Yamaha HL500, Ideas and Variations of Building one.

[Marc.com]

Back to the subject later Husky gives you a straight back bone that will take a YZ125C tank with no special drama. Forgot whose bike this is, but you can see the build requires a bit less chopping the frame about.

[Davey Crocket]

Hey Marks, that YZA style HL/TT whatever is by far the best looking one Ive seen, pity he put the guard extender under the front guard.

[Colin Jay]

So if you use a std frame does that still make it an HL 

For what its worth i think the std TT using TT tank and seat is a far nicer looking bike than those jacked up HL things 

As far as I am concerned, the only ones that can be called HL's are actual HL500's!

If you use a GMC or other HL replica frames then bike is a HL500 Replica.

If you use a C&J, Dick Mann, Cheney Frame etc, then it is what it is, but it is not a HL!

If you use a modified STD Yamaha frame then it is just a tricked up XT/TT500, it sure as hell ain't a HL!

Even though some people have called my Husky framed 500 a HL, I have always called it an Aberg Replica, in reference to the first Hallman & Eneqvist HL 500 made by Sten Ludin using an altered a Husky frame.



CJ

[Marc.com]

As far as I am concerned, the only ones that can be called HL's are actual HL500's!

Are they the Pro Tech, Hallman, NVT HL500s ?, I was hoping this wasn't going to degenerate into another tedious who can call what an HL500 discussion which we have covered in previous posts ad nauseum./

I believe we concluded that it was any bike that had been sat on by Bengt Aberg, built by NVT and excluded frame kits by Pro Tech and Hallman.

Maybe we should post some sort of disclaimer:  for want of a better descriptive noun on which to draw comparison we are going to call bikes with TT500 engines in Husky frames HL500s, given that no offence is intended to those amoung us who have either been annointed as the chosen one OR happen to own an HL500 frame kit made by Pro Tech, NVT or Hallman.

[Graeme M]

Not recalling how the other endless discussions went, but my take is that the NVT 'production' bikes are the only ones that can legitimately be called an HL500. The ProFab frame kits were I believe marketed as Aberg Replicas. Any other stock framed bike made to look like an HL would be an HL replica or Aberg replica. But really, any TT500 with a few mods or a kitted frame is still a TT500. But I agree with Marc, these days HL500 could be used as a 'collective' label for any TT500 with a white and red tank and more than 7" of travel...   

That said, I love this thread for showing how many weird and wonderful combos could be built with the good old Yammie thumper.

[TM BILL]

While obviously there is no law or rule or as far as i know no patent or copyright on the HL name , surley out of good taste true enthusiast could respect the name HL and reserve it for the real deal . i can just imagine the bleatings of the experts if some poor sod stuffed a tm 400 motor into a different frame then showed it on here and called it an RN 400, or likewise a YZ 250G motor into a home made frame and dared to call it an OW 

This thread has shown some great bikes and some very thoughtfull builds , but lets not use the HL name in vain aye 

[Marc.com]

While obviously there is no law or rule or as far as i know no patent or copyright on the HL name , surley out of good taste true enthusiast could respect the name HL and reserve it for the real deal .

Its a generic Bill, just like Crescent, Stilsons, Vice Grips or Condoms, the name of the originator stuck..... we could call them 'Replica's of Aberg Replicas' but that would be getting a little precious.

I think that the HL was a backyard special to start with and any backyard special with the same basic parts has remained HL..... if I was an NVT owner I would be flattered and thanking the kit builders ..... if it wasn't for this interest which in most part is down to Enquist, Hallman and Aberg kits, an NVT HL would not be worth what they are now.

[ola_martin]

Forget about the branding, back to the bikes.

Marc, that last Huskyframe is as I told you before, an earlyer frame than the double uppertube I used, not later. Pre -78.

Although the Hindall is a beautiful pice of work, I feel that that, mabe the DMS and some others are framekits to make the TT a better trailbike, but not primerely intended for mx.
I have more respect for the builders who dared to go all in, and put the heavy trailbikeengine to the mx-track, as the HL, Cheney, Hagon, ProTec etc.

Regarding my Cheney, I totally agree that the longtravel Cheneys really isn't very beautiful, but they, as all Cheneys have some sort of  strange appeal to me. I'm really looking forward to seeing if I can make the bike look good, sure didn't when I got it.


Just finishing a fiberglass seatbase to fit the frame and a 76YZ125 foam, to get rid of the huge -75YZ250 seat that was there. Using Preston Petty rep. fenders to keep with the 70's specials era, but probably need to cheat and use red metallic instead of anodising as the tank is a bit dented.

Also, I allways thought the FOX front are a bit misplaced on my HL-replica, so a pair of YZ-38mm's will probably go on there, and FOX front and rears on the Cheney.

[Marc.com]

Forget about the branding, back to the bikes.

Marc, that last Huskyframe is as I told you before, an earlyer frame than the double uppertube I used, not later. Pre -78.
I have more respect for the builders who dared to go all in, and put the heavy trailbikeengine to the mx-track, as the HL, Cheney, Hagon, ProTec etc. Regarding my Cheney, I totally agree that the longtravel Cheneys really isn't very beautiful, but they, as all Cheneys have some sort of  strange appeal to me.

Completely agree, I still have another four stroke Cheney with a trail bike engine waiting for my attention.  I think old Eric was always out to build the next world beater which is why his bikes were so unique.

[cloggy]

 Firko the mark 1 has chain adjusters on the frame and a simple swing arm, Mark 2 has adjusters on a similar swingarm. Mark 3 and 4 have ever more complicated box section steel swingarms with the shock placement moved forward. Mark 1 and possibly 2 designed to work with stock TT forks shocks etc
 Mark 2[ part way through maybe] started to come with fiberglass side panels and tank after B50 stuff dried up
 Later mark tanks are similar but not exactly the same.
 I asked Dick Mann what the design philosophy was on the later bikes but didn't get a reply. He did kindly reply to an earlier e saying only 20 or so mark 4s were made, in 81 and 82. One turned up as a rolling chassis on the USA west coast a year ago. I identified it by the swingarm. The mark 4 shock is almost verical, mark 3 is angled.
http://www.lt-racing.com/html/dms_tt500_versions.html. Not up to date but the best resource
http://odinxt500.freeforums.org has quite a few DMS threads with pics once you join

[firko]

Something a little different................

[flower pot racing]

for what it is worth, the lady you are all being very rude about is Marion Bazire.  Fabrice Bazire's wife.  You couldnt meet a nicer, kinder, generous, warm hearted woman anywhere.  She has done more for the sport than all of you put together.  She organised all the Beauval Classic Meetings in France and gave us all 20 years of the most spectacular scrambles meetings imaginable.  When they had a break from the scrambles they organised classic trials and enduros.  She really is a wonderful woman. The events in Beauval are the events against which all others are measured.  Dont get me wrong there are magnificent events elsewhere, but Beauval is something special.

The bike in question was a present.  Marion bought it for Fabrice.  Sten Lundin bought it for him and delivered to France.  It has been raced at Farleigh by another French friend and spent a week in my garage a few years ago.  Neil Hudson serviced the front suspension on it.  Other presents that Marion has rustled up for Fabrice was a new Lito engine for one of his many projects!  (I wish my wife would buy my presents like this!!!!)

For anyone building an HL, I have new side panels.  The mould was taken off my NOS pair that came from the Andover Norton sale many years ago.  They are beauifully made in fibre glass and can be made with any colour gel coat colour you like by the best in the business.  I have 2 pair of white and 2 pairs of US spec yellow. 

[flower pot racing]

Cranky is working in a very nice project to produce fibreglass tanks and when done they will be superb, contact him for more info.  YZ125C tanks are getting hard to find, so cost effective replicas are the obvious solution.

If you want to push the boat out Fox front and rear is a nice treat, watch this space....

Seat bases and foams, all body work, motors, tuning kit, forks, frames, shocks wheels etc etc all readily available.

Time is the biggest thing lacking at this end at present, never seem to be enough hours in the day.

If you are on a budget, you dont have to go mad, as this thread shows you can have serious fun with an XT / TT based racer.

Loving the thread, seeing all the specials all the clever people who contribute to this forum are building.

Keep up the good work!!!!!!

[flower pot racing]

lastly, I have got pics of all the parts and bikes, Sten riding the HL in France @ the classic enduro when he delivered it etc.  Maybe 2012 will be the year I work out how to post them on the forum.....!

[bruiser]

HI Flower Pot Racing,

Glad to hear from you

I seems like you have a wealth of knowledge on this topic, please share with us more information about HL 500, originals, copies and conversions etc...

Please dont hold back on sharing any leads for parts... and any pics that you can also share with us!

Bruiser