Video

@@13194dragon I do them. IMO, safety checks should always be done (I even do some before every ride). My personal opinion on XR150L valves is this: if they aren’t making more noise then normal then they are probably pretty close to spec. It’s your bike and only you can make the ultimate decision on what to do. Hope that help you out some.

@MishMashMoto thx altho would that noise happen to be a pingy sound in the upper gears at full throttle?? Ngl it's the reason I was looking for vids 😅

@rickymeadows5952 If you want more top speed for the highways check out the "Dusty Steel" channel. He is over 80 MPH on his now.

@rickymeadows5952 Enjoy your XR! They are wonderful bikes and are so useful for running around on and just having a good time.

@@MishMashMoto Love the bike, and it keeps getting better. Just now nearing the first service, 573 miles, and will be doing the service this weekend. Not worried about more speed, it cruises 55, and I can push it to near 65. It is perfect for my needs. Enjoying it, love, not planning to part with it! Love you guys videos, keep'em going.

@rickymeadows5952 👍🏼👍🏼 We will keep it coming, just been pretty busy.

@peterhoward492 Agreed, gotta check a drum brake adjustment anytime you move the axle location.

@roberteddy1951 The Shinko 244 is my favorite "cheap" dual sport tire! I love them. The vibration has lessened with mileage (about 2,000 miles on the 244's now). They are my go-to budget tire for a true 50/50 tire (They are 50/50 IMO anyway). The tube brand and size info I used are in the tire installation videos (they were correct for the new tire sizes). I run different pressures for different applications. For general 50/50 use and highway travel, I run what Honda suggests for max weight (22F and 29R). For off-road trails, I like 18 front and 26 rear for my weight.

@@agathejeanemilio570 We only saw it that one time.

@mattjones4763 It's a good and easy "cheap" upgrade for this bike IMO. I have been running a PZ30 carb. for a little while now. It gives much better high rpm performance but you loose your very low rpm power. A PZ27 carb. may give the best balance of performance throughout the power range. I hope that helps you some. You should like the 115 main jet swap on the stock carb. Keep the stock pilot jet or go with a 38 pilot and adjust the fuel screw (there is one under the plug, it's a "single D" type carburetor adjustment tool that you will need to adjist it with).

@erny3314 I don't know about all that, but that's about all the suspension wanted to take at my weight. 🤣 It really is a fantastic bike for running around town and hitting off-road trails on.

@jdub4511 Not yet. We have been busy with some other things lately. A subscriber has been doing lots of testing on his 70mm big bore bike and found a good combination IMO. His channel name is: "DustySteel" here on YT. You should check it out. He is running a 28mm PWK carb. on his bike at about 6,000' elevation.

@nicolettedavis2030 That's pretty common I think. I rode dirt when I was young and a little street in my 20's. Stopped for a few years and got back into it. It was like learning all over again. Take it slow and keep ridding when able. It will be "old hat" again soon enough.

@@davidkolb1942 Me too!

@@HardArchie It has happened to us twice. Both times the high beam switch was in the high position. I believe that switching to a LED headlight will cure this problem. The starter/relay and headlight are on the same circuit. Just make sure your switch is on low beam before starting it and you should be good. It’s fine for high beam after starting.

@@MishMashMoto Awesome thanks. And now I recall hearing that a while back but forgot about it. I did recently switch to hi beam all the time then had the issue. I will follow your recommendation. 👍🏿

@HardArchie Some people have put in a larger (15amp) fuse. I personally don't recommend doing that (even though it probably works).

@@MishMashMoto I agree, I don't like doing stuff like that either.

@@user-dv7hb2sc9m All is well here, we are busy with some other things this month.

Alright, I've just been beating the bushes on the 150L & started wondering why I hadn't seen anything, I actually thought I unsubb'd on accident somehow but I do thank you for the post. Glad everything is good as can be. Be safe & stay cool

@user-dv7hb2sc9m We have content to post but have had some technical difficulties on our end with getting them out on YT. We will kick it back into gear again soon, though.

No no, take your time & do what ya need to do.... I'm just glad that things are alright. I'll be waiting patiently when ya'll get back to this. peace

@@Crash-mi8os We ran ours with the snorkel in for about 5,000 miles. It would run slightly better with it removed and the exhaust opened up some but neither is mandatory. It really needs all the extra airflow you can give it though. We switched to a PZ30 carb with good results. It’s roughly a 25/26mm carb. Even though it says 30mm.

@@MishMashMoto thank you, so regardless of what I do with the snorkel, you would recommend upgrading the jet as well as the carb is what I’m understanding?

@Crash-mi8os The 115 adds midrange power but hurts MPG and top speed slightly. The PZ30 allows more airflow to better match the 115 jetting. I have completed a video on the PZ30 but am having a hard time getting it transferred. In short, I do recommend a slightly larger carburetor for best midrange and higher RPM performance (doing this will hurt your very low RPM performance some).

@pmmccrea It is robably a slow jet issue. I have had luck in the past with running a bike at higher RPMS and pulling the choke lever to full on a few times. This creates a greater suction on the jets (and this hopefully will remove the obstruction). If that doesn't work, I would remove the slow jet and clean it. Don't forget to verify that the slow jet circuit/passageway is also clear in the carburetor, too. We always run our carbs dry after each ride (by turning the fuel valve off and letting them idle until they die). If we know the bike will sit for several weeks or more, I will also drain the carburetor bowl of all fuel (by opening the drain screw at the bottom of the carburetor float bowl). IMO Sta-bil is also a good product but you must run the bike for at least a few minutes after adding it to the tank so it can get into the carburetors fuel system before it can do it's job. Hope that helps you some.

@MishMashMoto Thanks so much for your insights. It is much appreciated. Hopefully, running at high rpm and full choke works.👍

@MishMashMoto I did run at high rpm, and it did seem to help Would it hurt to ride the bike with the choke 1/2 even full-on on the highway?

@@pmmccrea I doubt it would run very well at those speeds even on half choke. It won’t hurt the engine though at whatever speed and choke you can get away with. I would normally just run in 2nd or 3rd to get up some momentum and pull the choke to full at idle throttle and release it before the rpm’s got to low and died. I would repeat this about 10 times to see if it would work or not. If not you could try some sea foam or just pull it and clean it.

@MishMashMoto Thank for your insights. Tried all that and although is some improvement, I think at this point I need to remove the carb and clean it. Was hoping I would not have to do that but I think that's my only option. Thanks so much for expertise, it is much appreciated! Kindest regards, Patrick

That's the fun part! I dropped this one out the bottom and removed it from the bikes lower left side. On some 305s, you may need to remove the fuel inlet barb also. I have also removed dream carbs. through the frame and out the left side cover area.

It gives better low and midrange power than the 110 does. It also runs much cooler with the 115 (nice in the summer heat). The Downside is MPG drops to about 65-70MPG. We both have been running a PZ30 carburetor for several months now and REALLY like it. I'm still working on those videos.

If you're in a lower elevation area, I would suggest the 115 for best starting and low/midrange power. Go with a 105-110 main if you're going to ride over 3,000 feet most of the time. We have road tested it from sea level to around 5,800' on the 115 jet. The idle fuel mixture is also adjustable. You will need to pull the weltch plug and have a "single D" type adjustment tool to adjust it, though.

Yes, We went to the top of Mt. Mitchell with them in 100% stock form. No carburetor adjustments were needed. They did just fine IMO for 150cc motorcycles.

I love our 244's. Been running them since I was a kid.

@@MishMashMoto rear install went well thanks to you! I will do the front soon as well

@@redemptiverevelation The front is much easier IMO

@@MishMashMoto 100 miles on my golden boys so far, they feel good! Man this little bike is just fun

@redemptiverevelation YES, they are!!!

It has not arrived yet

@@MishMashMoto it should be there tomorrow. Tracking finally updated after we went back to the post office.

@@DustySteel Can't wait

@@MishMashMoto it’s ridiculous because I paid for 2 day shipping Wednesday morning, oh well lol.

@@DustySteel Shipping is always fun

Yep, small bikes really are the most fun. We like our big and powerful bikes also, but we find ourselves on the small bikes much more often.

Yep, this is really the only major problem with the bike that Honda should issue a fix for. I think it's as simple as swapping to an LED headlight bulb for them.

It's all we have needed for the past year in the USA 🇺🇸 also. It's an amazing good motorcycle IMO.

We left our bikes airbox and exhaust alone while we ran the stock carb. We used the 115 main jet and stock pilot from sea level to about 6,000'. One could also use 35/110 or 38/110 or 38/115 with carburetor idle mixture adjustments (you will need to remove the plug covering the adjustment screw and have a "single D" type adjustment tool for this).

Thanks for sharing, I believe an LED headlight is the remedy for this issue.

@@MishMashMoto on the way all those deer fly bites hurt

I believe it was from Harbor Freight (the smallest one they have). He also made a little bracket that attached to the frame. I will post his write-up in the description later today.

Sounds like you should recheck it. I think you may have got the wrong clearance amount, or the engine wasn't at TDC when you set it. Recheck your clearance amount carefully in thousandths of an inch or mm (whichever your using).

I appreciate your reply and I comment back to admit to being a complete bonehead. The feeler gauge I was using belonged to my grandfather and probably had not been used in at least 20 years. The .005 was stuck to the .006 AND the .007. I knew something wasn't right, but I did it anyway. It's fixed now and running the way it should. It's been said and I'll say it again, thank you for your content.

@H1016 I'm glad you got it all sorted out! That's an easy thing to do when they are oily also. I actually measure my thickness gauges with a digital caliler if I ever have to stack feelers together for a desired thickness for that very reason. Some hydraulic lifter "dry clearances" can be quite large. Congrats again on getting it done yourself! Applause 👏 😁

That is the original tank with the plastic pulled off and Honda badges put on/over the plastic attach points.

I was undecided on the XR150L because I don't really like the newer style although I liked the specs. When I saw MishMashMoto remove the plastic to access the tank to remove it for access to the engine, I knew that was the bike for me. I couldn't believe Honda had covered up such a beautiful tank. I realized that I could change the looks for the retro SL style that has been my favorite for over 50 years.

@@MishMashMoto Thanks to MishMashMoto for inspiring me to do this.

@joegorman3724 I have always loved the Honda SL series of motorcycles. The frames and fuel tanks had a fantastic style to them.

@@MishMashMoto ~ well, the way the tank looks like it drops down lower than others..... optical illusion is possible but I thought he might have found another larger tank to put on. The tanks are pretty small but I'm guessing the great mileage makes it less important? Some of the plastic tanks w/ the large wings are too much & you can't get to all your fuel in the bottom of them. But I digress, I like his look on this one. peace

You are very welcome Joe. We love seeing people out living their best life. Enjoy your younger days again everyday you can!

Hello Joe… is that a harbor freight box that is mounted on the side ??? Very Cool bike… I love the throwback look !!!

@@tankdiesel9738 Yes, it's the smallest Harbor Freight box. I also added a lock to it. The original "tool box" just wasn't big enough. and thanks for the compliment.

I want to turn mine into old school bobber.

Thanks.

We got the specs from our local Honda dealer as manuals weren't available at the time. They are available now. I have also seen manuals online for the overseas version of the XR150L.

Thanks, Mish!

Nevermind. I just actually matched it to the intake. I originally didn’t take out much material. I just tried a top speed run in the wind and was able to get it up to 65mph. Still not what I was hoping for but it was windy.

I am 30mm at the cylinder heads intake port opening. It then tapers down to the stock port size a little over an inch in. I did this as a simple port matching exercise and not an actual port enlargement endeavor as I plan to do that when I pull the head off. One other thought. Did you remove the emissions stuff that was/is located in front of the valve cover? Some people have told me that it actually runs better with it on. I have not tested any of that yet.

@@MishMashMoto I did remove emissions. 65mph was on a flat road with heavier winds. I ended up going from 23ish mm with how far the micrometer would fit in the hole, to 30mm now. I also had forgot to bore the intake, it was still at 28mm. It feels a lot better and actually made the bike too rich at idle now. I had to turn to idle up a little bit to get it to stay running.

@@MishMashMoto only 3 BBR camshafts left!!

@dustysteele5408 Wish I could get one, but we have some other priorities right now.

LOL, I call that "Flintstoning it" (After the Flintstones cartoon). At least you got home. I carry a 10mm socket and a few spare fuses after it happened to me.

BTW, someone did add a kick starter to a US model XR150L. It was a little more involved than just installing a new cover and the kicker gears though. It's on CZcams somewhere.

I did see that video of the kick start add. May have to tackle it 🤣

So far so good with our 2 bikes. No repairs needed except for the 1 fuse problem. We plan to do a big bore kit upgrade at some point fairly soon.

Definitely need a video on that! I just ordered one for later install. I feel like I might have to change carbs when I do.

@edgarbradford If your running the stock/factory carb. Yes, for sure!

Well, the deciding factor for me is that the BBK is cheap enough for these bikes. $150 for the Scooter Swap Shop 222cc 70mm BBK is VERY reasonable to add over 5hp to this bike. I will always want more power mostly because I grew up ridding powerful bikes for the era (CR500, XR600R, FZ600, XS1100, KZ1000, ST1100, etc...). I still can't believe how much fun I am having ridding this 150cc machine. It really is an amazing bike because you can do almost anything you want with it (and at a safer and more reasonable speed). The ability to go 65-70 MPH is the main driving factor for us to do the big bore (we want them to be our "very light ADV" and "trail" bikes).

It gets ya that much of an increase? 5hp on this bike is considerable when talking about how little she has out the gate and the price is affordable. I can see you & your wife enjoying these bikes, I really don't think larger bikes would be quite as fun as these ; bigger bikes bring bigger worries, dangers, and expenditures so most the fun is not having to worry about those things I just wrote... lol, thanks for going out to these events ! peace guys

@user-dv7hb2sc9m I think they went from the factory 12hp to about 18hp. It's significant! I figure I am only at about 14HP with my carb. swap and other minor intake and exhaust mods.

Indeed it was a huge gain worth the expenditure..... the amount of money was a good value for the gains & you've mentioned the 14hp you now have ; Can this bike be "mapped" for an ECU Upgrade? I'm using improper words here but does it have a ChipSet allowing for the bike to be re-mapped like I've seem other bikes done? I'll have to look into this b/c I need to know the proper terminology so I can ask these questions. Also, if you did swap out now, would you need to change the Carb again? Thanks for all the info; peace

@user-dv7hb2sc9m As far as my bike is concerned, I am happy with it just like it is, I still plan to keep playing with it anyway. If you want to go EFI on a XR150, you will need an ECU (engine control unit). There are a few standalone units available, such as the aRacer mini-X ECU. This would require some modifications and cost but definitely doable for most decent wrenchers/tuners.

This looks like so much fun!! Would be awesome if they held an event in Colorado.

@dustysteele5408 How is your BBK install working out for you? Get the jetting dialed in yet?

@@MishMashMoto it’s going well. I just put a 30mm PWK on and now it fires right up first try with a 30 pilot jet. Now the air/fuel screw only needs to be turned out one full turn. I can make it lean or rich with that jet at low idle. The new carb came with a gold needle jet that I tried in the middle and was too rich while cruising so I moved the clip up one position but that made it leaner than I’m wanting. I’m going to put the silver needle from the 28mm in with the clip up one from middle and see from there if that makes finer adjustments. It has a 135 main and loves it!! I feel like cam and springs would make a huge difference. I haven’t really gotten to test top speed but it pulls uphill in 5th gear now which is really all that we needed. I made my own fender eliminator and put some cheap led turn signals. I was joking around with the exhaust and clocked it so the pipe was under the seat. (Tire hits if I bounce my 200lb butt on the seat lol) Soon there will be a 2” very short red pipe in its place covered with heat wrap.🤣

@dustysteele5408 Glad to hear it, one suggestion for you is to leave the gold needle (clipped where it is) and shim the needle with some very thin washers. This can give you a finer tuning adjustment (if you can find the right diameter really thin washers). Modifying the needle itself is also an option, but it's a little tricky and permanent. Keep us posted as you get it all dialed in.

@@MishMashMoto I’ve seen videos of that. I might have spacers that are thin enough but probably not. The silver needle that I had in the other carb worked so I’ll try that first. I understand the gold one is for more power though. Sure, I can keep you posted. The bike also pops on decel, I’ve heard this happens from modifying the exhaust but even if I put the tip back in the muffler it still does it.

Thanks, we had a lot of fun at this small bore rally.

@@MishMashMoto 🙌🙌That’s what it’s all about

czcams.com/video/17QnME_hlPs/video.htmlsi=seHEzR62Vs67jRge