XL 500 S

[shinyribs]

First thread in the Singles forum.

Stumbled on to this bike yesterday.Went to check it out today and it barked to life on the first kick. The carb was too dirty to let it idle, but I brought it home all the same.

Used the semi-stale gas in the tank to clean out the carb (it needs a full kit, really) and put some fresh oil in the sump.Two kicks later and it was whoolie time!



This bike is a hoot. The 23" front tire is a riot. It's a bonafide log hopper. The torque is what you would expect from an XL or XR- instant and everywhere. The clutch is slipping, but it'll still loft that big front tire in 3rd gear. Considering that the accelerator pump and the air cutoff diaphragms are completely rotten, it is amazing how well this bike runs. That big front tire is wacky handling. The bike feels very planted until you hit full lock, then the front end just goes away. It's fun in a weird, terrifying kind of way.

None of the lights work ( headlight lens is busted, so I removed it), and there's no battery in the bike currently. The neutral indicator works, but I'm not sure how much of the lighting circuit is DC ( relies on the battery) and how much is AC ( I know the headlight/taillight is AC).

The brakes are hilarious. All the cables need adjusting, but I'm pretty sure that tiny front brake will be nothing to write home about. The rear brake works well if you can ever find the tiny pedal hidden under the clutch cover.  For a 300lb bike it holds it's weight extremely well. It feels much lighter in the woods than my '98 XR400R with cartridge forks, monoshock and 256lb dry weight. I'd never ridden one of these big bore XL's until now. I think they are very underrated bikes. If I can get this thing sorted out completely it may be the bike that can make my KLR go up for sale. Even with a slipping clutch and a bald rear tire....this thing hauls. Long live the big bore thumpers.

[TOOLS1]

That front wheel does look funny. A lot of those were converted to 21" wheels. They handled better, and the 23" tires were hard to find.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_xl500s%2079.htm

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[shinyribs]

I bought this bike hinging on the idea of a fork swap. The front brake was pitiful when new. These forks have some pits and flaking that would require rechroming. Throw on top of all that the very limited tire choices for 23" and there you are. I figured I'd toss the KLR forks on here. The KLR forks were undersprung and the brake was weak, but this bike is 130 lbs lighter.

Yes. Same ground clearance, same amount of suspension travel, same same top speed and same cruising speed....but it's 130 lbs lighter! God bless you, Honda. The range is definitely less on the XL, though. That 6 gallon KLR tank spoils you day.

[shinyribs]

Found an adjuster for the front brake. The cable adjustment thingy was missing from perch, but a spare one out of the Kawi parts stash fit. This front brake ain't so bad when it's working correctly! The internet lied.

[TOOLS1]

Just lace a 21" wheel on it and ride the crap out of it. That bike won the Dakar in 82. My buddy has an 82 that he has fully restored that he keeps in his living room.
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[shinyribs]

I'm not opposed to the 23. I haven't shopped to see what tires are available. I would like for the bike to sit higher, so I'd hate to go with a 21 unless I get longer forks.

But honestly, I can rock this bike bone stock and be happy. It lightness is amazing. The 23 is growing on me. I like the odd, funky look.

There will be a full refurb on this bike soon. The engine is healthy, but very weepy. Aestheticly, it is ROUGH! There's a reason I'm not taking any close up pics...yet lol.

Gasket kits are cheap. Carb kits are cheap. Researching longer shocks for out back now. I can get custom springs on new new dampers from progressive for about $250. That's dirt cheap, in the motorcycle shock world. But again, the originals are still holding their own!

[shinyribs]

Not surprisingly, even though gaskets and carb kits are cheap, nothing else is available for these things lol. I need new head pipes. Mine are salvageable, but not worth it. I'm trying to determine if XL500R head pipes will work on this S model, or if the early XR500 head pipes will work. Same engines, but I don't know if the chassis' vary or not. R pipes can be had much, much cheaper than what people hold you up for on S pipes.

Midpipe and muffler I'll fab up myself, but building head pipes is not in the cards for me currently, for various reasons.

If anyone has any definitive answers it would be much appreciated. Not much info floating around on these bikes.

[shinyribs]

Got a few carb parts and an engine gasket set on the way for this bike. I've decided what I want to do with it, so it's game on.

My head pipes were rotten, but I found a replacement. The S model (street legal) had dual walk pipes to kill a little engine noise. I ended up with early XR pipes instead. Single wall and much, much lighter. I don't know who chromed these things, but I think it'll look sharp on a bike of this age. I will end up fabbing up the rest of the exhaust system. Likely will be a hand built muffler since I can find anything that suits me.



Gonna give the frame a fresh coat of paint while I reseal the engine. I'm going to be swapping on a KLR front end, so I'll have a 21" tire, good brakes and the possibility to gain about 2" of ground clearance/seat height. Not sure I'll be able to raise the rear that much. Need to play around with the chain run to see what it will tolerate, but I know I can gain an inch.



The rear wheel will stay. There's nothing wrong with that brake, and the whole setup looks right. Modern shocks would be very nice, but I don't want to change the aesthetics any. Proper vintage piggybacks wouldn't hurt my feelings, though....

[TOOLS1]

That looks like a good place to put a CB750 engine.
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[shinyribs]

 No way!

A SOHC 750 engine is 220 lbs by itself. This entire bike is only 300lbs, on the road.

[Hondoo]

Nice one. any updates about it?

[shinyribs]

It's stripped down to nothing at the moment. Ordered a gasket set for the engine and picked up paint for the frame. I doubt I'll get much done until winter starts setting in, though. Trying to get the new shop all up and running before winter, then this bike will get some love.

[shinyribs]

The frame got a coat of shiny black goodness a while back, but I'm having trouble getting a gasket kit locally. They say it's been ordered, but it's been months now. Too much on my plate to worry about it right now, but I hope to dive in to the chassis soon.

Fork swap and roller status coming soon, I hope.

[shinyribs]

Made some progress on getting the KLR 650 front end on this bike recently.

Some creative clamping and an end mill in the lathe chuck let me shave off the original steering stops and dust seal lip from the KLR bottom yoke.


Not bad for cheating



Steering stem from the KLR was crazy thick. Cut the bottom stub off.



But that's ok as it allowed me plenty of material to work with. I bored the I.D. of the XL stem slightly and turned down the O.D. of the KLR stem stub to press fit inside.



Pressed together and fastened with two plug welds.



My measurements came out spot on and the bottom yoke hugs the steering neck nicely.



Sorted out the steering stops.



And started sorting out the mounting plate for the steering lock. Needs to be heated and bent, but I didn't feel like dragging out the torch.



My lathe lacked about 1/8" of swing of letting the KLR top yoke fit, so I rode it over to a buddy who is gonna bore it on his mill for me so it will fit the XL stem


Stuck it on for a quick look and measure. Should give me 1.25-1.75" of lift, but can't really tell for sure yet. Not sure I can raise the rear that much with such a short swingarm without causing the chain to drag the pivot. Future mockups will answer that. For now, we wait.

[TOOLS1]

You could cut a chunk of plastic from a cutting board and mount it to the swing arm for a rubbing block for the chain.
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[shinyribs]

You know, I don't really remember if this bike runs a chain slider or not. And I don't really care if the chain touches with the bike sitting still. I need to check that with me sitting on the bike really.

[TOOLS1]

What about when you are flying through the air off a gnarly jump?
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[shinyribs]

If that ever happens with this bike that means it's been stolen.

[TOOLS1]

I think your username and password have been stolen. That does not sound like the Shiny I know.
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[shinyribs]

I don't do jumps! The longer and the steeper the hillclimb the more I love it. Give me logs and rocks to climb over and I love that, too. But jumping, no. Not this sissy. Those guys are insane.

Didn't work on this bike today, but I was weighing some stuff in the shop 'cause me and another guy were curious about some stuff. The rear rim off this bike, without a tire installed, is 20lbs. Add a tire and it's easily 30lbs. Hmm...the bike is under 300lbs, so the tires/wheels are worth 20% of the total vehicle weight? I'm gonna weigh the KLR rim/brake assy vs. the XL's stuff to see what the weight difference is. If it's massive, I may see about fitting a smaller hub with a disc brake out back, because why not...