In the mid-1980s the Paris-Dakar Rally was all the rage in Europe and in response manufacturers found a ready market for big dual sport bikes. This was Honda’s entry, the XLV750R. I remember when this bike came out I wanted one so badly. One of my favorite things to do is jump on my motorcycle and head out to the country and follow whatever little gravel or dirt road catches my fancy. In theory this big shaft-driven Honda would gobble up the highways in comfort en route to the hinterlands and then handle unimproved roads with ease. Honda made the big XLV from 1983 to 1986, but never imported it to the U.S. Perhaps it was ahead of its time. Today we have the Suzuki V-Strom, the KTM Adventure, Kawasaki’s KLR650 and of course the king of the dual sporters, BMW’s R1200GS.

1985 Honda XLV750R