XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

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Byronas
Beiträge: 2
Registriert: Di Jun 02, 2020 6:41 pm

XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von Byronas »

Greetings from Greece!

I recently revived and started riding my father's old XL 250 Degree. A perfect opportunity to try some short enduro/dual-sport trips and understanding more about motorcycle maintenance.

Bild

The bike lay dormant for the last 3 years and was used sporadically during the previous 8 years. With less than 18k km and improper storage, time had taken a toll on the carburetor and choke cable/mechanism. Float chamber and an adjustment screw needed to be replaced and new tubings installed. Also the petcock filter had to be removed to facilitate fuel flow. Nothing a local mechanic couldn't fix as it was way above my skills.

Also, the OEM clutch plates were replaced with Ferodo's FCD1129 after using the OEM ones for about 100 km.

I installed Michelin Sirac tyres (Front 80/90-21 and Rear 120/80-18) as it will be facing mostly tarmac usage until I invest on some other upgrades.

For now, these are my next priorities. Any suggestions and advice would be most welcome.

1. Front and rear sprockets + new drive chain
Just ordered JT sprockets (Front JTF1321.13, Rear JTR245/2 44 teeth) and a DID 520 VX3 drive chain.

2. Rear shock absorber
The OEM Showa suspension is toasted so I am looking for alternatives. There is this one from Hagon and the adjustable options from YSS for AX-1 and NX250 but I'll have to measure for fit.

3. Plastic skid plate, aluminium handguards and shift lever
Any suggestions for the plate? The lower "skid bars" of the frame have a contour. I thinking of Acerbis Black Skid Plate - 2421160001 but I have to order online so I am not sure about dimensions.

For the handguards, I might search for a new steering handlebar first since a slightly longer handlebar might be needed for the aluminum bases.

The shift lever has been bended and rebended a few times so I am looking for an upgrade and/or a spare one for my on-the-go toolkit.
Zuletzt geändert von Byronas am Do Jun 11, 2020 7:10 pm, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.
daleipi
Beiträge: 752
Registriert: Sa Dez 08, 2018 5:18 pm

Re: XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von daleipi »

looks like she's in her natural habitat ;-)
baridisana
Beiträge: 12
Registriert: Mi Jan 23, 2019 6:22 pm

Re: XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von baridisana »

Hi Byronas,
congrats to you for your bike! You are among the very few owners of a Degree.
P1010052.jpg
For my Degree I made this skid plate from 2mm stainless. To fasten it I welded a piece of flat steel to each corner of the crash bar with a nut welded onto it. Yes, it's certainly heavier than a plastic plate but I like the possibility of putting the bike on a fallen tree or even a rock when I need to repair a flat tire.
Keep up the good work!
Martin
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scrambler
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Beiträge: 8200
Registriert: Fr Sep 14, 2012 8:50 am

Re: XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von scrambler »

Hi Bryonas,
Welcome to the forum :)
The degree shock is 1 cm shorter than the NX250/AX1 shock. The longer shock fits into the degree swingarm, but it will change the seatheight and handling quite a bit. The degree shock is about 312mm long (centre to centre). That YSS shock is a bit shorter than stock AX1 https://www.yss-webstore.com/Honda-AX_1 ... C3%A4mpfer and may fit? If the length is really as described I would go for the YSS – much better quality and even the length is adjustable.
XL250 degree_shock.jpg
The shift lever of the Degree is different than the NX250 lever - less bended because the switching shaft is longer
shift lever XL250 degree.jpg

maybe this one fits? https://www.ebay.de/itm/Schalthebel-Sch ... ondition=3
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Byronas
Beiträge: 2
Registriert: Di Jun 02, 2020 6:41 pm

Re: XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von Byronas »

Thank you for the nice comments guys! The Degree is a nice nimble motorcycle that has proven an awesome intro to a bit of off-road routes.
baridisana hat geschrieben: Fr Jun 12, 2020 4:50 pm For my Degree I made this skid plate from 2mm stainless. To fasten it I welded a piece of flat steel to each corner of the crash bar with a nut welded onto it. Yes, it's certainly heavier than a plastic plate but I like the possibility of putting the bike on a fallen tree or even a rock when I need to repair a flat tire.
Keep up the good work!
Martin
Cool design! I might have to go with that, although I want to avoid the metallic solution because of the extra weight and noise from rocks etc.

Something like this would be ideal: https://www.axp-racing.com/en/product/0 ... ack-ax1037

I'll measure the area and contact axp if there is something that could fit. Alternatively, I could carve and bend the edges of the closest fit.
scrambler hat geschrieben: So Jun 14, 2020 7:35 am The degree shock is 1 cm shorter than the NX250/AX1 shock. The longer shock fits into the degree swingarm, but it will change the seatheight and handling quite a bit. The degree shock is about 312mm long (centre to centre). That YSS shock is a bit shorter than stock AX1 https://www.yss-webstore.com/Honda-AX_1 ... C3%A4mpfer and may fit? If the length is really as described I would go for the YSS – much better quality and even the length is adjustable.
Good to know. Is it possible to order this one with a different adapter at the lower end to fit the arm set? I also assume the top end will need some filing down in order to fit...
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scrambler
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Beiträge: 8200
Registriert: Fr Sep 14, 2012 8:50 am

Re: XL 250 Degree - Revival and future upgrades

Beitrag von scrambler »

Byronas hat geschrieben: Mo Jun 22, 2020 4:48 pm Good to know. Is it possible to order this one with a different adapter at the lower end to fit the arm set? I also assume the top end will need some filing down in order to fit...
The XL250 Degree and NX250 / AX1 mounts for the shock are identical as far as I remember? The NX250 shock top mount is 25mm wide, 30mm below (inside).
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