Australasian Dirt Bike — June 2017

170 |JUNE 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

FACTORY RIDE / READER RIDE / HERITAGE / ACTION / OAS / BUYERS GUIDE

THE BASICS

IN 1985, THEXR 80 had

received its first major

upgrade for 10 years, Pro-Link

suspension, so the ’86 model

had to make do with new

graphics. For its intended

market that was fine, as the

Honda XR80 was meant to be

an entry-level bike and not one

that they would grow out of

too quickly.

The SOHC, two-valve

air-cooled motor produced

8 .6hp at 10,500rpm and was

rock solid reliable. That meant

not only was it popular with

the kids but their mechanics

(dads) as well.

Power delivery was smooth,

not the type of “come on with

a rush” delivery of the junior

motocrossers that beginners

found so hard to come to grips

with. As a riders’ skill level

improved they could go racing

with the XR 80 as there were

both stock and modified

four-stroke classes.

The exhaust was quiet,

allowing beginners to learn in

the backyard without upsetting

the neighbours, a 27mm

leading axle fork ensured a

bump-free ride with 140mm of

travel while the Pro-Link had

110 mm of movement. The

suspension attracted criticism

for a spring rate that was

found to be a little stiff for

most kids and there was

nothing you could do about it

as it unfortunately had no

preload adjustment.

Starting was primary kick

with a 20 mm Keihin

carburettor feeding the air in

to mix with fuel from a 6.5 litre

tank. The five-speed gearbox’s

ratios were well spaced and

the whole 64kg could be

brought to a halt with

single-leading-shoe drum

brakes on each wheel.

They were well up to the

level of performance of the

rest of the bike and well

waterproofed as what kid

doesn’t like playing in puddles?

Gear and brake lever tips

were of the non-folding type

and this was seen by ADB’’s

testers as an omission that

could have been attended to at

minimal cost but cost was one

of the things the XR80 was

about. It was aimed at a

segment of the market that

was looking to try dirtbike

riding for the first time so cost

both in initial purchase and

continued running and

maintenance was as important

as ease of learning to ride. The

Honda XR80 scored big ticks

in all of those boxes.

Heritage Editor Warren Jacks

COME BACK IN

ANOTHER 10

WHAT

HONDA XR 80

WHEN

ADBB #81, April, 198 6

PURPOSE

Minibikefornon-racerkids

HOW MUCH

$ 1125

BIKES FROM THE DAYS WHEN DINOSAURS ROAMED THE PITS

REAR GUARD

HE

RITAGE

RIDE

Honda

XR80