Description
National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
Viewing: Tues 27th October from 1pm
Auction: Wed 28th October from 10am
Location: National Motorcycle Museum, Coventry Road, Bickenhill, Solihull B92 0EJ
Registration No: DWR 831W
Frame No: PD01-6002513
MOT: Exempt
In single ownership since 2006
Offered as a restoration project after a period of barn storage
Said to have recently received a service and new tyres
The Honda XL500S was produced from 1979 to 1981 and was hailed by Cycle World as “the closest yet to the perfect on-off road machine.” Conceived as a roadgoing companion to the off-road-only XR Hondas, the XL500 used a smooth four-valve, four-stroke, sohc 500cc single-cylinder engine, giving a claimed 32. 4bhp at 6, 250rpm. Since the entire bike weighed 304lbs., it amounted to a very fast dual-purpose machine, touching 91mph in Cycle World’s road test. Motor Cycle News has been similarly laudatory, describing it as “one of, if not the definitive four-stroke trail bike of the late ’70s and early ’80s.”
This 1981 XL500S was purchased by our vendor in 2006 and, although running at the time, within a year it was placed into barn storage and has remained there ever since. It therefore requires an amount of restoration or recommissioning, but it should be fairly straightforward and very rewarding. We are advised that some recommissioning took place in early 2025, which included a service and new tyres, but evidently it never quite made it back onto the tarmac. It is supplied with a V5C, and has the potential to be a great bike for some nostalgic off-roading.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Entry by catalogue and can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people)
