XR200's are crappy and slow.

[DR small]

Crappy and slow?  Compared to what?  Are XR100s crappy and slow too?  How about Harleys?

 

The XR series set the pace for all to follow.  The XR200 set the bar.  High.  The XR200R set the bar again  Higher.

Did you ever notice the people saying things like that:

• Have never even ridden an XR200
• Only rode one that was poorly maintained
• Have only ridden 2T MX bikes their entire life
• Have almost no riding skills at all in any context
• Go back and forth banging gears on the street in front of their house
• Have absolutely no idea how anything about a bike works, theory or otherwise
• Always try to prove their point by wanting to drag race, never by running an enduro track

I have ridden and spoken with some very accomplished MX riders and ALL of them appreciate the XR200, its intended usage, and its rider base.  Only a pompous egotistical knuckle-head could say such a thing and actually believe it.

Every bike has its place in he world and the venerable XR200's world is a very big one.

 

Thank you, Honda, for setting the bar so darn high.

 

I reckon that about sums it up really.  I've an 82 200r and it's just plain fantastic.  Sure, it's got it's limitations, but for an all round Enduro bike it takes some beating.  I've ridden/own much more poweful bikes but usually am faster and for longer on the XR as it's so effortless to ride.  Have even taken it to a few modern bike events and it will hold it's own within the class I ride in.

 

I say let them think of them as slow and crappy - keeps that unfair advantage of ours quiet for a bit longer ?

[VortecCPI]

Nice:  http://www.vintagefactory.com/1982_white_bros.htm

[cynicryder]

Nice:  http://www.vintagefactory.com/1982_white_bros.htm

ooh, I like the lectron carburetor.

[VortecCPI]

I like my 90. It has a broken head stud on the side, Front shock oil leak, Piston to cylinder clearance of about 4 miles, out of round and out of taper on the bore of about 45 degrees, oil leak from the stator side and before I bought it.........it had a lodged compression ring on the top, and shattered compression ring on the bottom, but still in the ring land and shagged oil rings..........And it still pulled hard and ran.

 

That's pretty darn funny!  I hear if you just LOOK at a new Unicam Honda sideways it grenades.

 

This series of Honda engines has got to be the most bullet-proof reliable engine ever put in a motorcycle.  Our old XL125 was indestructible.  My brother and I did maintain it but we also beat the hell out of it and it never left us stranded.  We finally replaced the cam chain and rings after about a million miles of insane abuse.  The fact Honda used this engine in the early CRF150s and current CRF230s is a testament to its diversity and longevity.  They are like a Mercruiser boat engine - WOT forever and no problems.

 

There is a good article on this engine series here:  http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/attachments/other-honda/17679d1333956643-xlr-125r-1999-xl185-cylinder-honda-xr200-mods.pdf

[cynicryder]

That's pretty darn funny!  I hear if you just LOOK at a new Unicam Honda sideways it grenades.

 

This series of Honda engines has got to be the most bullet-proof reliable engine ever put in a motorcycle.  Our old XL125 was indestructible.  My brother and I did maintain it but we also beat the hell out of it and it never left us stranded.  We finally replaced the cam chain and rings after about a million miles of insane abuse.  The fact Honda used this engine in the early CRF150s and current CRF230s is a testament to its diversity and longevity.  They are like a Mercruiser boat engine - WOT forever and no problems.

 

There is a good article on this engine series here:  http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/attachments/other-honda/17679d1333956643-xlr-125r-1999-xl185-cylinder-honda-xr200-mods.pdf

I really hate how you have to adjust the valves on these things every... (almost never)... just think how many honda 125-200cc bikes there are all over the world with this basic engine with countless miles that have probably never seen an oil change, etc... 

[cynicryder]

so... while on the topic of oil... what oil are you running in your xr200r... ;-)

Edited May 17, 2014 by cynicryder

[beezer]

Nice links Vortec.

 

A buddy was friends with Eyvind Boyesen  of Boyesen Reed fame  and had gotten one of the first CRF250's around.  He let Boyesen take it apart.

 

Boyesen told him that the thing was going to be a hand grenade because there simply wasn't enough metal in the motor.

 

He wasn't wrong.  My buddy should have listened.  Would have saved him a few thousand.

[VortecCPI]

I really hate how you have to adjust the valves on these things every... (almost never)... just think how many honda 125-200cc bikes there are all over the world with this basic engine with countless miles that have probably never seen an oil change, etc... 

 

My buddy and I went to look at an XR200 one time.  We asked the owner how often he changed the oil.  He scratched his head and said "I don't know.  Mom, when do we change the oil?"  He had absolutely no idea what we were talking about.  We asked if we could check it and he again scratched his head because he had no idea it had a dipstick.  We pulled the dipstick and it was covered with black sticky goo.  It probably was oil a decade ago.  We wiped it off, dropped it back in, removed it, and sure enough, there was no oil on it.  It didn't knock but it did need a cam chain and it ran pretty strong.  Unbelievable...

[VortecCPI]

so... while on the topic of oil... what oil are you running in your xr200r... ;-)

 

Just to be clear I now ride a CRF230 but I love the XR200 every bit as much.

We always ran Mobil 1 15w-50 auto oil in our old Al Baker XR265s back in the 90s. We've been using Castrol ACT>EVO X-TRA 4T 10w-40 and it's been good to us.  Based upon a lot of feedback here on TT we're going to switch to Rotella T-6, which is waiting in a big jug in the shop right now.

[cynicryder]

Just to be clear I now ride a CRF230 but I love the XR200 every bit as much.

We always ran Mobil 1 15w-50 auto oil in our old Al Baker XR265s back in the 90s. We've been using Castrol ACT>EVO X-TRA 4T 10w-40 and it's been good to us.  Based upon a lot of feedback here on TT we're going to switch to Rotella T-6, which is waiting in a big jug in the shop right now.

I mostly run Walmart 20w-50 in the summer and 10w-40 in the winter (cause it's hard to kickstart 20w) and I clean the oil spinner after every ride (not). 

 

one time my airfilter clogged up in the middle of a dusty Enduro (mile 70 something) on my '83, so I just removed the dirty filter element and wrapped/tie-wrapped a oily shop rag from my tool kit around the filter cage. 

Edited May 17, 2014 by cynicryder

[cynicryder]

so, about my crappy xr200... it used to be my younger brother's bike that he got in high school when we went through our hare scramble phase of our motorcycle youth. sometime later, after we grew out of that phase (and my brother entered the car phase) I traded a small block chevy for it. I kept it in my shed for years, getting it out every so often to tool around the back yard. during the "grown up" phase of our lives, our wives would only allow us to ride street bikes, but not race. anyway, I eventually divorced that wife and during the divorce had to get rid of a bunch of stuff that didn't fit in my 1 bdrm apartment of the time. so, I ended up selling it to a friend who used it to patrol her property. she eventually got a utility 4wd daihatsu and the bike lingered in an open air barn for a number of years and a couple of years ago she  asked me if I wanted it back. having moved to california 10 years ago, I agreed to take it back and packed it up in a one way SUV rental and drove it 2400 miles from indiana to california, where I cleaned the caburetor and replaced the air filter to get it to run. yes, I also changed the oil. since this bike was never registered anywhere, I was able to extort a plate for it from our DMV and so I now probably have one of the very few  plated and running  '83 XR200R in the state. I use it to tool around and occasionally ride it on a dual sport ride or to work, as well the occasional Enduro when none of my other bikes run. it has a little trouble on the freeway, since I can only coax about 60-65mph out of it on the stock gearing when I'm flat on the tank. I have a taller rear sprocket (i.e. smaller), but it still won't go any faster...lol. I might upgrade the cam if the motor ever grenades, I don't want to bore it out, since I want to be able to keep running it in 200cc class. at  this point the motor is virgin, having only had oil changes all it's life.

Edited May 17, 2014 by cynicryder

[cynicryder]

translation; this crappy bike always has carburetor problems (3 times over 30 years) and won't go 80mph on the interstate. I can't believe how fast the plastic fades on it, it has only been parked outside or a few years and the drive chain only lasted 28 years. oh and the seat is torn. and that one time I adjusted the valves on it, I had to use two wrenches and a pair of vice grips. 

Edited May 18, 2014 by cynicryder

[WWalker]

I'm taking my crappy XR200 out tomorrow. Thankfully it can climb any hill I point it at. Oh yeah....I have not ridden it since easter and today I started it....first kick. I honestly only bought the thing as a project bike, but I have enjoyed riding it more than I thought I would. 

[cynicryder]

going out to trail#6 at foresthill. I'm taking both my xr200r and my rmx250, but haven't decided, yet, which one I will take out on the trail.... I had to fix my leaky petcock on my damn crappy xr200r today... where are you going wwalker ?

Edited May 18, 2014 by cynicryder

[VortecCPI]

All this reminds me of my old XL125.  My friends all rode 125 MX bikes and all they did was struggle to keep them alive.  They struggled to stay on top and keep the bike going in the right direction too.  A 125 MX bike might not seem wild but to a 14 year-old it sure can be.  When we came to difficult technical terrain or short-start hill climbs they usually just gave up or didn't even try.  And there I was on my old heavy XL with a trials tire going almost anywhere and everywhere I pointed the thing.  They used to laugh at the headlight and taillight.  The taillight was what they saw most of the time, though.

 

One of my business partners rides a YZ250F.  He used to ride a YZ250 2T and his friends also all rode 2T MX bikes.  They were bored one time so they bought a basket-case XR200 just for fun.  They got it together and brought it most of the times they went riding.  At the end of the day they would drop their 2T MX bikes and run for the old XR200.  Everybody wanted to get on the old beater because they were slap worn out but still wanted to ride.  He said everybody really loved that old XR and he has mentioned on several occasions that the old XR200 would be a far superior machine to his YZ250F for the tight technical riding we currently do.

 

Last year I rode with my buddy's son and daughter.  They were both riding XR200s and they went just about everywhere we did.  They did it a little slower and chose easier routes but they got around just fine.  You really have to be asleep at the bars to stall an XR200.  If you can't get to where you want to go you probably chose the wrong line.  They make everything seem easy.  The kids both had big smiles on their faces the entire time because they didn't have to fight the bikes they were riding.

 

What a great machine.

[VortecCPI]

[WWalker]

going out to trail#6 at foresthill. I'm taking both my xr200r and my rmx250, but haven't decided, yet, which one I will take out on the trail.... I had to fix my leaky petcock on my damn crappy xr200r today... where are you going wwalker ?

 

Foresthill Trail #6 is what the XR was made for.....just not my XR....or me. ?

 

My wife's family has some property up in Paso Robles....that's where we do most of our riding. A lot of my time is plunking around with my 7yr old (which I love). I'll also go looking around for cow trails and other hidden trails.....it's about 600 acres.

[cynicryder]

Foresthill Trail #6 is what the XR was made for.....just not my XR....or me. ?

 

My wife's family has some property up in Paso Robles....that's where we do most of our riding. A lot of my time is plunking around with my 7yr old (which I love). I'll also go looking around for cow trails and other hidden trails.....it's about 600 acres.

sounds like heaven for a 7yr old to ride. my 4yr old just got a loaner jr50, he building up the courage to ride it in the yard.

 

yes, trail#6 is perfect for the old xr200r, but I'm trying to learn 2 stroke in technical terrain. riding a xr200r feels like cheating.  just trying to decide whether this is more of a training ride or fun ride, today. 

 

when my 14 year old comes out this summer, he'll be wanting to ride the xr200r.

Edited May 18, 2014 by cynicryder

[cynicryder]

hmm, this reminds me that I have a crappy dual carb '83 xr500r  waiting in the garage attic for a restore for those hill climbs... so basically, I have a most of the crappy XRs ('83 xr200r, '84 xr350r, '83 xr500r) and a crappy cr480r. just missing a xr250r. 

[WWalker]

sounds like heaven for a 7yr old to ride. my 4yr old just got a loaner jr50, he building up the courage to ride it in the yard.

yes, trail#6 is perfect for the old xr200r, but I'm trying to learn 2 stroke in technical terrain. riding a xr200r feels like cheating. just trying to decide whether this is more of a training ride or fun ride, today.

when my 14 year old comes out this summer, he'll be wanting to ride the xr200r.

Ive seen some vids of trail6 on YouTube. I want nothing to do with that place. Your RMX will prob handle it pretty good tho.

Yeah, my son loves riding out there in paso. It's good family time! Plenty of exploring, rock throwing, stick fighting, lizard catching, squirrel chasing, etc....pretty much heaven for a 7yr old.

Edited May 18, 2014 by WWalker