TL 250 Owners

This page is dedicated to Honda TL 250 owners globally.

As I got many mails with pics and questions from all over the world, the TL 250 owners I know start to sum up.

All have their story about how they got the Honda, problems with restoring it and different look.

Please send me your pics and story to  

patrick@twnclub.ch

 

I start with my TL, bought in spring 2005, where you can follow the story in English und auf Deutsch on another page of the twnclub.ch site

 

looks not so baf from far, frame newly painted engine is running, but some parts are missing
all the sourced parts  
ready for the first ride 2005 August looks great!
some improvements with SM 125 exhaust, 2008 proudly presenting, featured in the English Classic Dirt Bike Magazine in 2008, with a DG 500 cc cross exhaust
2011 August with Pre65 exhaust under the seat Old Trial Caglio, Italy 2012
   

Imporvements: Many! Falcon 38cm shocks, special foot pegs 4cm more back (from a 4RT), higher Renthal bar, Adapted a Pre65 exhaust under the seat, home made seat (alu), 24mm OKO Carb, side stand is half an old Renthal bar

The TL 250 was never officially imported in to Switzerland. However, Honda Geneva got 2 to evaluate them. They where used by Fredi Leiser to compete in the Swiss National Trials, then where bought as part and project by the Swiss Walter Wermuth, but never in a running state.

Mine was imported directly by Moto Weber, Zug for Pius Hofmann. I saw the bike first in 1976, at that time 12 years old riding a Bultaco 125, but then lost track till 2004.

 

My friend and TWN Club Member Ueli Schmid bought one TL250 in the Canton Wallis, about in 2007. Electronic ignition, frame cut with a slide plate.

as bought with a tank seat unit, which unfortunately is not of good quality  
Ueli Schmid's 1976 TL special, nice cut frame, chromed exhaust almost new tank
   
beauty in the garden  

 

There is another special TL 250 owned by the Swiss Honda collector Philippe

Cut frame, nice tank and seat unit, Marland Whaley style Philippe in Moudon 2010
  Marland Whaley style

 

Here a TL 250 from UK, from former owner Graeme Barden. This was the first competitive looking TL 250 I saw in the internet and I was fascinated by it. I contacted Greaeme later, but he sold it.

Graeme Bardens special TL, cut frame bottom an end longer shocks (38cm)
 
first comeptitive Honda TL 250 seen in the internet  

Before I bought the project, I had a lot of advise and great comments form Canadian TL rider Doug Hunter. In some internet forums, he pointed to the enormous power of the engine, "pulling like a truck", more than a later TLR 250. Doug built a nice Ariel 500 in Canada.

 

Scott Burghart form the USA (NY State) sent me some mails. He ist owning an interesting TL250 in a TMI frame, kind of a copy of the Miller Hi-Boy from the 80'ies:

Hi Patrick,I have a stock TL 250 being built in the basement, of all the parts I took off of mine in 1980 when I built a TMI.

I don’t know allot but I can tell you that the TMI frame appears to be a copy of the Sammy Miller Highboy. Frames were made by a guy named Chuck West, who owned The Tryals Shop back in the late 70’s, maybe 1980 and they developed the frame as sort of a copy of  the Sammy Miller Hi Boy. Frame is Chrome molly and many times ligher. As a scale for you the bike in the picture weighs approx 204lbs (93kg) with no petrol. Ground clearance is nearly 13” (32cm) (center of gravity is a bit high though), engine used as a stressed member. Small bracket was supplied that bolts to the top of the head and to the top frmae tube to keep the frame head angle for “going away”.The whole kit was around $325 back in 78 or ’79 and included the swingarm, aluminum chain guide guard, double layer engine guard (small form fit poly piece and then the large wrap around poly section, not light but very effective and slippery for going over logs and it protected the cases, a molded seat base that covered the sides of the airbox and shock upper mounts (but it made the bike wide in the middle so I tossed it), an aluminum airbox, the custom pipe and a Super Trapp silencer. The frame has no rails under the engine but came with a bracket that bolts the cylinder head to the top tube in the frame. The frame was unfinished when I got it so I cleaned it and spray painted it with cans of spray paint. I did the tank with 34 light coats of spray can paint and then polished it by hand. The frame is MUCH lighter but so are the airbox and exhaust system.  

The bike is fantastic. Steering is superb, almost only have to think about the turn and the bike does it. I have had others ride it, with minimal expectations, and they come back with huge grins and tell me it may be the best vintage trials bike they have ridden, at least from that era. I actually prefer my heavily modified TLR200 but that is another story. I have air forks in addition to the spring, so I can tune them with air pressure but I think that is one of the weaknesses as it causes the bike to ride high in the front on climbs and makes it difficult to control. So will go back to all springs.

I don’t think they sold too many and only a few are left in the world as far as I know. I saw a picture on the web of one a few years back but have never seen another one in person. I last rode the TMI in completion in 2006 or 2007 and then began the TLR200 project. I ranked 6th in the New York State Vinatge Series in 2006 and that was after taking 23 years off from riding anything except mountain bikes.

Scott Burghart's TMI 250 form the 80ies must be 10kg lighter, wow sure a great sound
High ground clearance of 32cm Scott's other Honda, a TLR 200 special

 

send me your pics and info to patrick@twnclub.ch