Trying to Tame the Honda CR500 2 Stroke 

Everybody gangsta unitil red vibrating two stroke is after you

I have an 88 cr500 and it makes the world go blurry whether it's the speed or vibration or both. Guys that raced these for 30minute motos are just mad

Most people don't realize how much work it takes to ride a 500. Everything becomes dangerous if not calculated right. It's almost like it wants to hurt you to prove a point lol

The metallic sound from the expansion exhaust always gets me - long live 2 stroke!

For everyone saying he doesnt go high enought in the rpm, the dude just dont want to die 🥰🧚✨💕

I like that the 500s never sound like they're more than 10% above idle compared to 125 and 250s

There is no taming the 500, just brief periods of survival.💪💪

Every time I see one of these for sale in the UK the seller always writes in the description 'not for the faint hearted'. A scary beast.

I have owned and rode my 1987 CR500 for 31 years since 1992. Over the years I have shown her respect. But...4 weeks ago she got the best of me. Broke my back in 5 spots. Thank God I am not paralyzed and walking to tell this story and yes I will be back on her hopefully within six months or less. Always have respect for the beast it can never be tamed.

I remember when my dad use to say "if u can start it u can ride it" good times

Is it me or does it seem like that bike is barely trying

you dont tame the cr...it tames you.the vibrations bring you closer to God

So many boomers are gonna have their mind blown that you managed to kickstart their pit bike on the first kick

The sound of a 2-stroke crosser is so addictive

"I'm gonna take it easy" PROCEDS TO IDLE TO MARS

When I raced the KX500's in there late 80's-early 90's, I started in third gear and pretty much left it there for most of the race.

"I think it's definitely tameable..." That's what the CR500 WANT'S you to think....lol. Then it kills you. 😁

Torque monster! First time I rode one was such an experience. Instant tunnel vision when wailed on.

I have ridden a cr500 for 2 years in 2008-2010 ! This was the best time of my life and the most powerful I’ve ever driven. Nothing can stop a cr 500 2 Strock. I miss this times :(

I rode one of those one time before on a road. I love speed but gosh… those things are stupid fast. You can’t even plant the throttle till your in 5th goin 50 or it’ll just stand up. Mad respect.

I remember riding 500’s back in the 80’s. I didn’t do it much, but the formula was = Brake....Turn (carefully!).... PULL TRIGGER. Repeat👍😂 It was invariably terrifying for a 145 lbs rider.

4:10 even the GoPro held her breath

"Alright, let's finish this lap up, and go in before I die." I laughed so hard I choked on my salsa. I've ridden a 500, they are shitty powerful beasts.

I’ll always cherish my shin scars from kicking over and soiled britches from riding my old 500 years ago! Memories. Respect that bike son.

2-Strokes are monsters and you can’t beat that smell 👌🏻

Nothing cooler than cruising in 5th and pulling wheelies. 👍🏻

Now we need to see Ronnie Mac on this thing 😂 SCREAMIN EAGLE 2.0!!!!

I love how they just idle around little motox tracks. Go throw the thing at some dunes and a beach, that is where those big old smokers shine. Miss my IT 490 every day....

Thanks for sharing. My hare scramble racing buddy back in the day bought one out of the crate. First ride broke his tail bone after healing he won several races which still surprises me to this day. A CR500 can beat a street bike within 3 telephone poles, won several dollars on those bets.

I honestly believe this is where my shoulder arthritis came from. These would just snatch your arms right off your body if you wasn’t ready and experienced

I just love reading the comments from all the pros

Great video. I’ve owned 2 CR500’s. They made the best trail bikes. At 200 lbs, I need a big bore. They eat up the incredible Mexican trails. My 500’s were dead reliable. The secret to a one kick start when cold, is to rock it back and forth in first gear. Then, like in this video, find the compression stroke. Boom one kick every time. You did really well on that track. Looked like fun.

Who else was smiling ear to ear for he whole ride?? :D

My older friend was a moto racer on one back in the 80’s. Me and all my friends from school would go watch him on this nice track he built on and near the power Lines behind our neighborhood. That dude was always in the power band and could make that thing scream. I’ve never seen anyone ride or jump one like this guy could. His name was John Carts.

I’m rewatching this vid after 2 years and it’s still so hyper

i love the smell of mixed fuel in the morning

I remember focusing on having it pointed in a direction I really wanted to go before grabbing a handful of throttle. A bit crude by today's metrics, especially with respect to chassis and suspension; but damn, what a beast of an engine! An honest, eyeball flattening, temporary cure for nearsightedness.

Good bike for sand dunes, for motocross you had to be able hang onto them super fast , one of the Most powerful production vehicles ever built.

Nothing will ever sound as badass as a 2-stroke 500cc motorcycle.

I used to drive mine with street tires on countryside back roads ,lots of crazy memories with friends ,we were the jackals of our small town..we had gazoline cans hidden in bushes a key points of our entire day rides..

"Oh my God this thing vibrates look at it shake" *revs engine so it tickles his pickle* 0:50

I used to ride a YZ 490 back in the day. 500's really only shine in top end and have way more bottom end torque, great for steep hill climbing. They're not really faster than a 250 2stroke up until the 250 is flat-out, then the 500 shines. I notice you put your foot out when cornering, you shouldn't do it (lots of reasons). Keep your feet hard on the pegs, grip the tank with your knees and shift your weight about (when needed) and you'll hit those corners way faster. To be honest, you should be sideways and almost on the rear tire around those sweeping corners. I used to ride in sand and mud and loose gravel and never found the need to put my foot out. Also, learn to sit back over the rear tire as much as you can. These bikes work best when ridden on the rear wheel. Anyway, great fun to see you having a go. Keep it up.

I love these long US tracks. Really gives you a chance to use the larger bikes. Nothing like this in the UK

I wouldn't ever say a it's possible to tame a cr500. You actually have to tame yourself. My friend had one that was bored 30 over and I rode it once. It was the most brutal power band you could imagine. And I give you props for being able to ride that heavy monster so well

I got to ride one of those things briefly when I was working in a MC shop in the 1990's... I'll never forget it... it was the most amazing, hideously explosive power I had ever experienced in a motorcycle! 😃 Being young and small I got off it quick, but I'd do it again in a second. 😁

You're gonna love it even more when you learn to keep it in the powerband...it's almost scary :-)

The angry chainsaw 😍😍. I can't stand the new 4 Strokes! Late 90s CR any day!

You'll know that you've "tamed" that beast, when you can keep it "on pipe" in the power band and not lugging the motor half the time. You're used to riding a 4 stroke my friend.

I bought a 92 cr 500 from the show room floor. I never understand why everyone who rides one of these bikes today is blown away. I loved that bike. It was fast as hell. Hard to keep the front down. I remember that cr480 was a real beast. So was the yz400. The cr500 was hard to start, nothing compared to that cr480. That was what we had back then. That head shake was normal. We just rode the hell out of them. Most of them are still going. Tribute to 2 stroke engineering.

Another one of those experiences you cant explain to someone else. They are legendary bikes for a reason.

Just imagine how fast that bike would go if he ever got in the Powerband😳

So nice seeing Murphy’s. I used to ride it from the time they opened until about 2 years after that. I miss texas. Thanks for the vids!

This really brought back memories and a smile to my face :) Man, I miss my CR. I let 2 friends ride my CR. The one guy crashed and fucked up his knee pretty badly, the other one pushed it back after half a lap and said "no thanks!" :) Good times!

My uncles old Yamaha 490 was such a beast in the 80s, would eat everyone up back in the day, can’t believe he got it down so well.. torque monster.

I still have my 85 CR500. Original owner,rebuilt it 6 times three transmissions, still one of the baddest bikes on the dirt. I'm in my sixties now and it's still relieves my back aches.

You train on the big boy, and when you get back on that 450, it will feel small! Lol

Cool nonetheless but I’ll stick to what I know. 4 strokes all day. I rode 85 2 strokes but the 4s became really popular when I was coming up in the race scene, jumped from that 85 to a 250f, fell in love that day

Makes me jealous, remember the good ol days

Brings back memories. I use to work for LRD Performance specialties. The owner built the motor in mine for the sand. 4mill stroker ported 44 mill carburetor and a hand cone pipe I built myself to his specs.

When I was around 17 my good friend bought a KX500 2 stroke (this was in the late 1980's !) . I had years of experience driving everything from racing go-karts to dirt bikes from 50cc's up to 250cc's and was pretty good at doing tricks and jumping huge jumps (for back then .....nothing like now though !) so one day at a home made motocross track built in the middle of the woods by a bunch of bored teens my friend wanted me to try his KX 500 out on the track ! I was excited and said sure ! He told me on the third turn there's a jump that looks like it's a little 2 foot jump but because of the landscape when you hit it to be in second gear ......not third ! I took off and man was that thing fast .......When I saw the third turn coming I flew up high into the bank and came out and shifted into third and nailed it to get some air ........! I knew before I got halfway up the ramp I screwed up ! The other side dropped about 15 feet with a ditch at the bottom and a landing ramp your supposed to hit because right after the landing is a big turn ! I cleared the ditch and the landing area.......and flew through the air (about 20 feet at least ) into the surrounding woods and hit a tree ! I bent his front forks a little (D'oh !) but I didn't get hurt to bad as I walked out on my own accord (albeit concussed !) to my friend and a few others that where howling laughing ! They said that was the raddest thing ever ........right up until I flew into the woods and hit a tree ! To this day I've never got back on a 2 stroke 500 cc dirt bike ! Four strokes up to 1200cc's ??????? No problem No Fear but when it come to riding in the dirt a good old 250 is all I need ! I'll live longer that way !

The only time that thing was tached was in the air , so much power. I was at a race were some 500 's were mixed with 125-250's and they were screaming up hill on a triple and 500's sounded like 3rd gear and idling around the track

Unless you have ridden a 500 2 stroke for awhile, it takes some getting use to, seperates the boys from the men thats for sure ...

The most powerful bike ever

Ah that sound. I bought a 94 CR500 new and raced it for 1 season then put it away for 25 years. Sold it a couple of years ago and the guy that came to buy it shat his pants when he saw the original stickers everywhere. It was a hole shot machine and like climbing over a crazy horse. Loved every minute.

Still got one!! Rode in 20’s now 60! Four stroke riders have no idea how close to death these things take you

Nice content man! Just got my first bike, a yz125.

“Nothing too crazy” Goes for full on race 😂

DUDE so glad you made a follow up vid! Great job. You were riding it this time! Respect brother! BRAAAAAAAAP

Had a few of these when I was a teenager in the 90's... Straight up beast of a bike and they'll absolutely wear you out on the trails

I think he did pretty good, I had a 1982 Suzuki RM465 2 stroke from 1982 to 1990, with a works air box, boysen reeds, and a wiseco piston, and it was a monster. I went from a 1980 Suzuki PE 250 to the 1982 RM465, and it was shocking the power difference. The RM465 pulls so hard in 2nd and 3rd gear it will literally pull your hands off the grips, and if you do not back off the throttle you will die, lol. And it even wheelies in 4th gear at half throttle, which is pretty scary. I would say it took me at least a month, just to get brave enough to run through the gears at full throttle. And you need a very long straight to do that, because it gets to full speed as fast as you can shift the gears. Some places I rode were so small I could not even get out of 3rd gear. And just trying to hang on to it would wear your arms out after 15 minutes of riding, you would get cramps in your forearms and need to go take a break at the truck. After riding it for about a year, I had forearms like Popeye, they got huge. It was like riding a 225 lb. rocket bike, and it was fun as hell, but also scary, and you had to be very careful, or it would kill you.

2T for ever man!!!

Killer...love the content bro bro 🤙🏾

On a perfectly jetted cr500 you can take off in 5th gear, that's pretty crazy. Great bit of riding there definitely tamed the beast

Thank you for not saying it way to much and dangerous. Respect.

Man, you've got balls ! If I would have to try such a legend, I would shake inside even before starting the engine ....

Who the hell thumbed this video down ? That was awesome!

I love my two strokes I have at home here. Maybe next try to keep the rpms up and maybe down shift before the corner so your not lugging it. Will definitely make it easier to ride.

Beware! 500 ' s are not to be tamed. Their like a wild bear. Speaking from experience I almost died on a 95 Kx 500. I thought I could ride it like a 125 boy was I wrong. Total damage was 1. Broken femur 2. Shattered elbow 3. Cracked sternum 4. Puncher lung. Ride safe, respect the beast!

Those 500s are a breed of their own takes big balls to hold it on song! Had a few rides in late 90s and they're not a toy but a weapon in the right hands

I wanted a big two stroke bike back in my youth. I was talking with a local motorcycle dealership owner and racer. He said the track gets a lot shorter on a 500CC bike. Then I rode a YZ490 and I figured out what he meant. The corners are a lot closer together on a big bike. A small two stroke, you work the clutch, shifter and brakes a lot more. The big bike eats up the track and you are just along for the ride.

There's no taming that beast!!!

First dirt bike video I have ever seen. Let me tell you, every time it makes those pops it sounds like a hit marker in cod multiplayer

It is funny how the go pro effect minimizes the sensation of getting air in your bike.

I had a KX 500 in the mid 90,s ,awesome bike, it made me a better rider while kicking my ass at the same time, respect to you sir, from Australia.......

I used to have a KX500 and it was incredibly fun to ride. Massive torque pretty much everywhere in the rev range. You had to be so careful though, I learned. Because it did everything quickly and powerfully. Accelerated VERY quickly, but also stopped very quickly, brakes were super strong. It was a fine balance to ride it successfully, everything was so touchy. If it got sudden traction, even in 5th gear, the front wheel would snap up in the air suddenly. Or, if you got on the brakes hard from speed, the rear wheel would come off the ground. Teeter tottering from wheelies to endos. Freaking crazy but insanely fun! That bike (and the CR500) were in my opinion, the pinnacle of supreme performance.

Had a cr 250 and that thing ripped can’t imagine the 500

Fun looking track. Looks like it flows really well and you can carry some speed.

That thing will pull your arms from there sockets! Lol

At 13 I started racing on an 80, quickly moved to 125’s. then at 16 got on a buddy’s CR500 just to check it out, instantly fell in love with it. The 125 had to be constantly wicked up to clear big doubles or step ups, but not the 500, nope. A quick blip of the throttle and it was launch time, tap rear brake to setup landing then roll the gas through the corner. The power made it effortless. JMO. Great bike.

I was about 15 and had a small wheel kx80 and i loved it, a couple of mates had 250's and one a kx 500, we swapped bikes for a while every now and again, the 500 popped the front up in every gear and me being young and dumb i had no fear, what a beast of a bike it was, i didnt want to give it back😂

I can feel the vibrations through my speaker 😂😂 on my phone

4:46 no, she wants a man to hold her tight

They don't call the CR's the Widow Makers for nothing...F'n Beasts !!!

Most indestructible bike ever made by Honda.....I miss mine so much. So many awesome memories.

I had a 96 cr 250, it was quick. For sure. One of my buddies was like a 300 pound dude and he had a 1996 CR 500. During a track ride I asked him if could ride his 500. We switched bikes a few times. I would hear my CR 250 wailing in the power band. Every time i got on that 500, it was like it was barely revving and it would pull so hard. The bike felt enormous. I’m 6 foot at the time I weighed about 150. It was just low end snarl. I’ll never forget that bike. It even smelled different, even though we were all running the same race gas.

Tbh that track looks to hard (as in to packed down)

What’s with the boomers in the comments

Back when I only had sportbikes and didn’t have a clue about dirt bikes, thought 2 strokes were for weed eaters - a 6’6” buddy turned me loose on his CR500. My world changed that day. I couldn’t touch the ground if I stopped but that was no problem because all it did was go!

500 two strokes are just pure savage. No apologies or forgiveness, just pure machine that wants to be ridden fast and loud, while embarrassing every other displacement size while doing so...

Used to have an 88 cr500 as a field bike! It was nuts to be honest! Ruined loads of boots kicking it over, 2 of my mates flipped it bump starting it! Used it on the road a few times n literally had no traction what so ever! It left a 3 mile black line on n off the throttle! Happy times haha wish I still had it!