Half-Century Honda: 1974 Honda XL350

If one didn’t appreciate two-stroke motorcycles in the early 1970s, options were limited in the lightweight dual-purpose marketplace. At the time, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha all sold off-road-inspired machines powered by various capacity two-stroke singles. But in 1972, Honda rocked the segment when it released its first dual-purpose four-valve, four-stroke single-cylinder XL250.

Howard Smith of Calgary, Alberta, was not a fan of two-strokes in early 1975, when he wanted to buy the largest four-stroke, single-cylinder dual purpose machine available. Prior to 1974, that would have been the XL250. But, based on that machine’s sales success, Honda had just released its new, and — most importantly — larger capacity XL350.

In 1974, Howard was working in northern Manitoba as a bush pilot, flying a De Havilland Beaver on floats. He was making five cents a mile, plus a base $450 a month, and he says money was tight. However, he wanted to get a motorcycle — and it had to be a dual-purpose machine. “The reason I wanted a dirt bike is because there was no pavement up north — it was 200 miles of really lousy gravel to get out, so a street bike was pointless. The XL350 was my only choice.”

From Kenya to Canada on two wheels

Born and raised in Kenya, Howard’s attention turned to motorcycles at a young age. His father, however, was more interested in horses than horsepower and wouldn’t allow him to have a motorcycle. Instead, at 13 years old, Howard was given the remains of a British-built 1929 Austin 7. It was just the chassis, engine, seat, and steering wheel. “He said, ‘Here, you teach yourself to drive, and if it breaks, you figure out how to fix it,'” Howard says. He toyed around with the Austin on the farm until the family moved into town.

There, Howard was finally able to satisfy his desire for a powered two-wheeler when he was allowed a Vespa 180SS scooter. It performed admirably around town, but on the highway, the Vespa wasn’t an ideal machine. Howard recalls once riding from western Kenya to Nairobi to go on a climbing expedition. “It seized about six times on the road that time, and at that point, my father decided he’d let me have a bike,” he says. “When I was 17, he’d given me permission to get a 500cc, but I bought a 1956 Triumph Tiger 110, which is a 650. I didn’t tell him that.”

The Triumph treated Howard well, and he rode it extensively. Only one issue ever caused the T110 to quit, when the fiber gear driving the Lucas magneto shed its teeth. Something easily rectified, Howard says, but the Triumph was left behind in Kenya when he moved to Canada to attend university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at 19. He had family in Canada and can trace that history back to 1760. About two years after landing in Winnipeg, he bought a Matchless G80CS with 2,000 miles on the clock. To put himself through school, Howard worked on a geological survey crew up north in the Canadian bush — that’s when he became interested in becoming a pilot.

But the surveying job didn’t leave him much time to enjoy the Matchless. After owning it for two years, it was sold, and Howard finished up his civil engineering degree and had obtained his commercial pilot’s license. He didn’t get another machine until purchasing the Honda XL350. “A biking friend from university told me about this dealership down in Morden, Manitoba, that would sell you a bike for $100 over dealer’s cost,” Howard says. “You went down and signed the paperwork with him, and then picked the crate up off the distributor’s loading dock.”

In the spring of 1975, Howard drove his 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger down from the north, completed the paperwork at Pembina Leisure Products, and headed to the distributor. “I backed my car up to the loading dock, they brought the crate out, I took the big lumps of the XL350 out, put them in my car and drove it up north, and assembled it there.”

Howard admits he did very little research on the ’74 XL350 before purchasing. The main attraction was it being the largest four-stroke single-cylinder motorcycle available at the time that was capable of being ridden in the rough, or on the pavement, should it present itself.

Honda builds a dual-sport legacy

Honda’s XL350 was the next logical step in its development of four-stroke single-cylinder dual-purpose machines based on the introduction of its XL250 in 1972. The XL250 wasn’t the first dirt-inspired motorcycle Honda had produced. In 1962, Honda launched the CL72 250cc Scrambler, which in 1965 became the larger 305cc CL77. These machines were based on the 180-degree parallel-twin four-stroke powerplants moving the CB72 and CB77 Hawks and Super Hawks, respectively.

Then, with the CB350 in 1968, Honda added another dual-purpose machine with the CL350 — equipped with a high-rise exhaust system, scrambler-style handlebars, larger 19-inch front wheel, and abbreviated front fender, among other changes. Also based on the CL in 1969 and ’70 was the more off-road intended SL350 Motorsport, with such differences as exhaust and mufflers, forks and shocks. In 1971, the SL350 received several updates, including a lighter frame, and it became kickstart-only.

But these were all twin-cylinder machines, essentially based on street bike platforms. And, as Kevin Cameron of Cycle World points out in a column posted late in 2016, in the 1960s, lightweight two-strokes from the likes of Maico, Husqvarna, and Greeves were taking the off-road world by storm. “Such two-strokes,” he wrote, “also asserted themselves in the realm of desert racing, often edging out ‘desert sleds’ with more than double their displacement. The lighter the bike, the more vitality the rider has left at the end.”

Enter Honda and its XL250. In the Sept./Oct. 2015 issue of Motorcycle Classics, the XL250 is profiled in Under the Radar. “In the early 1970s, Honda had a dilemma,” we noted. “Off-highway bikes were selling like cold beer in July.” However, Honda didn’t have a machine for the segment. “A fresh start was required, and Honda came up with a groundbreaking design that defined dual-sport bikes for at least a decade, anticipating as it did the demise of two-stroke trailies.”

Honda’s XL250 was powered by a 248cc single featuring oversquare dimensions of 74mm by 57.8mm bore and stroke. With an overhead cam and 4-valve head atop an iron-sleeved alloy barrel, this motor became the first mass-produced ‘cycle engine of its kind. Turning on two ball main bearings, the crank was enclosed in an aluminum case and motivated the five-speed gearbox through a set of primary gears. Left and right engine covers were cast magnesium.

In a single downtube frame, the engine was protected by a bash plate. Wheels were alloy rims, a 21-inch up front and an 18-inch rear. The front fork was a four-stud axle cap telescopic unit, and both fenders were mounted high for adequate clearance. Rear shocks were five-way adjustable, the gas tank carried 2.2-gallons of fuel, and a headlight and taillight added on-road credibility.
Although it weighed a few pounds more than most of the competition, Honda dealers couldn’t keep up with demand once XL250s hit dealership floors. They had a winner and next added the XL350. The single-cylinder, four-valve engine now had a 79mm by 71mm bore and stroke with an 8.3:1 compression ratio fed by a 32mm Keihin carburetor.

“This is the big one in Honda’s on/off-road line,” period marketing proclaimed. “And we mean big one — 348ccs from one big cylinder. Four-stroke dependability. Four-valve efficiency. Match that power to the rugged, constant-mesh five-speed trans and you’ve got a machine with the ability to blast a road through the rough and smooth out the rough on the road.”

Cycle World tested the XL350 in November 1973. Editors wrote, “The riding position and feel when sitting on the XL350 is very similar to that of the smaller XL250, and it should be, since the machines are very similar in both design (there’s even some parts sharing) and intent. The handlebars are comfortable when sitting or standing… [and] the fuel tank has been reshaped somewhat, but still holds 2.2 gallons, including reserve.”

They were impressed by the 350’s ability to idle at 1,500rpm, “almost indefinitely without loading up. When’s the last time you were caught out in the boonies with a stalled two-stroke?” And then, “Now for the mind blower. The XL350 is a dual-purpose machine, yet it is perfectly capable of maintaining a sustained 70 mph on expressways. And at that speed it gets over 60 miles per gallon of gasoline! The bike will also readily pull 8000 rpm in top cog, which translates out to a cool 87 mph.”

Through the remainder of the 1970s, Honda continued XL production and offered it in numerous capacities, from 70cc to the 350. In 1979, the 350 became the larger-bore XL500, and the new more off-road inspired XR-series was launched. The DNA of the earlier XL carries on today in modern Honda production, though, with the XR650L, which is a street-legal, dual-purpose motorcycle still currently available.

Preserved perfection with miles to spare

When Howard got his Honda XL350 assembled in northern Manitoba, he thought he’d be riding it often in the bush. Subsequently, he never installed the turn signals or the right-hand mirror. He still has these parts, new in the box in which they were shipped with the bike from Japan. Ultimately, his work schedule allowed him only brief moments of use, and he didn’t get to experience the Honda much in the rough country. “From break-up to freeze-up, there were no scheduled days off,” he says. “We worked seven days a week, daylight hours, often 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., so mostly I just rode it to work and back.”

In the winter, though, one of his favorite activities was firing up the Honda and racing across a frozen lake to slide around on the standard tires. Running it in the freezing cold ended up causing an oil pressure issue, though, and the engine began to knock at the small end bush. He tore the engine apart and sent the crank to a Honda dealership in Winnipeg for repair. He adds the XL350 had very few miles on it at the time.

In 1979, Howard moved to Calgary, and the XL350 came with him. He rode it occasionally to work, but acquired other more powerful British machines, such as a Norton Commando. The Honda was always properly stored in a Vac-Bag during the winter months, and he would run it once or twice each season. To that end, the bike has only 5,715 miles on the odometer and is still wearing its original tires. No checks or cracks in the rubber, the handgrips are as from the factory, and while the chain has been maintained, it’s also stock.

Although most of the paint is original, after the top of the tank got scratched decades ago, Howard touched it up with blue Polaris snowmobile paint to prevent it from rusting. It wasn’t quite the right shade, so a few years ago, a professional painter sprayed the correct blue on top and cleared over the decals, as those had just begun to deteriorate. Anticipating what he thought might one day be inevitable damages, he purchased spare levers, a complete exhaust system and a taillight lens.

“I’ve had the motor apart for the knock, and I’ve blown a lot of headlight bulbs,” he says. “Other than that, the thing’s been great. The starting routine is very simple. Turn the fuel on, choke on, key on, quarter turn of the throttle and kick. It generally takes a few kicks at first, but once it’s been running, it’s a great starter.” He adds, “It’s comfortable at 60 to 65mph on the highway with lots of power, revving around 6,000rpm at that speed — the redline starts at 7,500 and 8,000 is the upper end.”

Having had the Honda XL350 for 50 years, Howard hasn’t ever thought of selling the bike. “I have to say, after a while, I realized there were probably very few XL350s in the same shape as this, and I started to see it as a collectible.” He concludes, “While I do have a strong sense of preservation, I still like to ride it a bit every summer.” MC