Extract from a larger shootout article titled "8 Track Players" from Bike magazine (UK), 1980.
Honda XR200
The XR200 is the logical beginning of a review of the current enduro market – one end of the spectrum. It is the elusive missing link between a comfortable trail bike and a competitive racing machine.
Unlike its competition it doesn’t come out of a motocross bike. Developed from its little brother, the XL185S, it has a compact, two valve overhead cam motor with CDI ignition placed in a lighter frame, and is fitted with longer suspension.
Internally, the XR has had more than just a bore job to take it out to 195cc. It has a different crank, ignition timing, bigger valves and a bigger carb. Most significantly it has a six speed gearbox with fairly wide ratios up to a high, road-going top.
Altogether, it produces performance far greater than its modest size and stature would suggest. It’s extremely agile and turns very quickly like a trials bike, due to a steep head angle and a short wheelbase. On the other hand it is not so stable in a straight line at speed. It will wag its head and bounce around, but it won’t throw you off.
The front forks and rear suspension are puny and primitive compared to the opposition, but they work well enough in relation to the size of the bike. With 8.5 inches of front wheel movement and 7.5 inches at the rear it’s short in the leg for the class – but, to draw another comparison, it’s got the same movement as the XR500. You can bottom out the standard suspension – which is non-adjustable – if you just push it too hard. You can reach that point quickly because the bike is so easy to ride, in a way none of its competitors are.
The flexible, four stroke engine has tremendous low-down thump which will pick up the front wheel in any of the lower gears, and plonk over ridiculous objects. On the basis of power to weight, it’s by far the most competitive four stroke dirt bike, at just on 220lb fully loaded. It’s well turned out, with good fittings like folding foot pedals, a sensible sump guard and a large tool bag behind the seat.
It’s not only the cheapest of the enduro bikes available, but also the quietest, and by far the most economical. It will do a good 90 miles on a tankful even in racing conditions, and the reliable motor is unlikely to need more than routine maintenance and oil changes during a full season - an important consideration when compared to ring changes every 200 miles on the small two strokes.
The fact that it’s also more than competitive is shown by the number of them currently working their way into the major awards. Definitively the best value for money in the enduro market.
Tex
