My XL500R rebuild pictures

[baldock]

The plan was to make myself an XL500R that was as original as possible, and that looked like I'd just walked out of a showroom in 1982.
I know it won't be completely possible, but this is my best effort.
Here is the engine.
All seals replaced with genuine Honda ones.
NOS camshaft
NOS cam chain
NOS cam chain tensioner
NOS cam chain guide
NOS valves
NOS rocker arms
New rebore, valve seats cut and valves lapped.
NOS piston, rings, clips and pin
All bearings changed for NOS (except crankshaft and mainshaft)
NOS kick starter spindle
NEW kick starter spring (not NOS)
NOS balancer chain
Engine painted in 2K satin black.
All zinc parts re-plated.
There are probably lots more new/NOS bits but I can't remember.
It's my first engine rebuild, so I'm expecting there to be problems when it comes time to start it

Many thanks for all of the advice that got me to this stage, especially from Gunnar.

[baldock]

Here is the next stage.
All bearings and seals have been replaced for new.
Forks have new seals and oil.
The frame was powder coated and every other part stripped back to bare metal and resprayed.
It has a NOS chain slipper and mudguard (for swinging arm)
I have a NOS drive chain case, chainguard and pillion guard, but they will be added after the chain goes on.
All zinc parts were re-plated.
New tyres and inner tubes.
I know I should have got the wheels rebuilt, but I reached my limit on the budget. Maybe in the future??

[baldock]

and some more pictures....

[Max der XL 250te]

Wow, I am really excited!!!

[Gunnar_HH]

Very good work. I'm thrilled with the way you've done it. It already looks better than it did at the dealer.
I'm waiting for the final components and the report from the first trip. Hopefully the carburettor will work right away.

Greetings
Gunnar

[baldock]

Today I fitted the foot pegs, passenger pegs, brake pedal/linkage and new break switch, gear lever, kick starter, skid plate, headlight stay, ignition, NOS pillion guard and NOS chain guard. It's so clean and fun now as all of the hard work has been done

[baldock]

and more.....

[rubus]

Die Kickstarteraufnahme gehört um einen Zahn noch vorne. Korinthenkackerei, ich weiß.

[Kristian]

Wow, impressive work and result!

Just one "but"...

It would be too fine for me.
It would hurt me to use this pretty XL as usual in the mud...

Solution: You have a second one!
Most of us have more than one...

[PeterB]

Hello Baldock,

that looks pretty good to me: D
What interests me are the tires, what brand and model is it?

best (e grüße)

peterb

By the way: The color / coating of the kicker arm bothers me a little.

[baldock]

Hi, don't worry Kristian it's going to be mainly used on the road.
The tyres are Metzeler Tourance Peter. I would have preferred to use original style knobblies but I read that they wear out quickly, are noisy and handle poorly in the wet. After much research I found the tourance tyres were the best, especially at the price of only £113 for the pair.
I understand your concerns about the kick starter. I did all of the zinc plating myself and got carried away. It's not a problem though as I can easily change it to the correct colour.

[baldock]

There will be a little delay until the next progress pictures. I'm struggling with the routes of the cables and wiring loom. In the meantime, here are some pictures taken in the summer of the spraying of ceramic white (NH-24) in 2K and then 2k clearcoat. The plastic parts were sprayed with a plastic primer adhesion promoter first. I was disappointed with the stickers though. I got them from the only seller of XL500R sets on eBay. They were quite expensive and arrived with faint lines like tiger stripes in the ink. He refused to send replacements then stopped answering emails.

[baldock]

and more...

[baldock]

and another.

[baldock]

Hi everyone. The sun is back in the UK and I can carry on with the rebuild in the warm.
The bike now has the following fitted since my last post.
HANDLE BARS:
all levers, switches and basically every part replaced for NOS except for the decompressor lever rubber cover. Also the indicators were refurbished and had NOS lenses fitted.
EXHAUST:
new silencer and downpipes.
OTHER:
refurbished rear fender and rack fitted. NOS rear light and light bracket.


I also stumbled onto an old gentleman living near me who is fanatical about xl500r. He had a collection of 3 that he recently sold for £1700 each. They were in mint condition. I bought the following parts he had left in his shed for £170.
1) NOS cylinder head cover.
2) NOS speedo cable.
3) NOS headlight plastic visor.
4) NOS front fender.
5) NEW clutch plates.
6) NEW speedo cable.