1974 honda XL350 flattracker build

[neodyman]

Hi, I recently bought a project bike.
I got my first bike when I was 14,and I wanted to make a flattracker.
, It was a 77 XL350 that I rode the piss out of!! after 4 years of very hard riding and never that I can remember of changing the oil, It started to smoke.
well in between taking the engine apart and moving 5 times I only had the engine left. A week ago I seen a 74 xl350 that is in bad shape but all intact but fuel tank, the only thing that wasn't frozen up was the front wheel. I got it for $150, and loading it wasn't to easy, but unloading it was, Thank god for a loader tractor.
Now I have tore everyting apart and sandblasted the frame and painted I'm waiting for engine parts
I got a tank off ebay and is too junky for what I wanna do, It has bondo in it already and is dinged up real bad.
I will post more this coming week and will get more pics of my progress

[kschilk]

Aww man, that's classy! I started in flattrack, there's nothin' cooler than a full-lock powerslide. The XL oughta' make a nice flattracker, with some lowering and a li'l tweaking. Cool project! I have an old '77 KZ 650 four, been thinkin' of doin' the same with it...just for S & Gs.

[neodyman]

I got all my engine parts and got the gas tank smoothed up and painted,got my tires mounted and forks in, but couldn't remember which side the brake went on but it don't mater that much, for most flattrackers don't have front brakes anyway. I set the tank on and took another pic, tommorow I will start building the engine, I am waiting for my handle bars still, and haven't decided on a exhuast pipe yet. I also painted most of my hardware for engine mounts and other stuff. here is another pic with the tank setting on it

[kschilk]

We used to run 18" front wheels and generally used a "spool" front hub. The conversion wasn't cheap but we didn't have ebay back then, either.

[ccnut]

flatrackin.....you guys have bigger b$#*ls than me. I had a 75 xl 350 I bought new and loved it! it was a tractor and loved the desert with a bassinni pipe and some tweekin.! great post! keep the pics comming......Jerry

[kschilk]

I had a '78 XL350, my first dually.

Unfortunately, the roundy-rounds aren't as popular as they were in the late 60s and early 70s. I feel fortunate to have started racing, pretty much during the heydays of flat track. The previous experience of close-quarters racing was a huge plus, when I finally got into MX. Ridin' flats was a great way to learn about traction and throttle control. Of course....I also learned alot about crashing, too..

The old "you're a' peein'" bikes were favored, 'coz they had the shifter on the right but alot of guys made conversion (cross-over) levers/pedals for the Jap bikes. A super-slight drag on the rear brake, will start the rear sliding out as you enter a turn but beyond that, there's not much use for back binders...shifting is the priority.

[neodyman]

I got my motor on the frame and carb, coil on it too. I set the points and gave it 2 kicks and started right up! I ran it for just a minute to see a test run, it sat overnight and today I go and change the oil and tried to start it and it wouldn't turn all the way over? took the cam cover off to reveal that the chain must have ben stretched, for that the tensioner seams to be functioning correctly. I have another chain in my other motor but I don't have a flywheel puller to get to the chain.. and I hope that I didn't bend any valves when I was kicking it? with the cam out it seams to still have compression, but that don't mean anything.

[neodyman]

Ive been trying to find info about the timming/valve specs on this xl350 motor, cuase I found my problem was that I stuck a xl250 tensoner in it, I thought they was the same, but I laid them on a table to reveal that the 350 is about 3/16'' longer than the 250. so I get everything put back together and looks like the intake valves got bent when I tried to kick it over today. this sucks cuase I think I have to take the motor off the frame to take the head off, and the other valves that I got aren't in very good shape, "pitted"
I looked on ebay for valves and they are like $200 for oversized, and haven't found any used. I was wondering if there is any other engines with same valve? that I could buy cheaper??

[neodyman]

well I took it on a maiden ride, around the drive and back in the shop
I took the head off to reveal intake valves were bent so I stuck the old ones in and lapped them in and stuck it back together. it runs real strong, but it acts like the timming is off? I need to recheck my valve timming too. it won't rev past 2500-3000 normally, you have to ''wait" for it if that makes sense?
like the igniton advace is sticking but once it gets past 5000-6000 it does fine
but it pops through the exhaust. and if you just give it about 1/2 throttle at once it sounds like it has a rev limiter which tells me that it is running very rich? but I haven't touched any jets in the carb since the last time i had it on my old 350 and it didn't run rich?
If anybody knows what valve timming will to to a engine please inliten me... I may just have the cam one notch off? I will get some more pics as soon as possible

[neodyman]

ok i'm going nuts on this motor, I've changed the carb with one that I know is good, and set the points a thousand times and rechecked everything and it still runs the same???? runs real strong but not over a certian rpm? "sounds like a rev limiter" probably around 3000rpm it has to be the ignition but its so dang simple I don't know what it would be? I have ordered a new set of points and I hope that fixes it. the ones in it look fine and there isn't any oil on them cuase I used electric contact cleaner on them. the advance is working fine now after i cleaned it up real good "agian". I havent checked coil resestace yet, but most of the time it is eather good or bad i thought.
other than my problems with the engine I have got my seat/rear fender ordered and a air filter on the way. the handle bars I got off ebay are 1'' so if anybody needs some bars I have a set, and found a set thats 7/8" so. for my exhaust I come up with some home brew that I think will look pretty good. I had a old yosh. pipe off a 660 craptor that is bent real bad, but worked fine for a templete and fit it on the hanger bolt hole and cut a chunk off a stock yfz 450 pipe and used it to piece it together. it looks pretty hillbilly right know but I know what it sounds like and what pipe and bends I need to mak it look good.

[neodyman]

Ive fixed my "rev limiter" problem it was 2 new malfunctioning spark plugs, I guess that the 3rd time is a charm. I never had 2 new plugs do that back to back you can pull the plug out and kick it over with one of the bad ones and it has nice blue spark, try to run it and it won't rev up....
the plugs I have are NGK D8EA. anybody know a good points plug that would be better than these? I'm glad I found that it was the problem. I still can't get my pics to upload, they get half way and just quits.. anyway I hope to have my exhaust done this week, and hope to get my seat/fender in so I can mount it!!!

[neodyman]

is my idea for the exhaust, if I can get a good pipe like that cheap and isn't all dented up like this one is and I have to wait till next week before I can buy my head pipe $125. I'm broke. right now I'm just waiting for parts to come in.

[OLDMXRACER 393]

Anyway to run that pipe on the other side? Looking forward to seeing the seat/tank on there.

[neodyman]

I think I could I kinda have to wait untill I get my new head pipe, but I looked around and seen them on the right side. I got my seat hardware made up and fitted, just have to paint the fiberglass part. "It came primered". also got my handlebars mounted and cables hooked up I still need to wire up a kill switch, I will get a pic of it tomorrow.

[cblyx6]

I done a short track champion xl350 years ago, Iwill see if I can find a pic and post up, I would recommend putting the pipe to the right side of the bike, cause if you loose traction and lay it down on the left side ( which you will) the first thing to go is your pipe.

YOu will like the xl 350, check out, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I would suggest the 412 kit, it will really bring you 350 to life.

Good luck

cblyx6