My friends brother had a CR500 and a Quadzilla. I had an 80cc 2 stroke RM80 and a 4 stroke DR100 and the only way I can describe the experience of hopping from a 80 to that 500 was terrifying. More terrifying then the first time i rode a GSXR1000 as my first street experience. He's still got the Quadzilla in pieces for the past 20yrs. I'd love to restore it. It was a blessing being born in 1981 as far as experiencing what I truly believe got to live the GOLDEN ERA for motorcycles 👍 Awesome video
Don't forget that 81490 mako will go down in history as one of the best motorcycles ever built of all time they still race that by to this day I had three of them they are awesome
I had kx500 s for 20 years or so.... The 4 stroke stuff with the increased lateral grip made me give my last one away!!! Think about that for a minute! Thanks
Sometimes they do just get it right 😊 and yep was chatting to ctg the other day and apologising that I hadn’t been in recently. It’s been a year of early starts and early nights. But I will be there again. Soon. It’s been a tough time but I’ll get there. Pass on my best to the #GOATARMY If you would. Ride free brother 😊
As a kid my brother had 490 I lost control on the 490 and got partially ran over by a cr500 that was my introduction to the mighty cr500.. Lol ✌️ Ride Free !!
Always loved the big bore 2 strokes. Had a PE400, IT465 and I still own a KX500. If my memory serves me correctly the PE400 had the most torque off the bottom. Fell on it's face in the midrange but could idle up a tree.
They were road legal here in NZ, the dealers would fit indicators and brake light switch’s. I had a 490 for a while, it was terrible on the road, and in enduros I did far better on my IT 200.
Not a bunch of bike I'm familiar with, thanks for a great education! I was struggling to why the cagiva had such a crazy long swing arm, till someone mentioned hill climbs.👍
Glad i surprised you 😊 and yes. The reason I used Ken’s footage and comments is to reinforce what I was saying 😊 it was a mighty bike and not often you see him lost for words 😊
I love the big 500 two strokes had a 1981 maaco 490 and it was badass it made me from an intermediate to a pro in one year racing in Southern California in 1995 I bought a m star 500 water-cooled mako which I still have to this day we have rode it and rode it and it still runs to this day I handed it down to my kids they wrote it I erased it awesome machine way awesome machine a sad State of affairs how the family embezzled all the money and put them bankrupt I still have a 440 mako 1974 vintage race by that I love to this day I have 65 vintage races on it b&d tuning my name is mako bill have a nice day
The big bore 2 strokes really are something! I think if one of the big manufacturers started making them again, they would sell out every single one before they could even hit the showroom floor. They're kind of like a .50 caliber handgun... are they manageable? No! Are they practical for most applications? No! Are they user friendly? No! Are they cool AF? Does everyone have that intrigue to shoot a .50 cal? YES! ABSOLUTELY!!! No army in the world would ever adopt a .50 caliber handgun as a sidearm but everyone still wants to shoot one. 65 hp is just insane on bikes that were built 30 years ago. I would love to see a manufacturer put out a big bore with all the modern tech that the bikes have now. Give them traction control, map settings, Brembo disc brakes, and quick shifters. Cmon... someone's gotta do it. Even if there wasn't even a MX class for it, I guarantee that they would sell out regardless.
It's called the tomasin r&d 500 kit. Takes a current gen crf450r chassis and bottom end. The kit turns it into a cr500 fuel injected 2 stroke. Then there's the brc 500 kits turn a yz250 current ktm 250 into a 500. Pantera 500 kits.
Great video, truly you are a "story teller" & I hope your grandchildren got a chance to hear you tell them stories on some front porch... I know I'd never forget it. We weren't a biking family as my mom hated them but we had a little two stroke by Yamaha called the YZ-80. Small w/ quite big ballz. I mention it b/c it's all I can relate to this video but I bet all of the bikes here could go straight up a wall or tree or..... anything else you came up against? You sound good Sir, thanks for taking the time & I know you're very busy. Let me know when you get back home, not important but when I'm out I'm always trying to get home again. peace & GB You/yours. cheers mate
The Lord gave us all another day to do something right..... no grandchildren, me either but it could happen as I do have a boy who's probably gonna be reckless & create one for me... lol, I waited until I was 43 to have him b/c I never wanted to have kids who weren't given everything I had to give. That said, I wasn't kidding about your storytelling ability. I'm 62 & like hearing how you speak in describing bikes of yesteryear. As for the struggles we're dealing with ; it's going pretty well which I sincerely hope you are progressing too ! I'm sure you are but it never happens fast enough. Get well & I wasn't kidding about your voice in story mode. It's good man. peace & keep us posted. Chat soon, peace & GB
Years ago, when I was a callow yoof, I used to go trail riding in the Cheviots. We met a guy riding a Honda CR-E 500. He was a Honda UK works rider in the British Enduro championship on his works bike. Later in the day we saw him stretching cable on a fire break trail and needless to say, the bike was a rocket. Does anybody know if Honda UK sold an enduro CR500 at the time? I can remember the bike had different graphics, with a prominent "E" but not much else.
as i'm watching the video i'm narrating along with you "i hated riding the cr500, yeah loved my yz490, the kx was never the king in any of my neighborhoods, yeah the suzuk was a dog" but right when i said i'd take another 71 tm400 over any of them, then like on Q a 71 tm400 popped up in the video, was the 71 tm faster then any of those other bikes, hell no, did it handle better then the other bikes, god no, the thing handled atrociously, what the 71 tm400 did better then any of those more modern bikes was, it scared the hell out of you in a way that made you want to do it again, the 71 tm was the only bike that i didn't care about not being able to win on it, the bike was such a damn adrenaline rush that there never was before or has been since another bike that was as good as doing what the 71 tm400 could, it had the right amount of horrible to make it great....
Don't forget to make a video of the big 500 and 610 Husqvarna 4-stroke and the hoosen birds that set the 4-stroke world on fire they were the benchmark of what is happening right now who's lindenberg awesome machine Husqvarna 610 awesome machine Husqvarna 510 incredible by had three or four of them ran all the time very reliable handled incredibly good
Yep. Discussed the can am’s a few times in comments and seems to have been viewed very differently in different markets. Apparently ccm made them here and they weren’t good at all
you say at 2;58 that the founder of Honda ( Mr. Honda himself) had played a role in designing the CR500, certainly NOT, he was known for his HATRED of 2 strokes.
The Suzuki RM465/500 were much better bikes than you gave them credit for. And you didn't even mention the truly incredible Full Floater suspension system. When the Full Floater was introduced in 1981, it was a revalation in motocross development, it was the best suspension ever put on a bike, and continued to be the best for many years after.
I have an ongoing agreement with Ken (and others). If you look there is always a link back to his videos. I get a lot sent in and some slip through that weren’t created by the people that have sent them in but usually adding a credit when I know is enough for most people
@@TopRevs I do get sent all sorts. Sorry if something slipped past. Send me a link and I’ll drop it in if that’s ok? I do try and reverse search if I’m not sure but it does happen
you're bashing the open class RM but it was the best Japanese open classer in 1981 by a long shot, and a close 2nd place in '82. Look it up in the old magazines.
As always I have to stop somewhere 😊 it will find its place in time 😊. Glad you enjoyed it mate. There is a 250s dirt bikes vid linked in description too😊👍 cheers for your support
@@dr.hugog.hackenbush9443 A mate of mine bought one. He was a stunt car driver and had no interest in racing it. He just used used it off road. Said it was the best motor ever. He sold it to financepart of a deposit for a home. He regretted selling it till the day he died...(last year)
No matter what When you ever you come across a 1997 cr500 you buy it no matter what!! You can not find parts for that bike. It's like Chevy 327& 400 small blocks you can not find these anymore.when you do people want your arm and leg for it. Just saying bro!
They are getting harder to find in decent condition now. Last 250 I bought all the casings had delaminated and were crumbling so it was beyond saving sadly but great bikes
I just sold 2 400 sbc engines i had sitting in my garage for years, as a street engine I preferred them over the 350, they are torque monsters. They are still reasonably common here in NZ.
you say that before1985, KTM was' winning in the smaller classes' and not doing as well with the larger bikes? This is totally UNTRUE, in fact the opposite is true.
1985 ; No not the best years for open class production MX bikes. Yamaha had stop improving the 490 at all, the last year of a 5 year old design RM, and the once great Maico was all but gone. it was down to CR,KX, and KTM.
You are generalizing all these models as if the were never changed year to year. examples..The YZ490 was crap in 1982 and great in 1983, another example the Honda Open classers , horrible in '81, fantastic in '82/'83 and " not so good" in 1984.
