oil pump does the rest .
And yet , total-loss lubricating systems still have their drawbacks . It was of course quite critical to keep an eye on the level in that oil injection tank . Take it from someone who actually ran one dry . Result ? Not good . And , you ’ d be surprised how much oil one of those bikes used . Believe it or not , there was a time when we were running ratios as heavy as 20:1 . Plus , there was the blue smoke haze , which followed you everywhere you went , and the invariable buildup of carbon in the jug , and in the pipe , as the result of whatever petrochemicals which did not get fully burned during the ignition cycle . Oh , and don ’ t forget plugs . When was the last time you actually fouled a plug ? Well , remember those fat ratios mentioned ? Yep , fouled plugs used to be a pretty common occurrence .
So , the all new XL250 Motosport comes along in ’ 72 , and everybody ’ s pretty geeked out about it . Suggested retail was about $ 850 , and the bike looked good , and ran good , right out of the box . Put a pair of knobbies on it , and you could get around pretty darn well off-road . Was it heavy ? Sure , but so was everything else . Was it an evil handler ? Not at all , as long as you rode within the bike ’ s limits . Horsepower ? You know , it actually got the job done . Good for about 80 mph on the highway – if you weighed about 140 lbs , had the wind behind you , and the road was slightly downhill . Bottom line , it was a darn good all around bike . And you know what ? That ’ s the kind of bike that most people were after ! Sure , serious racers were going to buy something more race ready . The big street bike guys were going to buy – big street bikes . And , so on and so forth . But there were a lotta , lotta people who simply wanted a nice , reliable , tidy bike , which they could ride just about anywhere . And that why the Japanese sold a zillion bikes like the XL . The bike was popular then , and of course decades later , Honda and the other manufacturers are still building and selling bikes just like it .
Now , let ’ s go back to what was available in ’ 72 , should you want to be doing some off-road racing . Whooee . ’ 72 . Let ’ s see what there was to choose from , courtesy of the July , 1972 issue of Dirt Bike Magazine . Flip , flip , flip . There ’ s a Husky . Check . Jawa / CZ . Ummm , not many of those floatin ’ around . An Eagle . Unless you date to our era , you won ’ t remember that one . Bultacos and Maicos . Yep . AJS . You won ’ t remember that one either . Puch . Uh-huh . Pentons and Hodakas . Great small bores . And what else ? Well , a whole bunch of info on Japanese Enduros , many of them with serious modifications . How serious ? How about different frames ! Yep , before uncrate- ‘ em-
VOL . 6 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2021 // PAGE 57