From the Archives: Honda XL250S and XL500S

"Remember the Heavy 4-Stroke Legend? 2 bikes to Kill the Myth" was the slogan in the brochure from Honda when they were marketing their two models in the off-road segment, the XL250S and XL500S.

The segment for this type of motorcycle was partly dominated by Yamaha's DT series and Suzuki's TS series, both 2-strokes, and very popular. Honda wanted a piece of the pie, and attacked the myth that 4-strokes were heavy, slow, and not very suitable for this type of motorcycling.

In marketing, the two XL models were presented as "Dual purpose bikes", which meant that they were equally suitable for road and off-road riding. Customers were now to be convinced that choosing Honda was wise, because killing two birds with one stone is never a bad thing.

• Technical data Honda XL250S/XL500S:
• Engine: 1-cylinder 4-stroke, OHC, 4V
• Displacement: 249ccm/498ccm
• Power: 20.4 hp/33 hp
• No. of gears: 5
• Start: kick with automatic decompression
• Ignition: CDI
• Front tire: 3.00 x 23
• Rear tires: 4.60 x 18
• Tank: 9.5 liters/10 liters
• Weight: 123 kg (dry) / 132 kg (dry)