HL500

[brent j]

I suspect some of the HL's I've seen in print and photos would be a bit of a handfull to ride. With the rear jacked up high the swingarm has a tendancy to try and climb under the bike under acceleration. Add in some sharp bumps and the rear starts to kick quite hard.

I've heard that, like the Husky they are based on, HL's are not the best turning bikes around and they like something to bounce off to stop the front washing out.

Cloggy, my shocks are long because I moved the top mounts higher on the frame, I've actually shortened them now to reduce the swingarm angle. I'm starting to think that the frame does not need to be deraked but there is a much bigger handling improvement to be found in reducing the offset in the triple clamps. This came to light in the last lot of playing we did. see recent post on triple clamps http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=17891.0

I need to get a spare frame, forks swingarm etc out and put it all together and find out what shock length I think works in the standard postion.

Having said all that I'd still like to own an HL simply for they are!

[cloggy]

So off the top of your head Brent what shock length would be a good starting point for the Yam frame and PE arm? My Mann is very long and low with yam 38s and the swingarm not far off level. I'm getting bits sorted out so haven't yet ridden it in anger, but the previous owner won stuff on it and said it was brilliant in mud and wet grass. It looks very BSA, the frame of choice in the UK before Rickmans built their own frame. I doubt it has much more than 9" of rear suspension, there just isn't the room. It's a mark 4 made in '81 and 82. One of the very last twinshocks. On another note I was a fanatical mountainbiker for years. Recently big wheel 29ers came on the scene. Initially to ridicule since they handled like wheelbarrows, Then offset was lengthened from 37mm to anything from 44 to 52 and they handled. Thing was the trail measurement was much more important than the head angle
  This could be got by various head angle/offset combos. A 29er wheel is pretty much the same circumference  [including tyre] as a 21

[Graeme M]

My HL was fun but never impressed me as much as I thought it would. It was very stable in a straight line but didn't like to turn so well. Not knowing much about setup I tried dropping the front (forks up thru the clamps) to try to get the front to bite. Wrong. In fact, I needed to raise the front and soften off the back to stop all that weight loading up the front in the corners. Once I did that, it was actually not bad. But on the whole, I never really liked it that much. I'd happily have it back just because it is an HL. But in my view it was a pig overall. As a guy at an Amcross event said after giving it the once over "Bit of a sheep in wolf's clothing eh".

[Marc.com]

I'd happily have it back just because it is an HL. But in my view it was a pig overall. As a guy at an Amcross event said after giving it the once over "Bit of a sheep in wolf's clothing eh".

But if it had been Yamaha's replacement for the TT500 we would have been dancing round in a circle holding hands and the world would have been all 4 stroke far sooner.... if you compare it to an RM370 or 125 for that matter there isn't a discussion, compare it to stock TT500 and it is GP winner.

[mx250]

But in my view it was a pig overall. As a guy at an Amcross event said after giving it the once over "Bit of a sheep in wolf's clothing eh".

Oh dear, blasphemy .

I hope you are wearing your tin foil hat - you're about to be struck by lightening  .

[Captain Bilko]

But if it had been Yamaha's replacement for the TT500 we would have been dancing round in a circle holding hands and the world would have been all 4 stroke far sooner....

Now you've got me confused. Was the world waiting on a better TT500 at the time?

I'd happily have it back just because it is an HL. But in my view it was a pig overall.

Hugs and kisses coming your way Graeme (and he had a real one).....

[cloggy]

 The XT/TT was a pig from the word go, according to the test reports. They spent all the R and D on the engine. Any bike which makes the SP370 handling look good has to be pretty abysmal

[Marc.com]

Now you've got me confused. Was the world waiting on a better TT500 at the time?

Of course they were, that is evident by the amount of modified TT500s ... it wasn't only Aberg who was modifying TT500s, there was a whole industry about it.

I mean lets stick to the facts instead of dumb gibes about 'real HLs', Yamaha backed the project and not only funded and supplied engines for the NVT bikes but also was running a 3 valve head development for the TT500 with Enquist. It was finally shelved because the 3 valve head was a design that became important and they bought the technology back in the house.

[Captain Bilko]

So yours is a real one?
(Sorry. Stuck in my Hillbilly, inter-bred ways...)

[crash n bern]

You can always go the brent J route. Cut and shut the head angle, shove on a PE250/400 ally arm and 16" shocks and get a set of suzuki fork legs. He's posted all the info.

That was my other plan.  I have read that article adnaseum. I have a spare frame and motor, an array of swingarms, a  set of 38mm forks and the obligtory yz 125 tank.  Although of late have thought of building an enduro version instead.

[cloggy]

 Found an article quoting Bob Trigg a manager at NVT stating his management  designing the HL frame, that they made 300, that Profab also made some and that the NVT effort was the first to use an ally swing arm. That last might be true in Britain but....
  www.classicyams.com stated Bob Trigg worked a consultant  intially improving the XS650's handling and then working on the HL
 This guy said 500 were made, but I  think Trigg's memory is the more accurate.
 

[TM BILL]

Classic 

[TM BILL]

Classic catastrophie 

[suzuki43]

So yours is a real one?
(Sorry. Stuck in my Hillbilly, inter-bred ways...)

I think you'll find the term is in-bred Ross.

[Davey Crocket]

It doesnt even make a good snowman.....youd have to climb on a horse just to get on that jaloppy....looks like it would handle like one of those new Airbus 380's with the dodgy Rolls Royce engines in it...I mean, you could park 3 cars in the gap between the rear tyre and mudguard...imagine trying to stop the farker...it would be like riding a bull at the rodeo....you wouldnt know which way it would go....but
hey...everyone to their own ...
Hey Ross, saw something funny as the day....I was out driving and this brand new Audi Q7 limo goes past me, it was red and the number plate read ..66M...I thought...gee Ross must be up here, he's got all the bling....what a show off......I didnt know you where Asian though?....flucka me...lifes just like a box of choclates....true story....si-a-nara my friend.