Vintage 1984 Honda XL350R final episode with Start up and riding

Rebuilt carbs, new tires, new brakes, new clutch, new fork seals and fork boots
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Part1: • Vintage 1984 Honda XL3...
Part2: • Vintage 1984 Honda XL3...
Part3: • Vintage 1984 Honda XL3...
Part4: • Vintage 1984 Honda XL3...

[@Workerbee-zy5nx]

If folks dont love a classic dirt cycle, they don't know what they are missing..

[@Thesaurcery4U2C]

MEMORIES... I had that bike when it was brand new, I was 16 years old My buddy bought it, and I loved it He loved my 73 Grand Prix SJ (455) I wanted him to throw in the helmet He wanted $100 bucks on top. He folded before I did, because that car was beating most everyone in town But I was in love with that bike.

[@ShaneZettelmier]

This is one of my favorites, I turned 16 in 1984 and this was my dream, they also had the night hawk 707 50 S and I still love both of those bikes today. I hate that they don’t have these mid range bikes anymore you have a DRZ 400 which is awesome but The 250s and even the newer 300s don’t quite have enough torque and 245 pounds and when you’re in the sand or trying to climb a soft hill the 250s and even the 300s just aren’t enough. These had that torque they weren’t super fast, but it had the six speed and a good turkey engine with a great power band And I think we’re the perfect size, a little bigger disc in the front and an electric starter and this would be my dream bike still an 84 looked great the 85 was cool but the orange is red and the blue was only cool for a minute. I drove an 85XL 600 which is pretty much the same but a five speed and the 600 and it was great but it was heavier and it could be a little bit of a handful with the power, nothing crazy, but the 350 was a no-brainer, you had enough power to wheelie, but not enough to launch your front and when you didn’t want to come in at 600 tended to do that, I had to kind of learn to drive and steer And do uphill turns without a front wheel on the ground but now that I’m a little older and not doing more hard-core dirt stuff I think these bikes are perfect. They said a little lower they would do good off-road, but nothing crazy but it would get you there. They worked pretty decent on the street and they were just fun and easy And has big cushy seats were pretty comfortable. Today’s bikes I’m probably gonna buy a DRZ 400 and put a seat concept seat on it but I wish I had a six speed still and wasn’t jacked up quite so high come out the seats on a DRZ set About four or 5 inches higher than these but unfortunately the market dropped all these mid range bikes and Suzuki sit unless you want to pay 11 or 12 grand for a CRF 400 L which is a great bike set up for dirt but the electronics on it are kind of a pain cost more than three grand to replace And I’m not doing motocross so it’s just not worth the money and the ridiculous maintenance schedule and 20 something thousand mile rebuild come out these will go 80 or 100,000 miles if you take care of them and just keep chugging along when you throw a new piston in it Get a couple extra cc and you could for another 60 80,000 miles again. The last bike sort of in this category what is the Suzuki DR 350 SE which was pretty much just like this but with an electric starter and I’d be happy with one of those two but I’ve got a few glitches you got to work out and I just like the old Honda motors better. These things were built precision tough and they just go forever with almost nothing to do to them. The great Bikes in there my opinion one of the best deal sports, the 250s and 300s Are great bikes and ride good but they’re made for people who are 140 pounds and he put a bunch of luggage or a second person on there anyway to 50 to start with and they just don’t cut it, you can throw about 500 pounds in the form to fat people on this go out cruise around all day long. You could ride with some luggage and you got enough torque to get you up a sandy hill where the 250 and 300s want and I think you’re still a good bit lighter than the DRZ 400 without the ridiculous seat height, and the 2 x 4 rockhard seat. I don’t know maybe I’m biased but I love these bikes. Lol

[@thedragon2299]

I agree with you 100%, I have always thought the 350cc was the perfect machine. Like you said it's not too big and it's not too small. I have owned more 250's than 350's because there was always more 250's available for sale. When a 350 popped up for sale you better had been right on it. I have had a couple XR350's and a couple DR350's. I'm alittle partial to the hondas, well to Honda in general, just due to my experience with how reliable and capable they are. I have totally submerged many hondas in my years, not all by intending to, but non the less they got submerged in the water. With a Honda, you just pull the spark plug, kick it over until all the water is out of the cylinder, put the plug back in and it will actually start back up and run. Also I know when I buy one of these older hondas and it's not running, I'm not scared to buy it, because I know it will run. I do enjoy my DRZ, I totally understand why people are crazy about them as an all around kind of bike. It's actually very capable for a heavy dual sport. I would still prefer to have a Honda version of it, the deal was just too good to pass up, so now I own a DRZ. Thanks for watching and commenting 🐲

[@ShaneZettelmier]

@@thedragon2299 yep, I like the 250s but it’s just not quite enough power. If I’m going through sand or if I’m going up the hill with a little loose dirt or sand, I just find myself scrambling and needing more power. They make these bikes 440 pound riders. The 350 was sort of the same thing but they just had more to work and it was always enough to pull through. I’d be fine with the 250s if I weighed 150 pounds but I don’t and I ended up driving an XL 600 from 85 and it was great but the 350 was definitely lighter and I liked the six speed and having more gear options. The 600 always wanted to kind of go faster and where I lived had a lot of steep hills and every time you take off going uphill that front wheel wanted to come up in the air. Lol.

[@ShaneZettelmier]

@@thedragon2299 I agree on the DRC, they don’t have competition. Honda came out to CR 450 L but the computer on it’s a little weird can a lot of people complain about it dying until it’s warmed up good and I’ve seen lots and lots of people say, I don’t like to run, even in the moderate cold and you have to sit there and let it completely warm up and it’s an electronics issue and that’s more than $3000 to upgrade. It’s already $11,000 bike, Honda should definitely fix that. And it’s a great performing bike, but it’s a motocross bike and it’s a high maintenance queen and they talk about rebuild 20,000 miles. I would never buy a bike that needed to be rebuilt after 20,000 miles no matter how good it performed. Right now I think the DRZ is the only thing going new. I definitely like the 80s Hondas and the 84 would be my dream, I don’t like the blue seats in the orange and 85. Lol. I seen the XL 600 has a starter kit out there but I’ve never seen one on the 350 but that would be my biggest grape, I would definitely want an electric starter on there. Lol I really wish Honda would do kind of a retro release and just take some of the old XL’s and throw on a little better brakes a little better suspension and an electric start and maybe even fuel injection. Another one of my favorites would be something like a 78 XL 250. The thing I love about those is they’re incredibly easy to start. They have a simple choke and a pump or carb and even after decades of abuse they just kick over on one or two kicks every time. But for right now I think the DRC 400 is kind of the only option in that category unless you want to get into the beta and KTM stuff. The 390 adventure is OK but I don’t like the high maintenance intervals, and rebuilds, and some of the problems that come with the newer Bikes and all the computer stuff. I get it they perform really well but for me just having a bike that runs all the time and I don’t have to worry about them baby is way more important than a little performance advantage in the DRC does great all the way around. It’s good on the street it’s just big enough to get on the freeway. It’s not ridiculously heavy to pick up and I would definitely get a seat concepts seat on there, but my only real gripe is I’d like to see it with a six speed and maybe a little better spring on the rear shock, seems to sag a little bit, but with a 37” seat that’s not necessarily a bad thing either😂 I’m moving soon at the moment I only have ATVs but I’ll see you when I get out to wherever I move, if it’s flat like where I’m at now I might just get a 250 and enjoy that 75 miles to the gallon. But if I’ve got some sand and hills, I’ll probably just get a DRZ 400.

[@Bruno-my9uf]

They are so confy you can ride them all day long . !

[@davidgray2886]

Brother had one. Great bike for the time! Swear his had electric start? He passed at 24. Bike got sold. Wish I'd have bought it. It had plenty of power on road and plenty off road. I had an xr 200 at the time. fun bike also but slow! We rode in the woods and trails with dedicated motocross bikes and always managed to keep up. Fun times.

[@thedragon2299]

Can't go wrong with an XR or XL! Sorry to hear your brother passed so young. Just not fair. Thanks for watching 🐲 🐉🐲

[@drmachinewerke1]

I’m waiting for new brakes and mater cylinder for mine. I ride mine all the time. To be honest at 62 I wish it was electric start. However I’ll be buying the new triumph 400 scrambler this November-January 2023-24. Installed a new Bridgestone Tail Wing on the rear . I like it over for bigger bikes.

[@thedragon2299]

Sounds good, that's the only thing these bikes lack is the electric start. I have an 1983 XL600r in the shop now that needs topend work. Talk about one that needs electric start...lol Thanks for watching 🐲 Follow Dragon Worx Facebook:kzbin.info/www/bejne/rprQpXmsnqmjbMUfeature=shared

[@jables2845]

Hey Dragon, I have an 83xl600 with a bad motor.I recently bought a XR 650L engine. Since we are talking about Estarts. What are the chances an a engine swap to end up with a XL with the magic button?

[@Sageofthe16]

i had an 87 xl500r. was a tank. i drove it until the piston skirt fell off, it still ran🤣

[@thedragon2299]

That sounds about right for a Honda. When I was young a friend had an xr 100 that locked up due to a massive oil leak, after it sat behind the shed for almost a year, one day we decided to force it unstuck, by pushing the bike while in gear the same time tapping on top of the piston with a socket extension. We got it free up, put some oil in it and rode it the rest of the summer until it finally gave up. Thanks for watching!

[@Sageofthe16]

@@thedragon2299 hell yeah

[@miekgenklefin9616]

Where’s your go to place to get parts? I need that rubber connector between the carb and exhaust. Would appreciate the info.

[@thedragon2299]

Not sure what part you are talking about, but here is a parts diagram for the whole bike, get the part number from the diagram and then search the part number, and get the best deal. I use Partzilla alot. There is a site called XR's Only and another CMSNL that has alot of parts for these bikes. Good luck. www.hondapartshouse.com/oemparts/l/hon/5053e057f870021c54be04e1/1984-xl350r-ac-parts I just use this site to find part number, then buy cheaper else where

[@joserod9878]

👍🏼👍🏿👍🏿👍🏾👋🙂👍

[@thedragon2299]

🐲🐉🐲

[@Bruno-my9uf]

Nice i had the 82 and the 95 xl250r . best enduro . i want the 350 red !!!

[@thedragon2299]

Yeah, I have had many xl250's and xr250's myself. I prefer the 250 for off road more technical trails and such, but if you ride alot of roads or more roads then dirt and trail, then I prefer the 350 and up. The thing I like the most about the 350 is that it's the best of both worlds, not too big and not too small. Thanks for watching 🐲

[@Larryb1993]

Could a smaller height guy ride one ? Im about 5/3 was looking at getting one of these just dont want to tip toe on it lol

[@thedragon2299]

Most likely, you will be on your tippy toes on this one, and most off-road bikes, because they have so much suspension travel, they tend to be taller. I'm 5'-9" with a 30" inseam, and I tip toe on most off-road bikes. Now they do have lowering kits for most bikes that help with seat height, but you lose suspension travel. They also sell special seats that also lower the height some. I think the Yamaha xt225, xt 250 and TW200 have a lower seat height. Thanks for watching 🐲

[@ehrenerdbeere6731]

just bought one yesterday she got a lil problem tho, does anyone know what the problem could be if she doesnt turn on when shes warm?

[@thedragon2299]

@ehrenerdbeere6731 you need to "read the spark plug". That will tell you what is going on with the tuning. It may just be a carburetor situation. Search how to read spark plugs. While the plug is out, do a proper compression test to make sure the engine is healthy internally. Start with that and see where you are.

[@ehrenerdbeere6731]

@@thedragon2299 thanks for the advice, I think its either the carb or the valves.