When I was 17 before I brought my Norton I also had a new TL 250 was my 3rd dirt bike, everywhere I rode that TL front wheel was always off the ground, wheel stands up hills, down hills, infact everywhere it was such a well balanced bike for wheel stands, I could get the front wheel up in 5th gear and could ride just on the back wheel for miles, it was so good.
It was also water proof could ride it through deep water as long as the air intake was out of the water nothing drowned it.
My good mate Don who had a 750 hot Commado/Featherbed loved riding it for hill climbs so one day we swapped bikes for the day he rode the TL around the old rifl range from the war years had lots of hill climbs there, I took the Norton for a good ride up in the Ranges, I was hook after that and 2 weeks later I had a brand new 855 Commando, the last of the kick start Norton, the TL got stolen a few months later and was recovered a week or 2 later, with a bent frame and a few other damage on it an so I sold it.
My mate Don was able to buy a TL250 a few years ago as he remembered how much fun he had back in the days on my TL 250.
Thanks for brining back the memories from the days of owning a great Honda TL250, mine had a light kit and was registered for the road, I even got my licence on that bike.
Ashley