My 1980 XL185 also burns a lot of oil but it has 22000 miles on the clock. I would be interested in any feedback as well because the bore and piston and rings seem fine with little wear. It is probably because of the use it gets. On and off road and it is used every day for work. It takes a lot of abuse but never lets me down. I am not too concerned about the amount of oil it uses but i do need to clean the plug more than i should