Anyone interested in vintage '80s-'90s dirt bikes, enduro bikes etc.? Over the Spring I purchased 2 bikes and restored them. I am very happy how they turned out.
1985 Honda XR350R
1986 Yamaha TT350
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Nice! I grew up riding Honda XRs. I don’t remember the XR350. Appears it was built for Enduro racing? The lights remind me of the XL series bikes .
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Good looking pair of bikes, nice job restoring them.
Were parts hard to find?
Some parts were. For the Yamaha I got parts from all over the world. OEM handguards in Australia, NOS tank in Cypress, NOS seat cover from Italy and the light rock guard from Israel, but a lot of stuff from Partzilla. The Honda was easier since I sourced a lot of OEM and NOS parts on Ebay or Partzilla.
I love those restoration videos on youtube. The Isle of Mann TT stuff got me thinking about bikes, and my frame of reference is about 88-94. Never rode- to many serious injuries and a death in my family from them- but my wife’s family was into them, but she isn’t.
I mainly like the engineering from around that time. The oval pistons. The inline 4 250CC engines with 19k redlines- and for some reason, the dual round headlights. The conformal lights just make the front of the bikes look like a dildo or a dork-fish.
Was there a reason for the round headlights? I know for cars in the US, for awhile the DOT only approved certain headlight bulbs/assemblies that were almost generic. Was there something similar in Japan for the round ones? And for a side-bar-to-a-side-bar, I remember the first time I saw a 87(?) Thunderbird with the conformal headlights and aero body. On my paper route, dark, misty morning and it was a dark blue and under a street lamp. With the water beading on it, and that shape I’d never seen before, in the dark- damn that thing looked other-worldly…
Damn nice pics. Beaches, boats, bitches, and bikes. And one funny looking dude.
I had a 97 XR400 & a 98 WR400…the 98 was the year yamaha opened the door for the 4 stroke domination.
Would love to have a new ktm…the thought of not having to kick start a tired mule is stimulating.
1980 Bikes are Vintage? My High School days were on Hodaka Super Rats and Combat Wombats…
God I’m Old…
And to my kids, anything pre-2010 is ‘ancient’…
LOL, my first bike was a Combat Wombat 125…. Many Bultacos, Cagiva, and KTMs after….
OP , great job on resto! They are beautiful, love that Honda, what a great damn bike
How about getting stupid on a Honda 125 Elsinore? I’ve still got a burn scar from a Honda Trail 90 or Trail 70 can’t remember which, when i crashed and the exhaust pipe had my shin pinned to the ground…
Yeah screw that guy!
Not a motorcycle guy, but this got me going…
Working on an early 70’s Husky 400 cross right now too but how vintage of a dirt bike we talm bout …
