A bike for the backroads

Royboy

Royboy

many roads, little time
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Looks like the wife and I may be buying a place in Mesa AZ for the winter months. I'll be taking one of the 650's along, (see signature) for pavement type riding but will need something for the backwoods and fire roads. Considering looking for a decent XT500 but would be interested in your opinions. Bear in mind that 500cc's would be ample and less would be ok. Also, I'm inseam challenged at 29" so no point in looking at stuff with a 33" saddle height. There will be some hiway riding involved. Naturally Yamaha is a preferred make and old is cool.

Your opinions will be appreciated.:thumbsup:

roy
 
Early 80's XT250 would be great. It shares an engine with the SR250 so there lots of parts available. But the main cool factor is Rambo rides one in First Blood. In the mid-80s it changes though. I had the SR version and it's put together very much like an XS650.
 
I'd go with the XT500 over the 250. I've ridden both and found the 250 to be rather tepid and not much fun to ride due to lack of throttle response. The 500 has got GRUNT.

I like the XL350 Hondas too.
 
Welcome to AZ. Lots of great roads to explore and the winters are mild. I've lived in Tucson since '88. ]
 
My SR felt pretty much like the XS650s I've ridden. Never ridden a 500 though.

I heard the XT250 is a great hill climber. A guy on one outperformed all of the guys on modern bikes at a hill climb according to a friend who saw it. But then I guess AZ is pretty flat :)
 
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AZ is a lot of things but, flat ain't one of them. Phoenix is in a valley and Tucson is surrounded by Catilina, Tucson and other mountain ranges. Get a map and check it out.
 
I cant recommend an xt500 highly enough. I have 4: a 1977, 2x 78's, and a 79.

They have enough power and the gearing to cruise at 55-60 mph, to get you to farther away trails then a 250 would. They have enough torque that they are even fun on the street too. I'm probably not supposed to say it on this forum, but I think the xt500 is a more fun bike than the xs650.

They are very simple, and dead reliable too... with a good selection of aftermarket parts for when you do need them.

The silver lining is that they seem to hold their value very well too.
 
the XT500 uses the same motor as its SR counterpart too. Sounds like a fun bike.
 
Royboy said:
I'm getting slower and weaker.
Click to expand...

Well, the xt250 might be the ticket then although it's still macho enough for Rambo. My sr250 got 80 mpg. To work on it was practically the same as my xs. In fact when there was a difference, I'd think that's weird...
 
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In the 500cc class I think the Honda XR is hard to beat. But for hunting or trail building the Yamaha TW 200 has a loyal following. Personally, My XS is my favorite back roads machine
 

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I'd jump on that if it has a title. Probably the cleanest one in the world.
 
How big a guy are you Roy? If you're in the 150 lbs neighborhood and you don't plan any highways a SL125 Honda might do the trick for you. They are very light, You can have fun with 12 hp if you ain't hauling a lot of steel.
 
I think the SL would be perfect for you then.

I used to race an SL125 in Hare and Hound (woods/streams) back when I was 135lbs fueled (Double What-a-Burger and Fries). And I can tell you that it will pull you along quite nicely. The Pentons were the fastest things in the class back then (the Elsinores were faster on the MX tracks but too peaky for the woods and streams races). The SL's were on the podium just about every Sunday. They were probably the slowest bikes in the race but they kept running in water just about up to the seat and they are nimble in the tight stuff and they do not tire you out to ride.

You can put both feet on the ground and you can load it into your-up by yourself. I'd guess they get 75 MPG in normal running and will do maybe 65 down hill - so good for runs to the grocery store.

You'll enjoy it.



I probably had more fun-per-minute on that bike than any thing else I've ever rode.
 
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