Sprockets: Putting an old dirt bike on the road

As I watched the gas pump stop at $54 to fill up my Sunfire, I remembered that I have a '73 Honda XL175 sitting in the basement. It needs a little carb help (it leaks gas) but other than that it runs great. The only problem is that it was relegated to trail use years ago by an unkind owner who hacked off all the street bits. There's no lights, no speedo. The wiring harness is all still there though, just cut at the ends. All the switches are still on the handlebars. I'm wondering if it would be easier to repair the old street bits (which would be hard to find) or cobble my own setup together. I have no idea how to activate the brake lights, as the bike uses cables for brakes. I think top speed would be about 65 mph but it is geared for street use. I'd also have to ditch the knobbies. Anyone else toyed with putting a dirt bike into street use?

Lucky for you, XL's of that vintage were already street legal. I know because I licensed mine and rode it to work and back. So you shouldn't have any VIN trouble.

Get DOT approved head and taillights from someone like Dennis Kirk, hook up a horn, put mirrors and DOT approved tires on it and you should be ready to roll. In most states, turn signals are not necessary but if installed they have to work.

There should be a bracket on the frame above the brake pedal to allow use of a brakelight switch. Honda usually had a teeny little switch which slid into the front lever pivot so the front brake would work the light.

What he said.

Do a search on "dual sport conversion" or similar and you should get hits for companies that make light/speedo kits to make true dirt/moto-x bikes street legal. That is probably the easiest way, since all the bits are modular.

Only problem might be the title. If you have it in your name, should be golden. If not, might need a title search and pay the title bond, etc. That's assuming it came with a title when new. If not, you might need a Manufacturer Cert. of Origin (MSO), and hopefully it doesn't say "For Off-Road Use Only" (some states actually enforce that, others don't care, FYI/YMMV/IMO/etc).

Finding the conversion parts back to street use should not be THAT hard. You will need the turn signals which are almost the same all through the 70's for almost all Hondas, and you can fit ones that are not perfect, 80's versions (which are square) will work, and 60's will work (although they did not put signals on all bikes in the 60's. A speedo and speedo cable will be required, look to ebay, and remember look at all XL's and street bikes, not just 175's. That bike came with a mechanical tach, but you certainly don't need to put one back on. The brake lights are activated by little switches that are common to a LOT of bikes (should still be available from Honda), they ground the power to the tail light to activate it. The rear one will be on the frame above the pedal attached to it by a spring, the front is plugged into the brake handle (you can probably skip this one if you want).

Because of the year of the bike, it should already need a battery to run, so most of the wiring (rectifier etc) should still be good. The tail light will be a bit harder to find, but again you can likely use a non-175 version.

It still has the headlight, right? You also can consider not putting on the turn signals and just using hand signals. Most cops will have no idea when turn signals became required on bikes (I think it was 68) so you should be safe.

I revived my XL80 from completely stripped (it has a magneto ignition so the battery was even gone) and ended up using some non-standard parts (the tail light for example is from some sort of 60's-early 70's SL or trail bike). I got that tail light AND all four turn signals from an eBay guy in Thailand for $40.

I am pretty sure I have a Chilton wiring diagram for that bike, I will have to look, so I can scan one for you. I also have two XL175s (75 and 76 I think), one stripped one semi together, (both with dismantled engines), lots of engine pieces. I am not sure what I want to do with the bikes at this point but I might be able to provide some pieces.

Check out these diagrams for how things go together, what you are looking for and the part numbers:

Honda Microfiche Catalog

Take the part number and put them in here to see what Honda will charge (and if they are available in general). Note, you will likely need to format the part number as xxxxx-xxx-xxx :

Part Lookup

Check with your local Honda dealer. A lot of the parts you need were standard for most Honda bikes of that vintage and are probably still available. If you can find a dealer who has been in business for a good while, they may even have them in stock.

I have some Ct 110 s that are looking good to drive , most of the parts are readily available . Try some after market stuff its better priced . Those chinese bikes have plenty cheap stuff . Be nice to go with a Honda part or at least bought at a Honda shop for compatability . the pic isnt of mine but its the first one i ever posted . .