I just got it.

http://i93.photobuck...ff/P1030761.jpg

http://i93.photobuck...ff/P1030763.jpg

http://i93.photobuck...ff/P1030764.jpg

http://i93.photobuck...ff/P1030762.jpg

Has orig. front tire, so the tire is hard and I am reluctant to corner very quick since rubber is pretty hard. So I need 23" Bridgestone 3 (or more) x23" tire. Can't locate. Any ideas? Can a 21" XL35p tire just go on to replace the 23"?

The exhaust is kind of ratty for having only 5000 mi. on it, but Prev. Owner lived near beach and sea air corroded it. Any way, here are pics of it and the exhaust at the head. I'm afraid that if I try to take off the exhaust it will snapp off the studs. Any of you have experience working on this situation? If Easy OUt won't remove the broken off stud, are there helicoils or bigger studs to put in? Can that be done without removing the engine from bike and head from engine:

any ideas on where I can get halogen light bulb for the headlight. I believe it is a 6 volt system.

Anyone have a manual for it?

I don't know how to shrink the pics so am linking instead
Thanks

nice bike . i think i can answer some of your questions.the 23'' front tires are getting kind of scarce these days but they can be found .you'll be better off putting a 21'' in it's place the xl 350 wheel if it's an old one mounts the axle to the forks differently so it might not fit.the xr's of that time period had 21's on them and should be an easy swap or you can lace a new 21'' rim to your hub.the exhaust studs and nuts you can try soaking them down with a good penetrating oil and maybe apply carefully some heat to the nuts to help loosen them. if the studs come out and strip the threads on the way out you can tap the threads to 1/4 -20 or repair with a helicoil to keep the same size studs. if you have to remove the head,the engine has to come out of the frame there's just no room to get it off you should be able to perform these repairs inframe.as far as the halogen for a 6 volt system goes i don't know if one exists.what you can try is convert it to 12volt. i've done this on a 79 xl500 by using a tympanium regulator that replaces the rectifier and diode on the old british bikes and i'am going to do this on a 78 xt500 yamaha as the alternators put out enough voltage to work with on both i just don't know how much load they will sustain but i'm told that if you change the tail and turn signals to l.e.d. it allows more current to be used at the headlamp and then i know you can get a decent halogen lamp for it from a place like baja designs.you can still get service manuals from clymer all day long so that shouldn't be a problem.hope this helps out .good see someone else with one of those old thumpers.

Thank you for your help.

Would you know what models have 21" wheels which fit right on.

Or

I see parts of old hondas with disc brakes on EBAY, and if it would not cost much and is easy, I'd consider converting to disc front with 21". Would the fork clamps have to be changed to put on an XL600/XR600 fork?

Also, any ideas on mufflers which are quieter than the supertrapp?

Thanks

i think you could probably use a wheel off of a 81 or 82 xl 500 they have what's known as a twin leading shoe front brake or a tls and this should bolt right on.for that matter the whole front end off of one that vintage should go on yours.the only thing that might be a problem would be the stem and bearings in the steering head i don't know for sure if those parts will interchange. a little machining should take care of that.the reason i say 81 or 82 is that the fork length is similar and an xr 600 is to long and would adversly effect handling but it would be nice to have that front if you can make it work.the only thing i can suggest on the supertrapp is to replace it with a aluminum super trapp they're still on the loud side but have a deeper exhaust note than the steel one you have or you can try to find a good stock one.you might try taking acouple of plates out that should quiet it down alittle.

A quick look at the battery will tell you if its 6 or 12V.

What year is this thing? Its pretty.

Id spend some time looking for the front tire. It'll be cheaper and way easier than swapping the front wheel, rim or entire front end.

I found this in about 3 minute on the web:

http://www.kgmotorcy..._trail_wing.htm

http://underbid.com/...6858.html#IMAGE

http://www.kgmotorcy...n_c123_c183.htm

On the exhaust removal tap the nuts to help break the rust loose and soak with penetrating oil. I had a 1981 xr 500r with 1988 cr500 front end. It was a bolt on but with the old twin shocker you might need to have a shop shorten the fork legs.

In case you have to replace the exhaust studs for any reason, here is the OEM Honda part number, from the microfiche diagram at www.discounthondaparts.com

BOLT, STUD (6X25)
92900-06025-0E

Thanks for your advice. Bridgestone supposed to be making more 23" tires so I'll wait.

When I ride, it seems to have no shock damping in back. Anyone know where I can get replacement shocks for rear? Thanks

I had to order Cheng Shin 3 x 23 trials tire since old orig bridgestone split. Could not wait on Bridgestone to make some more.

you will need the forks to change the wheel. the ear for the backing plate is different.

Here is a link for your shocks. You'll have to get the springs separately from the same site. If you call in a order just tell them you'll need springs and they'll ask you if you want the heavy springs or the light. If you weigh more than 200lbs they recommend the heavy ones.

I got these for my XR500 and was really happy with them.






http://www.denniskir...1309&mmyId=7658

i ENDED UP BUYING EBAY SHOCKS OFF 1980 XR. HOPEFULLY THEY'LL NOT BE SHOT SHOCKS. wISH i'D KNOWN ABOUT THE DENNIS KIRK LINK BEFORE AS I PAID ABOUT THE SAME

Got the shocks disassembled, repainted and reinstalled on my XL. The shafts shafts are real clean and shiny and no leaky. The bike rides VERY much better. Before it would bounce up and down going down the street and now it's just solid. I set the little adjuster for spring preload on medium. and will have to reset for light since they are so much more than the bike needs. I do mostly street anyway. I'm really happy with the shocks.

I painted them red and the springs are already scraping the paint off the shocks. I put some tie-wraps on the springs and ran the lead down the inside of the spring. Hopefully they will keep the springs from rubbing the paint off.

the XR shocks are a lot bigger than the old xl shocks.

When I had my 81 XL500S I swapped the entire front end. I installed the forks, wheel and brake setup from a 1987 XR600. I had to swap the triple tree also. The XL uses a weird sized lower steering head bearing but the upper was the same as the XR600. I don't remember what size bearings I used but I know it was pretty simple and the results were amazing in handling and the braking was fantastic.