Who's that back yard motorcycle fixer upper?

[Irving]

I've got a bike I'm going to try and fix up with my grandpa. It is a 1985ish Honda XL185S. I know there are some bike guys on here, where is the best place to gets parts for it?

I know it needs a clutch handle right now.

Anyone know if there is a kit or something that would allow me to mount a more powerful engine in it? I know it's not really worth doing a swap on, but I thought it'd be cool to do if possible.

Thanks.

[roberth]

You could try Denver Used Motorcycle Parts (DUMP) for the clutch lever.

[BPTactical]

The problem you are going to run into with an 80 something rice grinder is the parts are going to be obsolete. The Jap manufacturers typically make parts for 3 to 5 years for a particular model then stop.
In addition to the DUMP I recall a place off of Sante Fe and Oxford called Koch Motorcycle Salvage that I used a few years ago when I was restoring a Huskie WR 250. I dont know, they may not be around anymore.
Internet forums and E-Bay would be good sources also.

[TFOGGER]

Call me... TFOG Wheelsports 303-216-2400. Parts are readily available, most from Honda, and a huge aftermarket.

[mx'r]

Steele's motorcycle salvage off of south sante fe.. they've got thousands of bikes to pull parts from.

[TFOGGER]

I've got a bike I'm going to try and fix up with my grandpa. It is a 1985ish Honda XL185S. I know there are some bike guys on here, where is the best place to gets parts for it?

I know it needs a clutch handle right now.

Anyone know if there is a kit or something that would allow me to mount a more powerful engine in it? I know it's not really worth doing a swap on, but I thought it'd be cool to do if possible.

Thanks.

The 200 engine is a bolt in, but any power gains are going to be minimal. Accept it for what it is: A great little dual sport runabout.


You could try Denver Used Motorcycle Parts (DUMP) for the clutch lever.

Out of business for at least 6 years. I bought a lot of their old inventory at auction.


The problem you are going to run into with an 80 something rice grinder is the parts are going to be obsolete. The Jap manufacturers typically make parts for 3 to 5 years for a particular model then stop.
In addition to the DUMP I recall a place off of Sante Fe and Oxford called Koch Motorcycle Salvage that I used a few years ago when I was restoring a Huskie WR 250. I dont know, they may not be around anymore.
Internet forums and E-Bay would be good sources also.

XL185 parts are not bad to get. We still routinely get OEM parts for bikes from the 70s.

[buffalobo]

Pics, need pics, before, during and after. Old bike and pappy, sounds like fun.

[HBARleatherneck]

i had a xl185 until some meth head stole it.

thanks for bringing up bad memories.

i loved that little bike.

now i have to ride my kids 80,50 or my harley.

whoa is me. nobody knows the trouble ive seen, nobody knows my sorrow.

[OgenRwot]

If you call any of the online places...or your local shop, they can look up parts for you out of any suppliers book. I used to work in the motorcycle industry and we had thousands of pages of parts to look through from several different suppliers. There are parts out there for older bikes, you just wont find them listed on websites.

[Irving]

TFOGGER! You're the guy! Thanks for responding.

HBARLeatherneck, when I get it finished, I plan to store it on the land up by you. Maybe I'll ride it over to your place. ;)

Mr. Fogger,
I bought the bike from friends back in high school. I know it will never be very fast, but figured that people must have modded them. This one has a larger rear sproket, so even going down hill I was only ever able to get it up to about 50 mph. This is really the only motorcycle that I could ever ride, so it is perfect for my skill level. Shortly after I bought it, my friends took me to the track out in Watkins and I rode around on the little track all day. By the end of the day I could clear all the jumps and didn't crash all day long. I was pretty proud. Too bad that was 10 years ago and I only ever rode it around in my neighborhood after that.

Anyway, if I screwed up my motor too bad (I probably didn't) should I just pick up a 200 and throw it in there?

Thanks for all the responses guys!

By the way, my grandpa rebuilds old Indian motorcycles. If you are into old bikes and live in this state, you've probably heard of him. He also has the oldest car in the state (that we know of).

[roberth]

Out of business for at least 6 years. I bought a lot of their old inventory at auction.



Geez am I out of touch.

[HBARleatherneck]

ride on over Stuart.

I rode mine for about 3 months everyday at Camp Pendleton. About 25 miles each way. It was like new though. I think it had like 120 miles when I got it from my inlaws. Now, when I ride my kids crf50 with the training wheels, I look like Krusty the Clown.

[Irving]

Haha, I remember riding my younger cousin's Yamaha 100 around the neighborhood. It was fun to tool around on, but when we took it up to his dad's cabin in Golden Gate Canyon, the elevation was enough that the bike couldn't even go up the hill with me on it; and I mean a grated, smooth dirt road. That was also 10 years and 50 pounds ago!

[Irving]

Update. Here is the bike in the truck this morning. I stopped over at TFOG Wheelsports and spoke with Mr. TFOG himself. Turns out he was so close, that I could have easily pushed the bike to his shop. We've got some parts ordered. The clutch handle, shift lever, and a battery. He's got a nice shop, and for sure is NOT just a back yard mechanic. I took this picture at another place though.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001108a.jpg

Here is the bike with the seat, gas tank, and side covers off. My grandpa got a good laugh at me when he found out that the valve lash on each side was about 1/8". No wonder it ran like crap when I put the motor back together from a 5 gallon bucket 10 years ago! I didn't get a hold of TFOG until the end of the day to find out that they should be set at .002 (intake) and .004 (exhaust), so in the mean time, they are both set at .006. I'll fix the valve lash on Saturday.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001225.jpg

Saw that the coil cover is also cracked, so I'll have to order another one of those as well.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001227.jpg

Next we checked the gas tank. There was for sure some rusty chunks rattling around in the tank. So, we took some fine sand and put it in the tank and shook it around (several times) to break the rest of the crap loose. Considering there is a wall around the filler hole, I was surprised at how easy it was to get all the sand out. A vacuum with a small hose attachment and a small flashlight easily took care of the rest of the sand. That was about when I found the holes in the tank though.

You can see the sun shining in through the small holes on this shot of the inside of the tank.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001439.jpg

And here they are after I sanded down the paint.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001439a.jpg

Next we soldered up the holes on the outside.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq226/1stuart1/Projects/0916001449.jpg

Last task of the day was making sure the inside of the tank was clean, filter removed, and pouring some Red Kote inside and coating the inside of the tank with that stuff. In 24 hours it will dry up and harden. In the mean time, my grandpa said he'd rotate the tank every hour for me to make sure it coated evenly and didn't puddle.

I thanked my grandpa and his buddy profusely for sharing their smarts with me and showing me what to do. We did get the bike to run for a second or two without the battery and the gas tank, but without the tank, you can only get enough fuel in the carb to run for a little bit. However, it started up just as easily and seemed as smooth as it did before I took the motor apart so many years ago.

Thanks TFOG for all the help so far. I'll need to get a coil and a chain from you at some point. Who knows when that will be though.

[theGinsue]

Hey Stu, will solder actually hold on that tank over the long term (considering the abuse a dirt bike takes)?

[Irving]

I have no idea. I just did what my grandpa told me to do. I have a feeling that the Red Kote on the inside, which is supposed to work on its own, combined with the solder will be fine. I doubt this dirt bike will ever see all that much hard use. I'll probably end up parking it up in the Pawnee Grasslands and only riding it whenever I can get up there to do so.

[Great-Kazoo]

what you can't get from TFOGGER LMK. I have a guy up in S. dakota that literally has a single wide full of shit like this little gem i'm looking to sell or trade off

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u129/51jim/other%20pics/022.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u129/51jim/other%20pics/021.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u129/51jim/other%20pics/019.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u129/51jim/other%20pics/020.jpg

[Irving]

Thanks Jim, I'll keep that in mind.

[ChunkyMonkey]

That thing runs, Jim? I wish I couldve checked it out when I was there. My lil bro is into retro bikes/scooters.