Description This 101 page, Honda XL250 XL350 Motorcycle Service Manual is a reproduction (by Honda) of the original, out of print manual. This book provides detailed service information, step-by-step repair instruction and maintenance specifications for 1972 – 1978 HondaXL250 XL350 motorcycles. The cover shown may differ from the cover that you receive.
Some covers say “1973-78” but we’ve confirmed that the manual covers 1972-1978. Honda XL250 XL350 Service Manual Vehicles Covered 1972 Honda XL250 1973 Honda XL250 1974 Honda XL350(K0) 1974 Honda XL250K1 1975 Honda XL350K1 1975 Honda XL250K2 1976 Honda XL350 1976 Honda XL250 1977 Honda XL350 1977 Honda XL250 1978 Honda XL350 Did you know that your Honda XL350 engine oil should be changed every 3000 miles? This manual will tell you everything you need to know in order to care for your motorcycle.
Select APPLICATION:. BMW, F650 94-00: F650 Funduro, F650. BMW, K1200RS 98-10. BMW, K-Series 85-97: K75/T/S/C/RT. BMW, R850/1100/1150, R1200C 93-05.
BMW, R-Series 500/600cc Twins 55-69. BMW, R-Series 70-96: R50/5, R60/5.
Honda, 100-350cc OHC Singles 69-82. Honda, 125-200cc Twins 65-78: CB125. Honda, 250-350cc Twins 64-74, CB250.
Honda, 250-360cc Twins 74-77, CB250. Honda, 350-550cc SOHC Fours 71-78. Honda, 400-450cc Twins 78-87: CB400. Honda, 500cc V-Fours 84-86: VF500C. Honda, 50-110cc OHC Singles 65-99. Honda, 700-1100cc V-Fours 82-88: VF.
Honda, CB/CL450, CB500T 65-77. Honda, CB550, CB650 Nighthawk, 83-8. Honda, CB650 Fours 79-82: CB650, CB. Honda, CB750 DOHC 79-82: CB750C Cus. Honda, CB750 Nighthawk 91-93, 95-99. Honda, CB750 SOHC 69-78: CB750K, CB. Honda, CB900-1100 80-83: CB900C Cus.
Honda, CBR600 91-98: CBR600F2, CBR6. Honda, CBR600F Hurricane 87-90.
Honda, CBR600F4, CBR600F4i, CBR600F. Honda, CBR600RR 03-06.
Honda, CBR900RR 93-99. Honda, CX/GL500-650 Twins 78-83: CX. Honda, GL1000/1100 75-83: GL1100 St. Honda, GL1200, 84-87: Standard, Int. Honda, GL1500 Gold Wing 88-92: GL15.
Honda, GL1500 Gold Wing 93-00: GL15. Honda, GL1500C Valkyrie 97-05.
Honda, GL1800 Gold Wing 01-05. Honda, ST1100/A 90-02. Honda, Twinstar, Rebel 250, Nightha. Honda, VF700-1000F Interceptor 83-8. Honda, VFR700F/F2, VFR750F 86-97. Honda, VFR800FI 98-00. Honda, VT1100C Series 95-04: Honda.
Honda, VT1100C Shadow 85-96. Honda, VT500 83-88: VT500FT Ascot. Honda, VT700/750 83-87: VT700C Shad. Honda, VT750C Shadow ACE, VT750DC S. Honda, VTX1800 99-07. Honda, XL/XR 250-350 78-00, XR200R.
Honda, XL/XR 500-600 Singles 79-90. Honda, XL/XR/TLR 79-03: XL125S, XL1. Honda, XL/XR75-100, 75-03. Kawasaki, 80-350cc rotary valve sin. Kawasaki, EX500/Ninja 500R and GPZ5. Kawasaki, KLR650 08-12. Kawasaki, KZ, Z, ZX750 80-85: KZ750.
Kawasaki, KZ/ZN 1000-1100cc 81-02. Kawasaki, KZ400/440, Z440, EN450, E. Kawasaki, KZ500/550, ZX550 79-85. Kawasaki, KZ650 77-83: KZ650C1/C2/C. Kawasaki, Ninja 900-1100 84-01: ZX9.
Kawasaki, VN1500 Vulcan, 87-99: Vul. Kawasaki, VN1500D/E/N/T/J/R/G/L Cla.
Kawasaki, VN1600 Classic/Mean Strea. Kawasaki, VN700/750 Vulcan 85-06. Kawasaki, VN800 Vulcan Classic 95-0.
Kawasaki, Z/KZ 900-1000cc chain. Kawasaki, ZG1000 Concours 86-04. Kawasaki, ZX600A/C Ninja 600 85-97.
Kawasaki, ZX-6D/E 90-04: ZX600D, ZX. Kawasaki, ZX7, ZX7R, ZX7RR 91-98. Suzuki, 125-400cc Singles 64-81, RL.
Suzuki, DR250, DR250S, DR350, DR350. Suzuki, GS1100E/GS100LT, GSX1100EX. Suzuki, GS400/450 77-87. Suzuki, GS500E 89-02. Suzuki, GS550 77-86: GS550, GS550E.
Suzuki, GS650 81-83: GS650EX, GS650. Suzuki, GS750 77-82: GS750, GS750L. Suzuki, GS850G/1000G/1100G shaft dr. Suzuki, GSF1200/S Bandit 96-03. Suzuki, GSF600/S Bandit 95-00. Suzuki, GSx1300R Hayabusa 99-07.
Suzuki, GSX-R1000 01-04. Suzuki, GSX-R600 01-05. Suzuki, GSX-R600 97-00. Suzuki, GSX-R750 88-92, GSX750F Kat. Suzuki, GSX-R750 96-99.
Suzuki, GSX-R750/1100 86-87, Katana. Suzuki, GT380, GT550, GT750 72-77. Suzuki, SV650 99-02. Suzuki, VL1500 Boulevard C90/T 05-0. Suzuki, VL800 Intruder Volusia, C50.
Suzuki, VS1400 Intruder/Boulevard S. Suzuki, VS700-800 Intruder/Boulevar. Yamaha, 650cc Twins 70-82: TX650, X. Yamaha, FJ1100/1200, 84-93.
Yamaha, FZ700/750, Fazer 85-87. Yamaha, FZR600 89-93. Yamaha, FZS1000 (FZ-1) 01-05. Yamaha, VMX Vmax 85-03.
![77 honda xl 350 service manual pdf 77 honda xl 350 service manual pdf](/uploads/1/2/3/9/123950694/877829910.jpg)
Yamaha, V-Star 1100 99-09. Yamaha, XJ550, XJ600, FJ600 81-92. Yamaha, XJ600S Seca II 92-98.
Yamaha, XS1100 Four 78-81. Yamaha, XS750, XS850 77-81. Yamaha, XT350/TT350 85-00. Yamaha, XT500, TT500 76-81. Yamaha, XT600/TT600 83-89. Yamaha, XV1600/1700 Road Star 99-05. Yamaha, XV535-1100 Virago 81-03.
Yamaha, XVS650 V-Star 98-05. Yamaha, XVZ Royal Star 96-02. Yamaha, YZF-R1 98-03. Yamaha, YZF-R6 99-04.
Dan's Motorcycle 'Shop Manuals' ONLINE PARTS & SHOP MANUALS ¶ In my surfing over the web I have run across a number of sites which have parts and/or shop manuals. Here is a list. I do not host most of these, they are just links to other web sites. If you find a web site with parts or shop manuals on it let me know so I can list it here for everyone. I usually don't remove any links, once I put them up.
I have had some dead links become active again after being gone for as much as a year. If you hit a dead link, try it again in a minute, hour, day or so, sometimes even a week or two or more. Or, if you hit a dead link, right click and then click 'Copy Shortcut'. Now paste it into the 'Wayback Machine'. It may be achived there. If you find something you like, download it as fast as you can.
DO NOT think it will be there waiting for you tomorrow. It might not last another hour. Service Manuals links come and go like the wind. Some of these are in Adobe Acrobat. To save these PDF files, right click on them then left click on 'Save Target As.' You will need to get the Free Adobe Reader to read them.
You can get it Here is a FREE PDF Viewer/Printer that works great and is Much smaller than Adobe's Sumatra. Another PDF Viewer that works good and is portable. Lastly, if you steal all my work here, as some have done, it is OK. But at least give me a link back. 'What goes around comes around.' Major Brands include Caterpillar, and Detroit.
Scooter Shop and Parts Manuals. Find out what scooter you have. Henderson De Luxe Parts List in PDF. Parts book. Owners Manual. Parts books in PDF. Shop Manuals and LOTS of Info on this Two-Wheel Drive Motorcycle.
Info on Magnetos and Generators used on Indian Motorcycles. Parts from Victory. Parts from Indian.
Owners Manual and Parts Book for the 250cc 'Twingle'. Owners Manual. Service Manuals, Parts Manuals, Owners Manuals. Owners Manual, in French I think.
Service Manuals, Owners Manuals, Parts Manuals. Lots of stuff from as early as 1915. Spec's on the Goldie. M20 Maintenance Manual. Lots of Service Manuals and Parts Books on BSA, Triumph and Lucas Electrics.
Lots of Good Stuff!. Service sheets in PDF and some Lucas stuff. Grab them while you can! Lots of help files in PDF format on carbs, electrics, magnetos, and stuff. Lots of Manuals. British Only Tech Library.
Golden Flash Instruction Manual. Service Manual. Info, Specs, and Pics. Also some stuff on Villiers Engines. Prestwich Engine I.D. Service Manuals and Parts Books on Norton Twins.
Service Sheets PDF. You will have to copy and paste this URL (www.eurooldtimers.com/functions/getfilemanualy.php?id=3506) into a new browser window to get it to download.
Commando Shop Manual PDF. Commander Shop Manual PDF, lots of other Commander stuff. S7 & S8 parts Manual & other stuff.
PDF Parts Manuals. Service Manuals, Parts manuals and tech stuff for old Triumphs. Scroll to bottom of page on lefthand side for manuals. Info on the flat twin. Specs, wiring diag. Velocette Specs! V-Twin Parts Manual in MicroSoft Excel format.
Look up Villiers engine numbers. Parts, Specs, and Tech Stuff China.
Owners Manuals in PDF. Parts Manuals in XLS. Parts Manuals. Lots of PDF files. Service Manual. Shop Manual.
Lots of General Chinese Service Manuals. Information on the Chinese/Russian/BMW. Service and Parts Manuals. Czechoslovakia. Parts cataloge in Czech.
Service Manual in Czech. Service Manual in Czech. Very nice site for Jawa and CZ riders. Many Wiring diagrams and parts books. Exploded engine view.
Parts Book in Czech. Denmark. Parts Book, Wiring Diagrams in PDF.
Maintinance Manuals in.PDF, all in French. Some Tech stuff. Older BMW Parts Manuals, Service Bulletins, Tools, Pictures. 750cc Twin Owners Manual. Lots of Good Tech Articles But, lots of bad links too. Lots of Good Tech Articles But, lots of bad links too.
Lots of Good Tech Articles But, lots of bad links too. Tech Articles on CD & DVD also other stuff. All free too.
Parts book for the old WW2 BMW. 650, 850, 1000, 1100, 1150cc Shop Manuals in various languages. Lots of Repair Manuals.
Shop Manuals, Parts Manuals, Lots of good stuff about the Father of the modern 2/stroke. Parts Book. Owners manual for the 1953 model. Shop Manual, Tech Stuff. Parts of a shop manual in PDF. Parts Book.
Lots of Parts Books. Owners Manual in German.
Owners Manual in German. Parts Book in German. Shop Manual in German of a flat twin. Shop Manual, Parts Manual, Owners Manual.
Shop Manual, Parts Manual, Owners Manual. Shop Manual for this 250cc bike with an unusual cam drive.
Manual and Parts List in German. A lot of Sachs Engine stuff but, it is in German. Parts Manual,. Parts Book. R153 Bella Parts Book.
Just some Specs on a rare old Motorcycle. Tech Info on an old British bike still being made in India. Use and Maintenance Manuals. Shop Manuals for late model (2004-6) motorcycles in Italiano, Inglese, Tedesco, Francese, and Spagnolo! Workshop Manual. Parts Manual.
Ducati Owners Manual. Ducati Parts Book. Dragster Service Manual. Lots of Dell'orto carb pictures. Parts Book. Owners, Service Manual.
1968 Scrambler Service Manual. Parts Book.
Owners Service Manual. Parts Manual. Workshop Manual. 1975 Owners Manual. 1975-76 Parts Book. 1975-77 Workshop Manual.
Parts Manual. Parts Manual.
Owners Maintenance, Service Manual. Workshop Manual. Supplemental manual to the workshop manual. Owners Manual. Parts Manual. Workshop Manual. Parts Manual.
Shop Manual Suppliment. Parts Manual. Parts Manual. Owner's Maual.
Parts Manual. Parts Manual. Hyster h120xm manual. Workshop Manual. Parts Manual. Workshop Manual.
Lots of Shop Manuals. Motorcycle Parts Diagrams. Moto Morini wiring Diagrams and some other stuff. 150, 175 Service Manual. Set up your Bosh Transistor Ignition in PDF.
Service Manuals, Owners Manuals. Shop Manual, Parts Manuals. 850cc Parts Book. California 1000 - 1100 Shop Manual. Workshop manual. WorkShop Manual.
Parts Manuals. Lots of Tech Stuff. Exploded views, Specs, and Pictures.
Engine Parts Diagrams. Parts Manual. Lots of Service Manuals in PDF form.
Lots of owners Manuals in PDF form. Lots of wiring Diagrams. Shop manuals. Race Manuals. Lots of Service Manuals, Parts Manuals, For Italian motorcycles, all in Italian. All in Italian. Small Italian Bike Wiring Diagrams.
Service Manual PDF. Parts Books and Service Manuals. Exploded parts views. Find out the year of that bike. Parts Book for the old Honda 160cc Twin. Shop Manual for the 1961-1967 250 & 305cc twins.
Owners Manual for the 305 Dream Twin. Parts Book for the old Honda 305cc Twin. PDF Shop manuals, Go there and click on 'Manuals' at the left of your screen.
Motorcycle and car manuals and parts books. LOTS of them. Same web site as above only a different page with more Honda manuals. Service manual.
Service manual 1988-90. Factory Shop Manual. Factory Shop Manual. Owner's Manual.
20021994 Parts. Parts in PDF format from a site that is no longer with us. It was called the 'Honda CB400F Page'. For the time being I am hosting this PDF file! Service Manual.
Parts Book for the 1972 Honda 350cc Four. Shop Manuals for older 350-750 fours.
77 Honda Xl 350 Service Manual Pdf
Owners Manual. Owners Manuals in Italian. Parts Manuals in English and Spanish. Service Manuals in English and Italian.
1992-96 Shop Manual. 1978-80 Shop Manual PDF. Service Manual PDF. Service Manual. It's Big-143 Meg. Service Manual. 2002 Parts Book.
Owners, Parts, Shop Manuals for 50cc-1000cc Hondas. Service Manual, Parts Manuals big, big download (125 Megs). Service Manual. 1977 Service Manual.
2013 Factory Service Manual. RC51 Factory Service Manual, Parts Manual. Service Manual and Parts Manuals. You will have to click around and search just a small bit but there are Service Manuals to be had. Parts & Service Manuals for a number of old Hondas. Lots of Parts Books, Service, and Owners Manuals for older Hondas.
CB750, CB500, CB350-750, Honda Service manuals. Overhaul PDF. 90-100cc Parts Manual, some service stuff. 1973 Shop manual. Users manual. Specifications of several Kawasaki Motorcycles and Suzuki Letter-Model year. B1-B4 1976-79 Shop manuals.
For the Manuals scroll down about 3/4 of the page. I sure have a big problem with his method of locking the crank to tighten the flywheel nut. There is not a lot of clearence between the stators and the flywheel. Service Manual. PDF Shop manual. Maintenance Manual.
Three Cylinder Shop Manual. Service Bulletins and H2 Parts. H,A,&S Service Manuals. Service Manual. Service Manuals, Parts Manuals. Service Manual. Sercice Manual.
2006 Service Manual. 1981 Service Manual PDF.
Service Manual. Parts Book PDF file. PDF Shop Manual.
Shop Manual for the Japanese BMW. Parts Manual for the Japanese BMW. Wiring Diagrams.
These are all locked PDF files. So you can't print them out. Even if you can't print it out, you can still look at it anytime you want. Shop, Parts, and Owners Manuals for the 650 twin. Parts book, Owners Manual and info on Yamaha's Triple. Owners Manual for the V-Max.
This one goes off and on line a lot. If it's not there, try again in a day or a week! PDF 1999 Service Manual. Right click and 'Save Target As.' Lots of wiring diagrams for the XJs. Shop and Parts manuals for this Yamaha single.
Service Manual. General specs & pictures. Specs on Yamaha's 600cc single. 1978-79 Specifications.
Rebuild Manual. 1979 Parts Manual. 2008 PDF Shop manual. PDF Shop manual. Service Manuals and other stuff.
Parts Books and Service Stuff. Owners Manual. Parts Book. Service Bulletins.
Shop Manuals and Parts Books. 1991 Shop Manual.Service, Owners, Parts Manuals (Click SuperMoto). 1985 500cc Race Bike's Parts Book. Service Manual. Shop manual in PDF.
Parts book in PDF. Owners manual in PDF. Service Manuals. Go there, look to the left and click on Seven-Eleven, look at the center of page and scroll down to 'FastCat's Technical Suzuki Library' and click on it. Shop manual in PDF. Parts, Service books in PDF.
Service Manual PDF. 1986-90 Service Manual PDF. Big-234 Meg! 1978 Service Manual PDF. Service Manual PDF.
Service Manuals Russia. A Shop Manual in English and PDF format. Owners Manual for the Russian BMW. You can buy these bikes, right now, brand new! Parts Manual for the Russian BMW. Lots of Shop Manuals and other stuff in German. Rebuild the Ural.
Model List. Metralla MKII Shop Manual in Spanish. Parts Book, Specs. Years and Model #s. Montesa Cota 123/250 Shop Manual. 5 speed Manual.
Model List. Owners manual 1971 Stiletto, Pioneer, T.T. The new Bultaco.some service stuff.neat looking Trials Bike.
Service, Owners, Parts Manuals Sweden. Owners Manuals in PDF. Lots of Repair Manuals. Old Service Bulletins. Yugoslavia. Shop and Parts Manuals, in Dutch, Swedish, and English.
Parts Books in PDF, Tech stuff. Online Motorcycle Parts Books Cut and paste the URLs below. I have not dealt with any of these businesses. They just have parts diagrams.
'BMW R, K & F Parts Books from 1970 on. 'Classic Parts Books. Exploded parts views and part numbers for a lot of older bikes and new ones too. From the Netherlands. 'Motorcycle Parts Diagrams.
1975 Honda Xl 350 Specifications
BMW, Honda, Sea-Doo, Bombardier, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati, KTM, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Polaris, Yamaha. 'Suzuki Parts. Suzuki parts diagrams going back to 1965. 'Parts Books. Lots of late model parts Micro-Fiche on line. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki ATVs, Polaris ATVs. ATV 3 or 4-Wheeler.
Barossa/SMC, Can-Am, Honda, Kawasaki, Linhai, Polaris, Suzuki, Yamaha. PDF Shop manual. Lots of Service Manuals.
Service and Parts Books. Lots of 4-Wheeler Service Manuals Snowmobiles. Shop Manuals, Carburetor Manuals, and Other Good Stuff.
Shop and Parts Manuals. 1999 and older Snowmobiles. Personal Water Craft. Service Manuals.
Super Small Engines. Instruction Manuals.
Fractional Horspower Engines. Owners Manuals and Parts Manuals. Vanguard Single shop Manual. Tecumseh Service Manuals. 'Castell Pridd Museum Of Power' No motorcycle manuals but lots of old engine manuals in PDF. Not free any longer but quite cheap and, if you need one, you might not find it anywhere else. Owners Manuals in PDF.
Parts Books, Service Manuals-Click 'Enter as Guest'. Must have Internet Explorer Web Browser to use. Service Manuals, Use and Maintinance Manuals. Maintinance, Parts, Overhaul Books. Lots of Lawn Mowers, Chain Saw, Owners Manuals, Parts Books. Toro Master PartsViewer- Loads slow if you're on dial-up! Owners Manuals, Shop Manuals, Parts Manuals in PDF.
PDF Service Manuals, Parts Books, Owners Manuals. Click on Publications in the upper right hand corner. Enter your model number and it's yours! PDF Owners Manuals.
PDF Parts Books. Onan Manuals and Bulletins & some GMC motorhome stuff in PDF. Small engine parts & service manuals. PDF Owners Manuals and Parts Books.
Old Mercury Wiring Diagrams. Owners Manuals. Lots of online parts books for outboards.
Parts books for Tohatsu outboards. Owners manuals for Tohatsu outboards. Lots of different old car manuals. Shop Manuals for old Chevrolets.No longer with us but if you dig at this link you may find what you need. Free US Government Manuals. Not Motorcycle, but interesting!
Sach Engined, Three Wheeled Car, Shop and Parts Manuals. Unclassified. Lots of different shop and parts Manuals. Lots of Service, Parts, and Owners Manuals. Only one problem. I could not download any PDF from them that was bigger then 20 Megabytes.
Strange, but you can still get a lot of under 20 Meg PDFs. Lots of different owners manuals and some shop and parts Manuals. Amazing number of different shop and parts Manuals. Site is in Rumanian, Hungarian, and English.
Lots and Lots and lots of Shop and Parts Manuals. Even late Model ones. From our Comrades in Russia! From Bombardier Recreational Products. Lots and lots of Moped Shop Manuals and Owners Manuals. General Motorcycle spcifications for a lot of diferent bikes. Manuals and a reprint of a very good motorcycle book from the 1920s.
Shop, Owners and Parts Manuals. Lots of tech stuff and wiring for older Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Moto-Guzzi, Norton, Triumph, Harley-Davidson.
Parts Manuals. If you like Mopeds here is a lot of information about them. Repair and other stuff. Service Manuals, Parts Manuals, Owners manuals. Service Manuals, Parts Manuals, Owners manuals, Literature. Lots of Scooter Service Manuals, Literature. Instillation Instructions.
Lots of various makes. 1993 toyota carina service manual. More Scooter Manuals!
Free software to re-program your ECU fuel injection.
Description Price Add 88 Honda XL600V Shop Service Repair Manual Supplement (88HO88XL6VSS) $35.95 ✚ Add to Cart 78 Honda XL100S Owners Instruction Manual Handbook - 101 pages (78HO78XL1SINS - Not a shop manual) $44.95 ✚ Add to Cart 79 Honda XL250S Owners Instruction Manual Handbook - 102 pages (79HO79XL250SIN - Not a shop manual) $47.95 ✚ Add to Cart 82 Honda XL125R Owners Instruction Manual Handbook - 171 pages (82HO82XL125RIN - Not a shop manual) $53.95 ✚ Add to Cart 86 XL600R Owners Manual for XL 600 R Motorcycle by Honda, 84 pages. (8631ML6600 - Not a shop manual) $24.95 ✚ Add to Cart 84-85 Honda XL350R Shop Service Repair Manual - 300 pages (8561KL301) $74.95 ✚ Add to Cart 84-85 Honda XL350R Owners Instruction Manual Handbook - 192 pages (8531KL3610 - Not a shop manual) $39.95 ✚ Add to Cart 72-74 XL 250 & 350 Trail Bikes 248cc 348cc OHC Honda shop Service repair Manual by Haynes for XL250 XL350 (730209) $39.95 ✚ Add to Cart 79-82 XL500S Single Shop Service Repair Manual for Honda: approx. 200 pages by Honda & Cycleserv for XL 500 S (80CSH677) $39.95 ✚ Add to Cart 84-87 XL250R Shop Service Repair Manual by Honda (8561KL403) $69.95 ✚ Add to Cart 87-90 Honda XL600V Transalp.
Shop Service Repair Manual - 400 pages (90HO87XL6VTRS) $83.95 ✚ Add to Cart 87-90 Honda XL600V Transalp.
(This Retrospective article was printed in the June 2012 issue of Rider Magazine.) This four-stroke woodser was an immediate hit with the casual rider, and could even seduce two-stroke lovers away from their mounts. As an added bonus the XL350 K1 was quite adequate on the pavement. For less than one-thousand 1974 dollars anyone could buy this mid-sized thumper and go play on the thousands of miles of dirt roads that traverse this continent. You just had to keep in mind that the 2.2-gallon gas tank liked to be replenished every 100 or so miles, and with a wet weight of 320 pounds the machine needed to be treated with respect. Tripping down the tree-shrouded byways, where gravel could turn to sand, dirt to mud, the piston in the slightly oversquare cylinder (79mm bore, 71mm stroke) provided a satisfyingly grunty response when the throttle was twisted. The Brits had long claimed dominance in the four-stroke enduro scene, with half-a-dozen companies fielding 350s and 500s in the 1950s. These were good for everything from trials to trail riding.
Then the Spanish came along with some razzy two-strokes, and the Japanese, most notably Yamaha, were soon to follow. Four-strokes began to slip away. The Brits were rapidly losing control of the enduro market, with BSA’s 500cc, OHV single-cylinder B50T (for Trail) of 1972 being the last gasp. The Western world was wondering what the Eastern motorcycle manufacturers would do to fill the gap. In 1969 Honda bore the four-stroke banner among the two-stroke-oriented Japanese. It had tried to market its popular OHC 350 twin as a dual-sport machine, the SL350 Motosport.
However, the revvy little engine felt much better on the street than on a forest road. That model lasted for five years, to be replaced by the XL350 single in 1974. 1976 Honda XL350 K2 engine. The XL350 was a direct descendant of Honda’s XL250 single. The latter appeared in 1972, and was a pleasant little creature, with the operative word being “little.” The 300-pound 250 was actually quite good in competition, but racing is a very different world from the fun-loving types who just wanted to putter along unkempt trails through a forest, state or national.
Honda understood that they could sell a lot more bikes to the fun lovers than to the relatively few competitors, and these folk were more interested in slogging—rather than high-revving—power. To that end the 250, with a chain-driven single overhead camshaft, got bored and stroked to 348cc, and a spin on the dyno showed the 21-incher had well over 20 horsepower at the rear wheel, and almost 20 lb-ft of torque.
The same year that the XL350 came on the scene, Honda introduced the XL175 single—250 pounds with 1.8 gallons of gas in the tank. And the miniscule XL125 at 235 pounds appeared in 1975 for riders who really wanted light weight. Serious enduro types did not need such sissified things as electric starters, so the XL350 had an old-fashioned kicker. But instead of tickling carburetors, retarding sparks, pulling in the compression release and getting the piston just past top dead center, as required by the British, all the Honda required was a big kick. And to pull out the choke if the engine was cold.
The four-valve engine’s power peaked at 6,500 rpm, but it could cheerfully spin to 8,000, and a tach kept the rider mindful of engine speeds. The five-speed gearbox had rather wide ratios, good for scrabbling in the muck, and a mere 5,000 rpm was required for cruising along at 55 mph on the pavement. Top speed was said to be about 75 mph. 1976 Honda XL350 K2 tank. Particulars for the XL350 were simple. One 32mm Keihin carb sent the fuel mixture into the combustion chamber, where it was compressed 8.3 times, sparked via points electrified by a flywheel magneto, spent gases exiting through a single header pipe that curved under the left side of the engine and into an environmentally friendly, and heavy, muffler. One of the weak points of the bike was that when riding through rocky terrain, the header pipe was susceptible to getting squished by rocks, and a flattened pipe did not help engine operation at all.
The XL350 had a pleasantly large saddle, though no passenger pegs. The vibration from the solidly mounted engine was not a serious problem, but in consideration Honda designed the rider footpegs so that they were isolated by rubber absorbers. This machine was definitely for the semi-sporting enthusiast, though it was street-savvy, with turn signals and all. However, in anticipation of the rambunctious rider Honda made it easy to pull off the turn signals, lights, and take out the small battery.
1976 Honda XL350 K2. The frame was similar to the cradle-type that housed the 250, with a single front downtube splitting into a pair of supports running under the engine. A reasonable bash-plate protected the vitals, with about eight inches of ground clearance when a not-too-heavy rider was aboard. The swingarm was extended an inch from the 250’s, for a wheelbase of 55.3 inches, which helped to make the front end a little lighter. The rear shock absorbers had preload adjustability, the fork none. Wheels used tough alloy Daido rims, with a 3.00 x 21 tire on the front, a 4.00 x 18 on the rear. Brakes had small drums, fine in the dirt, a tad weak in traffic.
In 1976 Honda did a major revamp of the XL350, calling this one the K2, with chassis changes that increased the fork rake to 32 degrees, trail to 5.5 inches. A new cylinder head allowed better intake breathing, and a very neat high-level exhaust system was tucked behind the frame and exited on the right side—taking care of that previously mentioned susceptibility problem on the low-level exhaust. Appreciating the state of the market, passenger footpegs were fitted that were, of course, rubber-mounted. The weight went up to 330 pounds, the price to $1,200. The K2 had a happy three years, but in 1979 the 350 morphed into the XL500S, which is another story entirely. 1976 Honda XL350 K2 wheel. 1976 Honda XL350 K2 gauges.
My rides in the ’70’s had all been two strokes. I got to the peak of the tree, so to speak, with a Yamaha RD350. I had chased my buddies on their RD350s, on my Suzuki 250 twin, and had always kept them in sight. To my great disappointment, I hated the RD350 (fueling difficulties in steady progress, on/off throttle), so when the chance came to swap it for an XL350, I leapt at it. This was my first four stroke, so getting started was a learning curve.
After a while, and with a few modifications, my 1974 XL350 became my best bike ever. Very torquey, extremely maneuverable in traffic, unlimited ground clearance, just lovely. I could often go haring along a mountain road with barely a gear change, surfing the torque and relying on engine braking (the actual brakes not being a street highlight). I changed to RD350 shocks to lower the ride position, and lengthened the swing arm by two inches, for better stability at speed. I never noticed any vibration, just appreciated the agility and broad power spread.
To me this was an ideal road bike, and I have never found anything quite like it since. There was never a circumstance my Honda could not meet to my full satisfaction. I sold it to buy a car stupid! This was/is my first bike and it has been quite the adventure owning it. I picked it up my senior year of highschool for 375 bucks almost running (took a bit of tinkering). Stripped the lights off (less to break and I wasn’t going on the streets anyways) and rewired the whole damn thing with 2 wires.
I then just went from there started riding in the tight woods of oregon. Now as i’ve rode newer fancier nicer bikes I can’t help but love my bike more. Yeah its heavy and has no suspension travel compared to the fancy new bikes but as long as i keep oil in it and feed it gas the damn thing will run forever. Not only is it bullet proof but it has taught me so many things about good riding that i just don’t think you can learn as fast or as well on a newer bike. Someday i will own a newer bike with all the fancy gadgets but i will always hold a spot in my heart for this old lead sled. Aaaah the memories!!!
I owned several of these XL 350s when I lived on the central coast of California from 1978 to 84. When I was in the military it was my preferred mode of transportation. There was no Condition these bikes wouldn’t excel in. Street, desert,dunes,mountains or surf I never feared any impulse to leave the pavement for a spontaneous excursion. This has to be one of the most reliable bikes Honda ever built. I once blew a head gasket a good 15 miles into the Desert along the Santa Ynez river bed and limped home at a max speed of about 25 mph.
Pulled the jug,new head gasket,ran better than ever. Laid another one down running 60 coming out of the mountains around Sisquoc. Some 4 wheel motorists stood my bike up helped me on it, and even though my separated left shoulder made it impossible to clutch rode it 30 miles home. The bike never stopped running. I put those bikes through more abuse that anyone could imagine and they never let me down.
Sold every one for more than I gave for it, except the one I broke the frame on jumping it. Thanks for this little jog down memory lane. Got my first brand new motorcycle in 1973,a HONDA XL175. One day while my buddies and me were tearing around at our riding site a fellow rode in on a XL350, WOW, can I ride it? I asked and the guy let me!
What a dream machine. 3 years later right after graduating high school I was in the HONDA shop and the AWSOME shop owner asked if I wanted to buy a brand new 1 year old left over 1975 XL350 for $900.00.
I borrowed the money and had my dream machine! One of my buddies bought one too! We rode those bikes everywhere in the dirt, mountain trails and the road as well.
I eventually took my engine apart and powrolled the crank, bored it out to a 450 and beat R5 350’s in a drag race front wheel in the air! My parents wouldn’t let me race but some of my buddies did and I was crew mechanic for a Champion framed XL350 my buddy raced, what a thrill that was watching and listening to those thumpers fly around the corners of short tracks, TT’s and half mile tracks. Now some 42 years later after bringing many old motorcycles back from the dead I finally came across a 1976 XL350 complete with turn signals. Someone broke off a spark plug and parked it many years ago.
The engine is locked up and I can’t wait to tear into the heart of the beast and restore her back to life. Love these old thumpers!