The Honda XL series was a range of four-stroke enduro/dual-sport motorcycles. In 1979, the first XR model was produced, and the XR remained the purpose-built, dirt-only competition range as opposed to the street-legal XL series.
Probably the most popular model for custom scrambler builds is the XL600R, a big-bore dual-sport produced in the 1980s. Later, the XL series was discontinued — or rather, merged with the XR range, and the street-legal machines were given the “L” suffix.
Below are some of the XL-based scramblers we’ve featured here on BikeBound.com.
War Machine: Honda XL125S Baja 1000 Racer - Greg Gilson’s 1980 Honda XLS 125 “War Machine”… Today we’re back with a follow-up piece about the 1980 Honda XL125S desert racer of Greg Gilson (@greggils42), whose 2025 Baja 1000 experience we profiled in our […]
The Fresh Prince: Nitrous-Boosted Honda XL200R Scrambler - Glow Up: One Moto Show Standout from Red Right Hand… Mike Schroeder of Red Right Hand of Moto may manage a Montana Harley-Davidson dealership, but his love for bikes extends well beyond Milwaukee-born V-twins, […]
Triple XL: Three Honda XL500 Motocrossers! - GPgarage Moto builds a trio of four-stroke Honda motocrossers… Introduced in 1979, the Honda XL500 would become one of the most successful dual-purpose bikes of the era, combining a 32-hp version of the XR500 engine […]
The Fat Lady Sings: Honda Varadero 1000 Scrambler - Introduced in 2001, the Honda XL1000V Varadero was an interesting machine. Honda took the 996cc 97-bhp V-twin from their VTR 1000 Firestorm / SuperHawk and put it in an adventure-touring chassis. The result was a […]
Prairie Dog: Honda XL600 Desert Sled - Marmisto’s take on the classic Desert Sled – the Prairie Dog There are custom bikes with build sheets that read like expensive shopping lists, outfitting the machine in a dizzying array of high-spec bling, and […]
Vulture Moto’s Vintage 500 Series - A pair of 500 thumpers from Germany’s Vulture Moto! The 500cc “big single” remains one of the best, most versatile all-around engine configurations in motorcycling history, from the British 500 singles of yesteryear to the […]
Honda XL600LM “Bulldog” by GPgarage Moto - The Honda XL600LM was a tribute to the HRC Paris-Dakar Rally machines of the 1980s. In 1982, Cyril Neveu won the legendary trans-Saharan race on an XR550, and Honda was intent on repeating that victory, […]
Baja Commander: Honda XL500R Baja - GPgarage Moto builds a Baja restomod! The XL500R was Honda’s 500cc dual-sport in the early 1980s, a mono-shock (Pro-Link) evolution of the twin-shock XL500S, featuring a 32-hp SOHC engine with counterbalancers, long-travel suspension, and a […]
Big Bore Restomod: Honda XL600R by Motorieep - In 1983, Honda introduced the XL600R (aka 600 XLR), a big-bore dual-purpose machine with nearly 11 inches of ground clearance, 8+ inches of suspension travel, and 45 horsepower on tap. Like other open-class dual-sports of […]
Rubicon XL: Honda XL250 by One Down Four Up - The Rubicon Trail is one of the most legendary 4×4/off-road trails in the world, a 22-mile route through the Sierra Nevada mountains just west of the California/Nevada border. Native peoples originally used the route to […]
Island Hopper: Honda XL250 Scrambler by Custommade C.A. - A two-seat 250 scrambler, perfect for small trips to the Greek islands… When Honda introduced the XL250 in 1972, it was the world’s first mass-produced four-stroke enduro, laying the groundwork for the big four-stroke enduros […]
Street Sweet, Dirt Worthy: Honda XL500 by Loose Screw - “Street sweet. Dirt worthy. Good time transportation…” That’s how Honda described their lineup of XL dual-purpose motorcycles in their big 1979 magazine advertisement. The ’79 Honda XL500S was the “New King Single” of the bunch, […]
The Bullfighter: Honda XL200 Tracker by Matador Motor Co. - Built to rip through Istanbul traffic and escape to the woods… The Honda XL200 is a modern incarnation of the legendary XL/XR series, a 20-hp air-cooled dual-sport with modern upgrades such as electric start and […]
“Civetta” Honda XL600 Scrambler by Padova Dirt Custom - “Dirtstyle” Honda XL from Italy… The Honda XL600 is one of our favorite dual-sport bikes of the 1980s. The air-cooled RFVC radial valve engine offered 45 horsepower — solid punch at the time — and […]
Honda XL600 Scrambler by Ludwig Tekne - “Brilliance, angles, and lines” — a bold, lightweight Honda scrambler… The Honda XL600R is one of our favorite dual-sports from the 1980s. Built from 1983-1987, the XL600 offered 45 horsepower, weighed a hair under 300 […]
Honda Transalp Brat Tracker by HIDE Brussels - A V-twin Brat Tracker from Brussels… The Honda Transalp is a series of V-twin dual-sport / ADV bikes in production since the late 1980s. We rarely get to see these bikes in the USA, as […]
Honda XL600 Dakar by Andrew Greenland - We have been watching the builds of Andrew Greenland ever since his red Honda Dominator custom was featured on Bike EXIF years ago. Since then, Andrew has turned out a stable’s worth of froth-worthy Honda […]
Honda XL350 Scrambler by Divine Proportions - Rarely do we have a bike with such a powerful story of community, family, and charity behind it. This 1984 Honda XL350 scrambler / beach tracker was built by Divine Proportions — a community of […]
Honda XL125 Scrambler by Kemeh Fabrications - Today, we’re proud to present #KEMEH003, the third build from Kemeh Fabrications of Ipoh Perak, Malaysia. Founder Irwann Cheng builds both custom bicycles and motorcycles, mostly trackers and scramblers. This bike, otherwise known as “Kun […]
Nifty Honda XL125 by KEMEH Fabrications - This is such a cool little 125cc Honda tracker/scrambler by KEMEH Fabrications, possibly our favorite new builder of small displacement trackers. It’s an XLS125 or XL125S, as near as we can tell. The details are […]
