lotus_esprit_s1
Member
- Messages
- 828
- Location
- UK
I’ve owned this little XL125 K3 for over twenty years. I have always had a 125 as a run around and for the odd green lane, I paid £250 for it back then, and absolutely loved it. At least twenty bigger and better bikes have come and gone since then, but I’ve always kept hold of the XL. When I bought it in the early 2000’s, it was really hard to obtain parts for it - exhausts and seats were unavailable anywhere; after a year or so the original tailpipe rotted away to nothing, so I put it away and replaced it with an almost new DT125R.
By 2010, pattern exhausts and other bits were available for it, so I resurrected it with a new exhaust system, and also replaced the broken mudguards with fibreglass replicas which I had moulded for me by a trials company (they are the same as the TL125 so they were happy make a pair as there would be a ready market for TL replacements) Not long after the big end failed so the engine was removed and the bike got put away again, this time being replaced by an XLR125. In the meantime I rebuilt the damaged engine with NOS crank, camshaft and had it rebored and stuck it back in the frame.
Last week on a whim I insured it (£42 per year TPFT!), changed its registration class to tax exempt, and as it no longer needs an MOT, dragged it out of storage again.
By 2010, pattern exhausts and other bits were available for it, so I resurrected it with a new exhaust system, and also replaced the broken mudguards with fibreglass replicas which I had moulded for me by a trials company (they are the same as the TL125 so they were happy make a pair as there would be a ready market for TL replacements) Not long after the big end failed so the engine was removed and the bike got put away again, this time being replaced by an XLR125. In the meantime I rebuilt the damaged engine with NOS crank, camshaft and had it rebored and stuck it back in the frame.
Last week on a whim I insured it (£42 per year TPFT!), changed its registration class to tax exempt, and as it no longer needs an MOT, dragged it out of storage again.