The previous owner kick starts the Honda XL250…

A while back, Kami expressed interest in learning to ride a bike.  It never seemed appealing to her while in the city, but having the space in Vermont, and its relative safety, she seemed to change her tune.  I didn’t hesitate for a second, and after some searching on Craigslist, I quickly headed down to southern New Hampshire to pick up this awesome 1972 Honda XL250…

The Honda XL250 gets a new home…

The Honda XL250 strapped and ready to return home for a refurb…

Richard, the guy I bought it from was super-cool.  An older wrench who had barns full of amazing bikes.  He was in the process of fixing a bunch of them, and some sitting dormant, for what seemed like years.

A deal was struck, after I took the little firecracker for a ride.  This bike is going to be the perfect ‘learner’s bike’ for Kami, and after some online ordering, we have the parts necessary to bring ther back to some previous glory.

Kami sits atop the new ride…The 1972 Honda XL250 has character…

One of the features that makes this a great first bike, especially for a smaller rider, is that almost anyone can sit flat-footed on the bike.  Low seat height, relatively light (especially for the era), and an upright, standard-style riding position.  The only challenge might be the larger, 21″ wheel up front, but with new, more street-savvy tires, I am hoping to mitigate any difficulties in navigating the bike.

This bike promises to be a fun ride on the back roads of Vermont, where pavement quickly turns to gravel.  Fortunately, there are some real enthusiasts out there for this model, especially David over at XLintperformance.  He has been very cool in getting us some of the parts we’ve needed.

Next up, cleaning the entire bike, head-to-toe, and installing some of the fresh parts we grabbed for her.

Stay tuned…