All around the Honda XL500R was a great ride, a bit to handle on the soft dirt runs but on the groomed trails and paved roads this monster was easy to tame. You might think a nice, bright, deep red paint job would increase a motorcycle's visibility. It hasn't done much for the XL500R; the XL was a victim of dual-purpose invisibility or maybe a dual-purpose identity crisis.

You must understand that dual-purpose bikes exist between a rock and a hard place. In the beginning, dual-purpose putters were small street bikes, glorified by upswept exhaust systems and tires with pebble-grained treads. Alas, that was too street; dual-purpose riders wanted real dirt bikes.

Meanwhile, enduro machines proliferated, two-stroke and four, and the more enterprising riders managed to street-license enduro bikes that technically weren't street-legal. This left a lot of dual-purpose motorcycles (manufacturers must obey the law) stranded in the showroom.

Guys who wanted to squirt down country trails 10 or 20 percent of the time thought enduro-looking dual-purpose bikes too tilted toward off-road duty. What a pity. The XL500R is street-engineered; for instance, counter-rotating balancers produce a very smooth-running big single for the street. Fluid power comes out of this 500cc single, producing a street trip completely different from a 450 twin's. You roll along atop a melodious rumble. Long-travel suspension (8.5 inches front; 7.5 rear) works grandly on the pavement, and the XL has an air-adjustable fork, no less.

Since the XL500R weighs about 75 pounds less than a 450 street twin, the 500 is easy to maneuver in the garage or on the boulevard. The kickstarter-ac-tivated compression-release eliminates the need for the old "ease-her-over-TDC-and-gorilla-kick." An educated twinkle-toes can start the XL500R, and he won't need to jump down in his concrete-filled motocross boots, either.

The tall saddle (about 35 inches from the ground) may be the largest single drawback for street service. Long legs are useful.

Eclipsed by the 1983 radial-four-valve XL6Q0R, the evergreen and ever-red 1982 XL500R Honda has increased visibility thanks to a price slashed to $1693. Street riders looking for a fun-time, round-town tooter should get their wallet pockets glowing red.

Oh, yeah, maybe later those XL500R street riders can discover a new realm in motorcycling. It's called the dirt.
 

Engine - Air cooled, single cylinder, four stroke. 4 valve per cylinder 497cc
Bore x Stroke - 89 x 80 mm
Compression Ratio - 8.6:1
Induction - 1x 32mm keihin carb.
Ignition / Starting - CDI / kick
Max Power - 32 hp @ 6500 rpm
Max Torque - 3.8 kg-m @ 5000 rpm
Transmission / Drive - 5 Speed / chain
Front Suspension - Leading axle coil spring forks
Rear Suspension - Pro link. adjustable for preload.
Front Brakes - 140mm Drum
Rear Brakes - 130mm Drum
Front Tyre - 3.00-23
Rear Tyre - 4.60-18
Dry-Weight  - 136 kg
Consumption average - 68 mp/g
Standing ¼ Mile - 14.8 sec
Top Speed - 101.2
 

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