1982 Honda XL500R

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1982 Honda XL500R Only 1280 miles. This round headlight XL500R is a time capsule... a true survivor and an incredibly clean example of one of the first dual purpose / adventure bikes. Beautiful condition. Needs nothing. Runs great. It may possibly be the cleanest, nicest, lowest mileage example of the 1982 XL500R in the country. It could easily be shown in a museum, win a vintage motorcycle show or be ridden as your daily driver. This XL was bought new in 1982 from Howards Honda in Ballston Lake NY. From 1982 to 1993 it was ridden 1280 miles by the original owner. It was then parked in his garage from 1993 to August 2011. Thankfully, the meticulous owner stored it properly. It took very little to bring it back to the condition you see in the photos below. The only things that are NOT original to this XL500R are the new Yuasa battery, the foam air filter element and the new 10w-40 engine oil... which was all just installed in 08/2011. The 1982 Yuasa battery was beyond dead, the foam air filter element had disinegrated into a pile of nothing and I changed the engine oil to be safe. The IRC "Trail Runner GP-3" tires are original. They do show some signs of minor cracking due to age. However, I believe they are very useable and have 1000's of miles left on them. I would have no reservations about using these tires myself. There are no dents on the gas tank, rims or exhaust. The inside of the gas tank has a tiny bit of rust on the top center. No flaking... just a bit of ever so light surface rust (see pic). As expectecd on a 29 year old motorcycle that was ridden 1280 miles in 11 years and then stored for 18 years in an upstate NY garage, you will find some light pitting, surface rust and minor scratches here and there. The worst cosmetic damage is on the exhaust and front fork lowers. See the pics below. Everything works on this XL. All the lights, horn, speedometer, odometer, trip meter, brakes, etc etc etc. While most states do not require a title to register such an old motorcycle, I do have the clear original NY title from 1982 in the original owners name. I do not have the owners manual but I do have the original Honda tool kit. The tools appear to have never been used. Before yesterday, I don't think the blue tool pouch was ever even removed from the plastic housing under the seat. Both mirrors are temporarily removed so the bike will fit inside my "cycle garage". Given the rarity and exceptional condition of the bike, I will not allow any test rides. You can come see it in person, look it over with a fine tooth comb and hear it run, ... but no rides until it has been paid for. The rust you see below is only in this small area near the top of the tank. The bottom and sides are rust free, like new. Shine a flashlight inside and you'll see just how clean it is. On Aug-23-11 at 10:43:43 PDT, seller added the following information: The original owners manual hs been found and will be included in this auction. Also shown in the photo is the clear title issued back in 1982. On Aug-24-11 at 09:24:32 PDT, seller added the following information: A short video I took this morning. While it is possible to kickstart a big thumper wearing flip flops, I don't recommend it. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v517/esop/?action=view¤t=022-1.mp4 On Aug-24-11 at 09:47:58 PDT, seller added the following information: A few people have emailed and asked for more pictures. I took these this morning. If there is a specific area of the XL you'd like to see up close, email and ask me. On Aug-29-11 at 12:52:32 PDT, seller added the following information: I've had a couple questions about the mirrors. These are the stock mirrors. No scratches. I removed them so the XL would fit inside my "cycle shed". I included my iphone in the pics for a size reference. it is not included in the auction. FYI - This auction has 190 watchers currently. The current $3600 price is pretty close to my reserve. I had one bid retraction. I will say that if you're not serious about buying the bike, please do not bid. If it doesn't meet my reserve, I won't be relisting it. I will keep it and ride it around. It's just too cool.