Peter Gaunt & Alan Jeffries Honda XL 250 Trials


Peter Gaunt at Scottish 1973 (no helmet...)

 

Before Sammy Miller signed for Honda, Peter Gaunt produced at Yorkshire dealer Alan Jeffries some 20 Trials Honda out of a XL Motorsport Enduro. He changed the angle of the head, cut the bottom tube, put the engine higher in the frame, made a shorter new swing arm, replaced the 30mm carb by an Amal 26mm, He even finsished the Scottish Sixdays Trial in 1973. With claimed 230 pounds = 105 kg, the bike was only a bit heavier as the later TL 250 from Honda (claimed 218p or 99kg, mine is 101kg incl 2L oil, but with lighter silencer and saddle). A great egnineer!

 

 

Hier another XL made by French enthousiast Pravert. Shorter swing arm, steeper ankle, moved footpegs. It looks very nice, calimed at 105kg from the 135kg XL. Chapeau!

Honda XL 250 Motosport Trial version Pravert  
Here my TL 250 for comparison (Jan 2009)  
   

 

Here some data from Mr. Pravert for some brave enthousiast, wanting to convert an XL into a Trials bike:

Caractéristiques / Motos 250 TL HONDA bials 250 TL Patrick 250 TL LENTZ 250 XL JEFFERIES 250 XL PRAVERT TRIAL 250 XL HONDA
Garde au sol 26,3 cm 30 cm 30 cm 26,7 cm 30 cm 19 cm
Hauteur à la selle 71,8 cm     72,4 cm 80 cm 82,5 cm
Longueur totale         188 cm 212 cm
Empattement 134,7 cm       127,5 cm 138,5 cm
Hauteur au guidon         110 cm 110 cm
Longueur bras oscillant         460 cm 480 cm
Largeur guidon 82,7 cm       85 cm 82 cm
Poids AV    46 kg     47 kg  
Poids AR    55 kg     58 kg  
Poids total avec plein 108 kg 101 kg (tank empty) 99 kg   105 kg 135 kg
Angle de chasse           29°30
Diamètre carbu 24 mm     26 mm   24 mm
Débattement fourche AV 180 mm       160 mm 160 mm
Débattement armortisseur AR 104 mm       70 mm 90 mm
Longueur amortisseur AR 38 cm 40 cm 40 cm   36 cm 34,5 cm
Volume réservoir 3,8L