size. Well the 1975 Honda XL250 went with a new suspension and that kicked the seat height out of the comfortable range for me. I then went to a 1975 Suzuki RL250 which was a trials bike and thin seat. It worked perfect for me and I still own and ride that RL250. I did love the XL175 though. You know what they say about hindsight.... Thanks for the video.
Very, very nice! I have a first year XL-250 waiting to be restored. It is complete and ready to restore, I have several bikes waiting in front of it, including a 1972 Honda SL-100.
@@doncollins786 love both of your bikes. Both are great
@@SirDrifto Thanks! I also have fully restored 1969 Z-50, and a 1975 XR 75 and a few others. 17 or 18 bikes in all, lol.
Definitely one of the best. Brings back some wonderful memories. Now, I have to find one😂.
@@PilotLife215 they're still around which is cool.
My grandfather won alot of harescrambles and enduros back in the 70's on a 73 Xl 175 that was bored out to 196cc and I've had one red one and 2 orange ones over the years and still ride an air cooled crf250F which is similar to the XL and XR motors but fuel injected and electric start,very reliable and great engines if you enjoy riding more than working on bikes👍
My first bike was an XL 70. Same color! Sweet bike!
Wherever you are, that place is incredible.
I think it's Colorado
@@modulate72 at the family cabin, yes its a dream. No rules!
Always like that bike my great uncle had one for years
I liked the SL 175 with the twin cylinder engine. Heavy, yes. But, the engine made it unique. In my teens, I started with an SL 125. Then moved onto an XL 125 with Elsinore shocks on it. Rode each of these bikes for thousands and thousands of miles in orchards and forests. It was teen bliss. Funny note: My Mom rode a Yamaha DT 100 with a Hooker header!
That was the first real motorcycle I owned. I road it to HS every day the last two years of school. Mine was gold.
I wanted a MXer , but this was all I could afford(1980 $300 bucks). It was Soooo heavy. It was geared so low I could not ever take it on the fwy. 🤨. I also hated those dual carbs. I was constantly trying to keep them in sync. I kept a Uni-Syn in my back pack every time I took it out.
I wish I still had it as values have gone through the roof. 😂
I have a XL like in this vid I think cuz I missed my SL so much. Haha
Bought a new 1975 xl250 back in the day and just recently bought a new klr230 to try and relive my childhood.Too much fun and my HD has just been parked in the garage all summer.Go figure.
You are so spot on about the Honda XL's I owned a 250 😊 I rode with a friend who had a 350 with the same paint as your 175 😊 ❤
Right on!
My first bike was a ‘76 Elsinore MR50, 2 stroke. Same color scheme as this bike. I was 9 when I got it. My older brother had the ‘76 Elsinore 125 street legal version. It was silver and green. Great times.
This was my first bike back in 1975. I got my first job just to buy this bike. I rode it on the trails and to work. I loved the little guy. I wish I still owned it.
Yes Sir motorcycles tell the truth. You meet the nicest people on a Honda 🤓
I owned one 49 years ago as a 110 pound kid. LOVED it!
Really great bikes! I restored a '76 XL175 a few years ago and it is such a fun little bike!
Love it, this was my first motorcycle. I still have the muffler guard scar on my leg when i had to lay her down ....
I owned a 250 XL in the late 80's.
I bought a Suzuki Dr 400 Dirt bike.
The guy I sold the 250 XL still owns it.
I now have Yamaha XT 225 small dual sports are a lot of fun.
Had a 125 in college. Great little bike to get around town
Imagine having a brand new on of these at 13years old, and it was street legal under my Fathers name! I could get 70MPH out of it on a flat road, it was low, and heavy, dependable beyond belief!
Back in the day the TS185 kicked its ass into the middle of the next week. Lighter and more torquey with arguably better handling.
Who remembers when Dirt Bike magazine tested these 175's when they first came out?
They had the cover shot, of the 175 in a pig pen, with a pig. Over 300 lb 175 with about 14 horsepower.
A wallow hog of a bike. And now via youtube the best dual sport ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The internet is a funny place.
I Think They Used One In An Episode Of Hawaii Five-O But They Used Two-Stroke Sounds For The Audio! Thank You. (Like #123 - Comment #48)
I had 1973 model and loved it. Not the fastest among some other bikes but no mixing oil and gas and dependable as a rock. The summer of '73 was the best. I was 16 and free.
Nice. I don't recall ever seeing one here in the UK where being a small island with a lot of people, we had a small market for trail bikes. But we did get the four valve XL 250. Not many of them, but that was a great bike and was reliable and went very well. Had an automatic decompressor linked to the kickstart. This was followed by the CB250 RS road version which was a light, sweet-handling and surprisingly potent little bike with disc brake. All these early Hondas last very well if you change the oil regularly and clean out the centrifugal oil filter. If you don't, they will bork the cam bearings. Later electric boot models were heavier and more prone to top end woes. The 175 looks pretty.
The TS 185 Suzuki was the most reliable. It didn't handle as good as the Honda due to it's 19" front tire. The Yamaha DT was the quickest due to their reed valve but new rings were needed more often than the others. The Kaw was middle of the pack in all categories and very reliable. The Honda was the only 4 stroke and was slugish compared to the 2 strokes. The Honda handled great compared to the others and it looked much better. I had several 185s. My neighbor had a 73 1/2 { the first XL }. I really liked that bike. Thanks for the video.
I had this bike in 74 Melb Aus $650 on the road. I was working in the Railways as a station Ass 17 years old lots of memories. Cheers 🐊
Very pretty little trailbike. My big sister had a XL125S which was very similar, and excellent. In the 80s I had a Suzuki DR400S that looked like a cousin of your XL - I loved it and rode it for years, including some quite serious offroad trips. I miss the time of those very simple and low trailbikes.
I’ve had the privilege to take my ‘72 xl 250 on 1000 mile off road rides in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Baja. Always an easy starter warm and cold, especially since I figured out the timing advance system on the points. Next June is Oregon and I have a $200 ‘76 xl 350 in the works
Had one when I was in my mid late teens in the 70's and managed to buy one recently off Ebay fully complete here in Australia. I'm in the process of fully restoring it now and get it back on the road.
When I was a kid I grew up on a 1980 XL125S and LOOOVED that bike until the day some jerks stole it.
May they rot in hell. Mine was a 1981 185. It stole my heart.
Very cool! I recently picked up a ‘74 Honda mt250 in pretty good shape. I still have to de-rust and repair the gas tank and have to repair the oil injection.
She's a beaut! Love the orange paint job
It really looks good in person too
Yes Sir . Mine was a 79 80 or 81. And a 125cc to and was a tank. Hill runner.owned it in 87- 89. Honda red.
Good bike.
They made an XL75 from 1977-79 that i always wanted.
I owned one it was fantastic.
Back in the day I had the 175 and the 185. Both had overhead cam problems. Besides that they were great.
I got an 82 x 0 1 85.S runs like brand new
Had the 100cc version during the early-mid eighties. Was easy to work on, and I could keep it running easily.
Yeah, I know what you mean it makes you smile. I'm into smaller and lighter bikes too, I bought a Kawasaki KLX230, not as charming as your Honda but still a fun bike. And I also ride a Caballero 500 Rally (actually a 450cc), and I have a little monster 2022 KTM 350 excf which is a modern enduro-bike. I've never tried these smaller older bikes but I'd love to some day. We don't have many here in Sweden.
Right on!
Had a mini (80), eventually traded up for a 125. Never did anything but add gas and oil and ride it, started 2nd or 3rd kick every time. Some friends have it at their farm, their kids rode the piss out of it now they’ve been restoring it for the grandkids.
I preferred the two stroke bikes. I rode them with the throttle pegged. I could rebuild 5he top end in an afternoon. My favorite was a Suzuki 250 Savage. It had the power to be ridden on the highway and then find a road that looked interesting and take it.
Very well preserved little bike, awesome looks, awesome scenery! Where is this at?
Colorado
I had one in the 90s and someone stole it. I also had a couple early to mid 70s Yamaha GT 80 Enduros that were awesome
Co worker had an XL 185. Early ‘80s. I thought XLs were XRs with lights.
I have a 75 XL250. On the road.
there is a french guy who competed in the QATAR BAJA INTERNATIONAL recently with a Honda XL125S.
They were fine for the street. Not so much in the dirt. Heavy and underpowered. Even in the 70's the rear suspension was inadequate. I had no trouble leaving them in the smoke of my Honda MT125.
I had a 100 then wanted a 185 (UK forget what year) but had to make do with a 125 before going all 2-stroke and then big bike. I never had to work on them- buddy's 250 same , even with the cam shaft bearings thing. As opposed to all 2-stroke then big bikes- good job I liked working on 2-strokes then big bikes. Did you know that if the timing slipped on a Yamaha XS650 - the mark just before electronic ignition- and you blow a 25¢/old 20pence piece/2€ size hole in one of the pistons, it can still drive quite a way if the engine was Slick 50-ed. Which is a good job as cell phone won't be invented for about 20 years to call for help.
I beleive its the xl125 and smaller have a "balanced electrical system" that use resistance from the turn signal bulbs, the speedo light bulb, etc, as a buffer to the regulator/rectifier system. If you buy some project with a lot of these bulbs inoperable, it can toast the regulator rectifier, and they used to cost like $60, so they had a reputation for being a week spot, the modern solid state ones are like $4 and dont burn out near as bad. Anyone who rocks an xl of 125cc or smaller, i recommend swapping to a solid state regulator rectifier, and keep a spare, if you arent doing a super perfect restoration, that is just for looking at, not for using.
Hey Nathan! I might be getting a w123 300TD 1984 in mint condition. Lots of work already done on it, vacuum works great, locks work, all that, no rust, keept indoors overwinter. Passed inspection, they want close to 6k. It has 230k miles so wondering if this price is high or what i should offer. Any suggestions!?
@@yankeebotanist4699 I'd buy a w123 with 500k as long as the rust is minimal, motor doesn't have any blow by, runs and drives smooth worth every penny.
@@SirDrifto dope! I'll let you know! But it's in solid shape for sure so probably gonna get it! Can't wait! I'll post some pictures and hit you up when I get it!
@@SirDrifto hey dude how do I check for blow out again?
That was back in my junior high days in Fla an you got your bike lisc. at 15 for anything under 500 cc , wasn't a honda fan because they ran lean at start up so got kicked alot and the steel the starter shaft and kickstarter itself was made of wasn't to good also the shifter internals had issues , I rode a 185 Ducati to school then switched up to a 500 Kaw triple then a 750 triple that I still have , for me any bike that you don't have to pedal against the wind is a good one 🙂
Long ago, a friend had an XL250 which, compared to my poor old CT70, was the fastest, coolest thing on Earth, sigh....
Pretty country, where are you located?
@@larryjolley5229 western colorado
I had one.. Camshaft started wearing the head out.
Weniger ist oft mehr, im Gelände bist du besser unterwegs als mit einer schweren BMW GS. Gruß aus Deutschland
Take it off any sweet jumps?
I call it the sledgehammer 🤣
Napoleon!
XL300?
I need to rebuild my 73 cl350
I had one like this. It was reliable but very slow, with little suspension travel. I only did one thing to it: an uppipe without a muffler. My neighbors loved me.
Cool bike! But old school suspension off road just isn’t it! 😂
@@sarahdell4042 I'd absolutely agree. It's not existent 🤣
@@SirDrifto Approaching 40, I just can’t handle that sorta stuff anymore. Spoiled with modern suspension!
@@sarahdell4042 KTM 690 doesnt weigh THAT much more than this XL 175, and makes 75HP, has good suspension.
@@bradsanders6954 I’ve owned two! Pretty much stick to dirt bikes these days. Hard to match the same amount of fun with a plated bike
You forgot the XL100 when you listed the different models 😒
@@Washadamoak I knew I missed a couple!
Ill be 61 christmas. Let me remember.....elsinor?
SL
Then a XL
Then a XR?
Then CR?
Seems like the XL was the last of the single trail makers. The 3 wheelers came out changed trails.
4 wheelers ruined all trails
Had an 1975 XL 350: Wish I still had it! Now have a Y2K Suzuki DR-650 SEY which is actually much the same BUT is way-way better but, I do miss my XL 350.
I get the same gas milage which is often 50mpg but is usually 48.5mpg just like my old 350.
If you want to enjoy a bike like the XL 350 get the Suzuki. As an old Honda boy, it grieves me to say that the new Honda 650 SUCKS as compared to the Suzuki 650
Ride both and you'll know why! 1st I'll mention vibrations, OMG the Honda literally numbs your hands and feet and My Suzuki is as smooth as a twin. Bewildering isn't it! Yep!
A HUGE weak spot on these motors is the kicker ratcheting gear. They are fragile as glass. They will snap off right at the case. No one currently makes a replacement and other years do not interchange. IF you can find a good used one, you will pay through the nose for it. Just FYI.
Fantastic bike but the kicker is a huge issue on the 175 from this era.
In 1975 I bought a xl 350 it burnt to the ground 2nd day I had it out in the woods .it backfired thru the carbs and caught fire ,i couldn't put it out i tried throwing a helmet full of dirt on it i tried peeing on it ,just burned right up!
Nope...I rode a couple of them when I racing motocross in the early '70's, I would take either a Yamaha DT175 or DT250 over any of the Hondas as much better "Dual Sport" bikes. The Yamaha 2 strokes of that era were king of what we referred to as Enduro bikes.
Looks like a Yamaha to me.
Awesome bike but I prefer a yamaha dt
@@dominocweber9763 also great bikes (I own one).
Back when men were men, women were women, and bikes were bikes.
You call this bike an “enduro.” What exactly do you mean by that? Because it does not fit the definition of enduro that I use. Enduro afaik means an off road enduro race bike that is usually not street legal, but has a head and tail light for night racing, and can fairly easily be made Street legal in some jurisdictions. The XL175 is not a race bike, and was purposely built to be Street legal, so doesn’t fit the definition of an Enduro bike based on what I understand an Enduro bike to be
@@tecdive8045 we call enduros short for dual sport. The xl was never a race bike but rather an on and off road dual purpose motorcycle. We say Enduro for short but I'd say it's more so slang than correct terminology
5 speed gearbox with too high 1st gear for slow going
Archaic, underpowered Hondogs
My DT was better.
The speedo is disconnected!
The cable is bad, ordered a new one