General Category > Chatterbox
Motorcycle Fun
CI:
At one time I worked for corporate, and it was an 8-5 job, so I had a good bit of free time for family, travel, fun, etc.
I always liked motorcycles, and so we had two Honda XR100's, an XR200, a Honda CB125, two Yamaha SR500's, most of these purchased used.
I was looking for an upgrade from the XR200, which is a really nice 4-stroke dirt bike based on the XR125 frame, so a relatively light 4-stroke bike.
I went to the Honda dealer with my dirt bike riding buddy, and was looking at a CR250.
There was a CR500 sitting nex to the 250.
My buddy said "Why don't you get the 500".
I said "I don't want a bike that is heavier than a CR250.
He said "The weigh the same", so I said "Well then, CR500 it is".
I pointed the bike out to the sales person, and they said "You don't want that bike; it is a MAN KILLER !".
I said "Yes, I want the man killer".
Back in 1997, they actually allowed people to test ride a CR500, after filling out some paperwork, and verifying sufficient experience.
I had trouble getting the bike moving without stalling the motor.
The power band is pretty much ON-OFF, with "ON" being 60 hp.
I finally made it down the parking lot, turned around, and came back, driving like the quintessential little-ole-lady, at about 10 mph.
It was a very tall bike, with 12" of wheel travel front and back, very thin profle, and had a very lightweight feel to it at 230 lbs.
it is a 2-stroke design, and creates a most impressive vibration with the trottle is blipped.
I knew I had a long learning curve ahead of me, but I had ridden dirt bikes for perhaps 20 years prior in some very rough enduro-type situations.
I think the sales person was just counting the days until he had to send flowers to some funeral home.
He was pretty sure I would not last a week.
I got the bike out on the trail, and starting learning how to ride it.
At first I tried to ride it around like an XR200, in a slow enduro fashion, and it did not do well at all when ridden like that.
Luckily I happened across someone who was riding an identical bike, and so I asked him "How does one go about riding this bike slowly".
He said without hesitation "Oh, you don't ride this bike slow......you gotta go.....".
So I tried "going", with a minimum speed of about 40 mph, and an upper speed of who knows what.
Low and behold, the bike came into its own, and what a magnificent ride it was.
I accidentally rode over a 12" tree that had fallen across the trail, and it was a mild bump that I hardly felt on the bike.
The CR is truly a magnificent ride, and a very impressive piece of engineering.
I rode it until about 2003, and then started my own business; so the CR went to the back of the shed, and has not been ridden since.
Today I figured it was now or never, and so I dug the CR out of the shed, cleaned it up, put fresh gas with 2-stroke oil in it, aired the tires, removed the disentigrated foam air cleaner, and put oil in the crankcase.
Using WD40 for starting fluid, I got it to fire briefly.
I drained the fuel tank and carburetor in 2003, so they were not gummed up, or at least they should not be gummed up much.
The compression is very good, and there is a bit of an art to starting a CR.
The trick is to wear a riding boot, keep the right knee locked, and follow all the way through on the kick, until the kickstart lever is all the way down.
After kicking for a while, my body rebelled, and so I will have to try again tomorrow.
I will go purchase some real starting fluid.
Robbie Knievel (Evel Knievel's son) rode a CR500, and made some impressive jumps with it.
I did not have time to learn jumps on the CR (yet), but perhaps one day I will try that on a small scale.
The power comes on so strong that generally I blip the throttle on and off, never leaving the throttle open more than a fraction of a second.
I tried holding the throttle open in a large field on time, and the bike will literally pull itself out from under the rider, regardless of how tight one is holding onto the handlebars and gripping the tank and seat with the legs.
These have become collectors items, and the prices has gone up a lot.
I recall paying something in the 5K range in 1997.
I have seen some high quality CR500's selling these days for anywhere from 10k to 20k.
My bike has very few hours on it, and very little wear and tear.
The tires are original, and still have plenty of tread.
A changed the flywheel to a heavier unit, but it had no effect at all on the engine power, so I will reinstall the original flywheel.
The engine power is bascally ON or OFF, like a Jato rocket.
My bike is otherwise 100% original and unmodified.
And to get an idea of what the CR500 will do, check out this person riding one.
The power of this engine is best described as explosive.
.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4U4HHp1AbCQ
Edit:
If you are a follower of the parody movie "Spaceballs", the villainous "Dark Helmet" declared "Go to LUDICROUS SPEED !!! ", and then everyone held on for dear life.
That is what the CR500 does; it goes from 0 to ludicrous speed in a few milliseconds, and you had best be leaning all the way down on top of the fuel tank, and have a death grip on the handlebars.
From a handling standpoint, the bike is extremely stable, and you can lock both wheels at 100 mph on a rough dirt trail with complete control and stability, and slide in a straight line to a halt very quickly.
The bike feels very light and nimble, and the suspension will absorb very rough terrain with no problems, while traveling at speed.
.
CI:
Photo of the CR500 new in 1997, and in the driveway this evening.
Luckily it stayed relatively clean in the elevated shed.
I added the bolt-on spark arrestor, since they are required when riding in local State Parks.
.
Admiral_dk:
Never tried the CR500 but I was a trip round the local MotoX track on a CR250 some 20-25 years ago, and I can honestly say that I was VERY impressed with how much bottom end Pull it had compared to the Racers of my youth.
I came into one corner in Fourth and forgot to go two down as I was so focused on hitting the right line through it .... and Immediately thought Sh!t - this is Not going to end well, when the Engine stalls (barely much over Idle) ....
I opened the Throttle anyway and it just pulled forward (Whew) and I just marvled how much modern Engineering (I rode in the Seventies) of Variable Exhaust Port Timing etc. had Improved the Two-Stroke Motors ;D :praise2: :LittleAngel:
I'm a bit surprised that the CR500 don't have those qualities .... But the again - ALL 500cc MotoX bikes are BEASTS - no matter what brand.
Remember to keep the Ruberside Down ;) (I newer owned a Car - but have Motorcycles).
Per :cheers:
gbritnell:
I grew up in the era of the Yamaha SC 500, the Kawasaki KDX 500, Suzuki RM 500 and the aforementioned Honda. At one time or another I rode all but the Suzuki. I was mainly a woods and hare scrambles rider so those bikes were WAY TOO MUCH for me. Fun to play with out in the open. I'm 80 and still ride my Suzuki DRZ 400 on occasion. Just can't seem to get it out of my system.
Art K:
I have to admit my first bike was a Kawasaki KH 400 triple. It had a wicked power band. A friend in high school also had a Kawasaki triple but he had the 750, still don't know how he managed not crashing it.
Art
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