1980 Honda XL500 and XL185 Street Enduro

Extreme Changes

Big changes were happening for me in 1980/81. I bought my first 4x4 pick-up truck. I became a property owner. I traded in my Yamaha xs11. And I also got hitched. It was an exciting year to be sure. I could write about all these changes, and more, but I will limit myself to just the bikes as this is supposed to be a two wheel tale.

Getting married changes one's priorities and my xs11 no longer fulfilled mine. I wanted my new wife (a.k.a. my significant other, or SO) to share my first love of two wheeling. I pictured us riding side by side together across our great land one day, but first she needed to get her motorcycle license. And most would agree that the best way to achieve this goal safely would be learning the basics on a small bike.

Loaded and ready to roll.

Now many motorcyclists in this juncture of their lives would concentrate on developing careers and raising a family at the expense of their two wheel passions, then return to the sport decades later with the onset of a mid-life crisis. I knew that this was not going to happen to me since I had already experienced bike withdrawal malaise years earlier. But at the same time I was realistic enough to also know that I would not have the same amount of time or money to properly enjoy my bike along with all my new responsibilities. But there was a solution.

I negotiated an even trade with a local Yamaha dealer who I suspect thought that I had gone loco; my two year old xs11 for two used street enduros he happened to have sitting on his showroom floor. In the time it took for the transaction's paper work, I had solved several of my problems. First, and most importantly, I still had a bike that I could ride on the streets when time permitted, and now so did my new slender bride. Second, my insurance and maintenance costs remained close to being the same, so the household budget remained intact. But as an added bonus, I could now load the two enduros into the bed of my new pick-up and look real cool as I trucked them to Muskoka to explore all the interesting back roads and fire trails the area boasted. And I would be doing this side by side with my SO. Life was good!

The Bikes

The two dirt bikes were both 1980 Hondas, mine would be an xl 500, while my SO would have the perfect beginner's bike,

Our two adventure bikes side by each.

an xl 185. The 185 was practically new and all nice and shiny, while mine showed a bit more experience with the expected scuff marks, dings, and minor oil leaks. The important thing was they needed no work and ran perfectly. Although the 500 was no powerhouse, it did move with some gusto and its light weight was quite refreshing after the big bore Yamaha. On the other hand, the 185 was unsurprisingly weak, but was particularly fun to pop wheelies with.

My wife quickly signed on to a motorcycle training course that spanned two weekends and was presented with a temporary license upon her successful completion. Her permanent license arrived in the mail a couple of weeks later and before you could say hell on wheels, she was a regular on the road. In fact, she took that little 185 everyday to work traveling from the west end of the city to its downtown core. Not the best of situations to thrust a new rider into, but she seemed to do ok. After all, she is still around today and riding on her own hawg.