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THE BILL BELL/LONG BEACH HONDA XL350

THE SLED

In 1975 a Honda XL350, upgraded by Bill Bell and Long Beach Honda, won the Baja 500 open class in the capable hands of Al Baker and Gunnar Lindstrom (also know as the token Swedish magazine editor for Dirt Bike Magazine). Long Beach Honda had been at the center of Baja motorcycling from the beginning; the first motorcycle to reach La Paz was a Long Beach Honda CL250 CA72 under riders Dave Ekins & Bill Robertson, in 1962.

Dave Ekins in La Paz on a CL72

The Bill Bell 1975 XL350 had some major engine modifications done to it, mostly the camshaft, where heat and horsepower dictated a needle-roller bearing setup on the cam's exhaust side. Even now the motor is impressive. With four valves said to be the same size of those from a CB750 (a two valve motor) the motor was punched out to 409cc, a higher lift and longer duration cam, along with a higher compression & 36 mm Mikuni carb, made the bike put out around 49 horsepower at 9000 rpm.

Bill Bell and his baby

The Honda Baja XL in the above picture turned out to have the most modifications of any previous Bell/Long Beach Honda Baja project. The CJ Engineering Frame, Curnutt shocks, CR250 forks, wheels and radical motor went against the previous formula by Bell, of leaving the motor and frame pretty much stock, except for the use of heavy duty engine components (like the hardened camshaft bearings in the 1968 & 69 Baja winning CL350 Twin). Of course good suspension components were used, along with the latest suspension technology.

Bell modified XL motor in a Maico frame.

Between 1974-1978 Long Beach Honda sold quite a few of these modified XL’s and you could order one as big as 500cc. Bell built bikes to order, and they went anywhere from $1,800 to $3,600 1975 Dollars. Guys who thought they were fast came up against one of these Long Beach modified bikes, and promptly got blown into the weeds. Impressive they were.

View of modified XL350 cylinder head showing roller cam

And yes, I had 1975 XL 350 done to Long Beach specs. (have to get that scanner working). It had the stock displacement of 350cc, a big cam, valves, re-jetted Kehin with one cable, and straight up-and down forward mounted gas Curnutt shocks. Racecrafters in Hollywood modified the forks.

Mine had a stock frame, with all the brackets and other crap cut off. Petty IT rear and Mudder front fender. It was a fun bike, but still tipped the scales wet around 280 lbs., a bit too heavy in my opinion. Going fast in a straight line over whoops on a Long Beach Honda was like a knife cutting through butter, but when conditions got tight, the weight and high seating made for slow going. Rocks didn’t seem to affect it much, and you could blast right over some gnarly ones without too much complaint or deflection from the bike. Heavy weight and all that.

It was street legal, and once in my old hometown of Silverlake, Ca, I raced a 400cc RD series Yamaha from a dead stop, on the big straight (Silverlake Blvd., our drag strip) and we were dead even. There was so much noise from both bikes, I didn’t even shift the 350 into 5th gear cause I couldn’t hear my motor. Fast bike. Got a lot of tickets on it…

Rex Staten on a factory XL350, circa 1976.

The legacy of Honda winning top spots in the Baja 1000 & 500 every year goes back to the beginning, with guys like Larry Bergquist and Gary Preston on Long Beach Hondas. From the golden era of off-road Baja racing and motorcycles, to bikes with riders like Johnny Campbell & the Honda factory team, the event is a spectacle of bygone days. Where glory and tragedy wait at the next cliff, or checkpoint. And Honda is still the bike to beat.

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i HAPPENED TO DRIVE TO LOMITA CA. AND VISIT A FRIEND AND YOU KNOW HOW THE REST OF THE STORY GOES....AS i WALKED UP TO HIS GARAGE IN THE BACKYARD THE DOOR IS CRACKED OPEN AND IT IS FULL OF MOTORCYCLES, i HAVE KNOWN THIS GUY FOR 3 OR 4 YEARS HE DOES NOT RIDE BIKES. i OPENED THE DOORS AND THERE MUST BE 12 TO 15 BIKES PILED ON EACH OTHER. COOL VINTAGE MC, TRIALS, FLATTRACKERS, PARTS IN OLD BOXES i WENT NUTS PULLING BIKES OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS THERE. WHEN I GOT TO THE HONDA HE SAID HE BOUGHT THIS FROM BILL BELL 30 YRS AGO AND IT WON THE BAHA 500 AND HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED IN 20 YRS. HE SAID CHAIN CAME OFF AND BUSTED THE CASE AND ALL THE OIL LEAKED OUT AND HE PARKED IT. i LOADED IT UP AS I HAVE ACCESS TO HAVE THEM FIXED ( I REALLY THOUGHT I HAVE A TT 500 THAT WOULD FIT RIGHT IN THE C &J FRAME THAT I FIRST RECONIZED BY THE SHOCK MOUNTS AND SWING ARM. I LATER FOUND ANOTHER ANGLED C &J SWING ARM (PICTURED ON SITE) THE BIKE HAS A BIG RED PLASTIC ENDURO TANK AND HE PULLED OUT A FACTORY HONDA ALUM, AS SHOWN IN PIC ON YOUR SITE IF i AM NOT MISTAKEN I THINK I SAW THE NUMBER 7 PLATES IN A MILK CRATE. AT FIRST I THOUGHT YA SOMEONE TOLD YOU THIS STORY AND MADE MONEY OFF YOU HE SAID HE PAID OVER 3K BACK THEN FOR THE BIKE. i GET TO WORK TODAY AND TYPE BILL BELL C&J HONDA WINS BAHA 500 AND BAM HERE I AM, TOP OF GOOGLE MY BIKE FLYIN IN THE AIR. NOW I HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO TELL IS THIS THE ONE THAT WON THE BAHA 500 AND NOT A CLONE?? I WILL TAKE BEFORE AND AFTER PICS INFORM ME PLEASE!!!

EDY BOB

So you now owns Al Baker's 1975 winner does any body know? I have C & J with a Bill Bell engine which is currently under restoration. http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/sudmanvmx/cid_0F9274118B5B402F8A39A5770EC0EB4.jpg http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/sudmanvmx/CJAlBaker.jpg

sudman

[quote="Wally":10399wlb]I remember the factory 4 stroke Honda that was ridden by Rex Staten at Unadilla. As we watched it struggle up some of the big hills,a few folks mocked it,but the sense to me was that they were more curious of it and did not know what to make of it. Typical human reaction to dice and quarter something before you know what it is all about. That moment was the catalyst for me in 4 stroke tech and I soon started thinking:How could I build a competitive off road 4 stroke? Enter the DR370 Suzuki. A friend had one and he did a big mod on it.Lotsa $$ went into the bike and he ended up with a heavy,confused Suzuki. In 1981 I bought the first Pro Link suspended Honda XR 500. I ran enduros on it,also strugged with the weight,but that bike wound up to speed pretty well. In 83 I ran the next generation R.F.V.C. ( Radial Four Valve Construction) Honda XR 500 and turned E.C.E.A. A Expert on it in the N.J. tight eastern woods! Talk about a hand full! After that I wnt back to 2 strokes ,but as of today,I am back on a DRZ 400 E.[/quote:10399wlb] The DRZ series are super trail bikes, unbreakable and handle damn good. We've got nothing against four strokes, except for the ones that explode every ten hours or so. My '83 XL600 was the best hillclimber I ever owned, it could grunt down so low you could actually hear each stroke of the piston when it fired, like a tractor. Of course when it landed on you after hitting a road berm at speed was a different story...glad you liked the article, XL's were great bikes.

mscuddy

I remember the factory 4 stroke Honda that was ridden by Rex Staten at Unadilla. As we watched it struggle up some of the big hills,a few folks mocked it,but the sense to me was that they were more curious of it and did not know what to make of it. Typical human reaction to dice and quarter something before you know what it is all about. That moment was the catalyst for me in 4 stroke tech and I soon started thinking:How could I build a competitive off road 4 stroke? Enter the DR370 Suzuki. A friend had one and he did a big mod on it.Lotsa $$ went into the bike and he ended up with a heavy,confused Suzuki. In 1981 I bought the first Pro Link suspended Honda XR 500. I ran enduros on it,also strugged with the weight,but that bike wound up to speed pretty well. In 83 I ran the next generation R.F.V.C. ( Radial Four Valve Construction) Honda XR 500 and turned E.C.E.A. A Expert on it in the N.J. tight eastern woods! Talk about a hand full! After that I wnt back to 2 strokes ,but as of today,I am back on a DRZ 400 E.

Wally

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