We Bought a CHEAP 1985 Honda CR500 at a Swap Meet 

I've been looking forward to this day since the creation of this channel 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

Please please do not chop that bike up, you have got to restore that piece of history.

Sounds like you’re on the right track. Ive been riding these motocross bikes my whole life. Start with surgically cleaning the carb. It could also be the stator shorting out when hot. You absolutely have to run the airbox. The jetting is very specific on these mx bikes. Also, when you run out of gas, you run out of oil! Smart idea about the engine seals. Old seals can introduce a lean condition which will cause the engine to detonate and meltdown. Good luck

People don’t know how difficult kick starting a 500 is… lol love mine 😂 just gotta jump on her and use that body weight

Even after just being resurrected, half a brake, running like crap this ol 500 was STILL trying to kill us😂

Please fully restore this bike it deserves it and don’t let John wreck it haha this thing is a classic always wanted to ride one be safe as always guys

The level of "This is a bad idea" kept increasing throughout the video, as did my level of smiles. Well done.

I literally feel your pain! I owned an 86 cr500 when I was 17 yrs.old and 140 lbs.maximum. I stalled the bike crossing train tracks alone & miles from home. I kicked that beast for so long I made a hole in my work boot just in time for that famous kick-back you got to enjoy. I actually cried multiple times because I still had to keep kicking with my broken food & damaged boot. The relief I felt when that bike fired to life I will never forget. I found procedure to start-#1-throttle wide open & lean bike over till fuel spills out carb. #2-throttle wide open, choke off, kick over few times to get fuel in cyl. #3-choke on, throttle closed, kick past tdc then jump on kicker with every ounce of your soul. That bike started on 1st kick EVERY TIME after that. I wish I never sold it. Love/hate for sure. Enjoy that demon from hell while you can.

A true legend, and deserves a full restoration ✌️

Guys, Charles is such a great addition to the team. I am so glad you brought him on.

Back in early 2000's, a budy I worked with took a cr500 and swapped it into a 250r racing quad. Apparently, it wasn't too difficult to do (some welding and manual convincing), and when alI was said and done, I felt it was appropriate to tell him he just created a 2 stroke monster. And when I say that thing was loud, what I really mean is, that thing was practically fucking ear shattering. Just sitting on the quad and reving it would make your eyes vibrate. Seriously, once, after waiting for a traffic light, I watched my buddy leave 50ft+ strips down the street straight smoking tire the whole time. It was such a untamed beast because it tried to kill you every time you rode the damn thing.

I've had my two since 1999 and 2000. Still both are running strong. My 1989 started being hard to start but a buddy told me to upgrade the wiring to a thicker gauge so I did. Needless to say it went from being almost impossible to kick over to starting on the second kick everytime. May help may not but it's worth a shot.

Here’s a tip. Check the packing in the muffler/silencer. There might be oil in the packing which reduces the exhaust making it harder to kick.

Ike, don't be a Hero. We all want to see you live a long life.. Also it's good to see Chuck on the revival of the 80s.

The reed valve’s are sticking from setting up so long. Clean with brake fluid,also look thru the valve the same way the fuel flows towards the sun or a light. If you see daylight around the edges you should adjust the valve to seal by moving the petals around and retighten the little screws. The petals are sticking from 2-stroke oil in storage. Be careful not to stick the piston in the cylinder when jetting the carburetor,it sounds rich.

Had 2 CR500's one was a road legal supermoto and the other was in MX trim. My starting sequence was - put the bike in gear, place a hand on top of the back wheel and move it backwards and forwards making the engine turn over, this primed the cylinder with fuel and it started within a couple of kicks, I dont know why this worked because it does the same as kicking it over but it did work, another way was a small shot of fuel down the spark plug hole.

I owned a 1987 CR 500 for abut five years. The carb. sounds rich on the slow and mid circuits. Start it with no throttle because the enrichment circuit (not choke) only functions with a closed throttle plus it didnt look like it was being kicked with a full stroke and not fast enough.

I’m dying laughing seeing John’s leg buckle trying to kick the 500 over 🤣🤣 Love y’all!!

I have an 1981 CR125R, and I had a problem where when it got hot, it stopped working. The problem was the ignition coil (inside the magneto), swapped it to a new one and it was like different bike after that. These old 2 strokes need a really good strong spark, as the pressure inside the cylinder get really high on high rpm. I would start there, just get all new (if you find them) electric parts and it will solve most of the starting and running problems!

There are a couple of tricks for starting the 500, leaving over to get fuel out is a good start, making sure the choke is on, putting in the second gear and rocking the bike back-and-forth in gear front to back will help draw more fuel and air into the crank case, making starting much easier Also need to get a full kick to the bottom of the stop, that really makes a big difference as well, the ignition on the 8586 models was not very good, upgrading to the newer one helps a lot, I will usually modify a Newer, CR 250 ignition, that makes starting even easier.And also make sure your plug gap is .020

Definitely was one of the most terrifying bikes I've been on but so much fun to ride one.

The sub frame tilts up to remove carburetor

I have faith in that new ignition coil and magneto. Engines are finicky and 1 bad part can throw the whole thing off. a slow RPM from a kick may still trigger a spark to get it going every 10 kicks, but if the magnet is weak or the coil burned out or corroded it's probably putting out a small fraction of the proper spark it would get from new parts. Good luck. You guys look like some good friends, and that's a wild fun project. Enjoy!

Got to love this , a friends brother had one of these in the early 90’s . Road legal, he used to wait 200-300 yards behind traffic at the lights , when they changed he used to wheelie down the outside lane overtaking everyone beating the lights before they changed to red. .😂❤ Thank god they invented starter motors. 😇🇬🇧 Awesome piece of kit .

I see you guys are stepping it up a notch with the quality! John, Issac (Hopefully it’s spelt right) , Charles you are all the best of the best! I’m sure y’all know that. 👌

When I was younger, I had a Yamaha TT500 (4 stroke), owned it for 2 days and sold it ASAP. I am only 150 lbs and that thing was a monster like the CR500 are. I eventually got a CR250R (1984) and that alone was scary quick, fast and hard to kick over, at least for me it was, but it was fun!

Awesome bike ! I enjoyed watching you guys get this old beast running. One tip that I have found to get a 2 strokes that have been sitting around running would be to dump a little mixed gas down the cylinder head prior to attempting to start the bike. This helps get the bike to prime and fire up. Great video !

My progression into racing motocross all started out with Go-Karts !!!! You guys rock

Tell me why he looked like kid rock when he was sitting on the bike when it was still in the box lol 😂 🤣

So far, this has been one of my favorite videos. I remember seeing these as a kid while riding a 175, it was always awesome to see what guys were doing on these bikes. Keep up the good work and Please restore it to "mostly" it's former glory!

My first race bike was a cr480 with a left side kick, then the 490 and a few years later a cr500. Now I trail ride a crf450. The big two strokes don’t really enjoy low rpm if I remember correctly and do enjoy 3rd gear starts when the gate drops . Just keep your nuts on the tank and you’ll be fine.

You need to kick these from top dead center if you want a reliable first/second kick start up EVERY time. You also need to kick down with all of your weight on the kick lever after winding it up to TDC with the kick lever ALL the way up like I said. Mine fires right up easy with an air striker flat slide carb upgrade doing as I mentioned. You can also wind it up to TDC with the Kick lever as far up as it can go while still grabbing, push down easy on the kick start with your foot a little bit till it moves down just a tad then kick it from there if you really struggle. Putting something beside the left side of the bike a little bit higher then the peg to put your left foot on while kicking it helps big time as well because it’s easier to get your weight into the kick to make sure your getting a hard/quick enough kick every time. When I kick down on mine I pick myself up with my arms on the bars to pick up my left foot with the right foot firm against the kick lever at either TDC or a hair past it and literally drop all my weight down while kicking with my right foot. Your foot should never come off of that kick start/lever and should be firmly touching against it the whole time or you won’t be able to effectively use your weight and kick it over quick enough. I’ve found that tipping them over and all that crap can cause more headaches then good and you’ll experience some kick back, opening the throttle at all while it’s got fuel in the cylinder from laying it down is bad and you will get the kickback of a lifetime that will ever move you out of the way or bust your shin/etc and move it out of the way as it kicks back which can put the fear of god in you and make starting the thing a scary experience until you figure it out. The bike shouldn’t kick back if the jetting/carb is dialed in and you can get some fuel moving to the cylinder for an easier start after sitting for a period of time by putting the bike in 3rd/4th/or 5th gear and then rapidly push it forward and backwards like 6 times with a small pump of the throttle… Laying it over can flood it if your not experienced and you do that quickly if that’s the route you take, rocking it back in forth in gear will accomplish the same without over doing it so you don’t break your leg off. Always try to start it with the choke kicking it over as I described and slowly turn the choke off more and more if no luck and it should fire, if you kick it several times and get to the point that the choke is fully off then try two quick pumps of the throttle with choke off or slightly on. If you have no luck at that point then resort to rocking it back and forth in a higher gear or tipping it over really quick and picking it back up. Ideally it should be starting for you without having to touch the throttle while actually kicking it over because your chances of receiving kick back are high at that point. I’ve never had a 500 kick back on me after I figured that stuff out and quit trying to open the throttle too much while kicking it incase it actually fires up quickly and dies in the middle of kicking down and breaks your foot. Sometimes on rare occasions the bike while keep running after breaking your leg kicking back but at that point your lucky if you can ride it.. Most of the time it lights off and then dies though so it just breaks your leg and the bike still isn’t running 😂. It’s the nature of the beast if you want to be ride a CR500 and have a pleasant experience instead of absolutely hating the thing unless it’s actually running lol. The key is to kick it from TDC and it takes more effort then kick starting any other machine, I would rather kick start a high compression 4 stroke 450cc quad or dirt bike engine any day because they are nothing compared to that big bore 500 2 stroke. I have a 2006 CRF250R Honda four stroke motocross chassis with CR500 engine swap so a CR500AF, AF=Aluminum frame, with weight and nimbleness of a 125cc 2 stroke MX bike but the power and torque of the CR500 so if you think that stocker steel frame bike is insane you should ride a CR500AF sometime with a modern, lightweight aluminum chassis with mods! My AF blew my mind the first ride and it almost feels like cheating riding the thing it is so wicked!!! Hopefully what I said makes sense to you as far as starting goes because it makes the bikes a lot more enjoyable to have and want to rip it! Been riding for 30 years and raced 450cc quad MX for several years but I learned on 3 wheels at age 4 and always rode three wheelers, quads, and dirt bikes over the years instead of sticking to one because it really helps as an overall rider and I’ve dedicated most all of my free time to the sport to get better and better. I enjoy watching your videos and I really loved this one with the CR500, GREAT JOB as always guys!!!! Keep doing what you do and maybe think about finding a burnt out, cheap aluminum frame modern dirt bike with a solid chassis at least with a blown motor, preferably a Honda CRF250R chassis 06 to 08 ish to keep the weight down. You can buy all the parts and new front lower frame section, etc to fit the 500 into those Honda chassis. You have to cut and weld the aluminum frame but it’s pretty straightforward and you can buy the pieces pre made of you don’t need any to fab your own kit. It’s really not that bad money wise and what you end up with, TRULY IS INSANE!!!! You have the motor already which is a better part of the battle lol. Just a thought! I basically never have to rock my bike or tip it, it fires up quickly and reliably even after sitting for awhile since the carb is tuned perfectly so I really only did that before starting when I first got a 500 and it was new to me but everyone told me the same thing I have commented here and after doing it the right way and learning for myself these bikes really aren’t that hard to get started. As long as the carb is properly jetted for the fuel/oil mix ratio your putting in the tank and it is clean and getting enough fuel flowing, no air leaks, and clean intake/ reeds/air filter/no excess buildup in the exhaust, expansion chamber, good compression, spark, etc you shouldn’t have to struggle to get it started with the kick lever or have kick back. I run 40:1 fuel/oil mix ratio with either premium ethanol free gasoline, or premium gasoline mixed with some VP 110 to bump up the octane a little bit with “Dominator” 2-stroke oil in my 500 and it runs mint. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XDwP6aQ-Dy8.html&feature=sharea

Never really comment but this is what the channel needs. Don't swap the motor leave it where it rightfully needs to be

You guys need to see what an old CR 500 can be.... Check out FAB Rats and the fellow who rebuilt his CR,it came out looking like it was straight off the showroom floor only better. It's an incredible resto job!!!

This brought to mind, back in the 70s when I was riding dirt bikes, the big ones all had a compression release to make kicking them over easier.

My buddy had one of these in 1988. We were 15, just kicking the thing over was tough. Riding it was interesting and by interesting i mean scary. My buddy had that thing flying and ripping. Wicked bike.

Oh lord brings a tear to my eye. I had the exact bike in 88 as an 18 yr old and it tried to kill you every time. It was amazing and i rode it every day its what made us men and the 80s amazing!!! I rode it to school in Nike hightops daily. Thanks so much for doing this machine!!!

Holy crap! What a nice find, I love the CR500 body style, and that 2 stroke sounds awesome when you let off the throttle. Nice job getting to run

I bought a brand new CR 500 in 1987 that was a leftover they couldnt sell. It wasnt long and I bought a Husqi 510 AE. The Husq literally scared the hell out of me with its crazy powerband. Funny thing is that I still own them both today and give them a run every weekend and the Husq is still scary..lol

The original seat had a cutout near the tank for your manhood since it takes some big 🍒 to ride it. And most seats need to be redone from the brown stains from the uninitiated. 15ft roosters at 10% throttle. The best tires, a worn knobby with crazy knobs on the sides. Grips on the corners, when it digs down the knobs grab to propel it, but the flat main allows for it to spin instead of blowing you off. I put a new tire and had a horrible time with mine, I loved the worn used tire, especially for racing in sand

I think it’s worth a restore. Cool piece of dirt bike history!

As someone with a lot experience with a few CR500s i was back and forth laughing and cringing at rookie 500 owner mistakes 😆 obviously kicking an untested 500 without a boot was gonna get someone a boo boo, but what was REALLY scary to me was riding it without front brakes 😬

yes, restore it. please. i had one of these when i was younger and it fed my passion for motorsports which im still involved in to this day

Sounds amazing but make sure your expansion chamber is clean and clear also your power valve needs to be clean and clear and if you're running and Big bore kit it should be 40 to 1

I've always loved your channel, but this one had me giggling all the way through. Thanks for helping me relive my youth. Fanfreakingtastic video!

Man this thing takes me back to my childhood. I’m a 82 baby and my dad had one of these. Took it for a joy ride after me and 3 of my friends all hurt ourselves tryin to get it started. Good times! Another awesome video guys

Definitely 150% restore the Beast!!! I learned to ride on a 87 CR500. Also had a 97 KX500. The CR 500 was my favorite of the handful bikes i had years ago.

Everything you mentioned about replacing electrical wise is a very good idea, it’s a short stroke motor. so it’s definitely an animal too ride 😳 if you’re gonna change the crank seals go for a top end rebuild, air filter , clutch plates ,, silencer packing, it’s an iconic bike what you put into it your gonna get back if you ever sell ( don’t)and change the gearbox oil if you haven’t already great show and good luck 🍀👍🙏

two things... it was made to loft you over 60ft doubles after accelerating for around 8-10ft, and when you hit the powerband with enough grip to load the engine fully you'll hear a sound that sounds like war... thats full power

Had a couple of maico"s left hand kick" 12:01 compression factory, don't loose you're kickstarter in the woops in the trails somewhere miles back, hard enough to push start on pavement 1,2 gear, bumpstart but in the dirt or trail " yeah

I’ve had kinda same problem. The way I got a lot oil out of motor was took the spark out and had my dad pull me around like a jump start to clear the inside out

i had a CR500 and i still have the scare up the inside of my leg from it kicking back. always have steal shank sole boots to try to start it. but that thing is a beast.

If there's 2 stroke, I'm here!!!! 2 stroke power forever!!!!!! 💥💥💥💥💥

I'm almost 60 now, I still have 2 CR500's IIRC one's a 1990 and the other is a 94. Need to get them running again and go riding. Need to find long flat straight land to ride these bikes wide open! First time I ever rode one was on the test ride buying the 1994 CR500 up in Dallas, I gave er' a wee bit to much throttle and my big ass went up & over backwards & was sliding on my shins for about 35 feet in a grass field hoping not to tumble over several times LOL 🤪💯. The bike tumbled a few times over but to our surprise we didn't find any damage luckily...😲 Thanks for sharing, you'll have a ton of fun riding it😵‍💫.

Just a suggestion. You should probably do a leak down test to insure you don’t have a seal leak somewhere in the motor it will burn a 2-stroke up if too much air is getting in. And a crank seal will allow trans fluid into the crank causing it to foul plugs.

PROUD OF YALL FOR GIVING IT A SHOT, IM SURE YOUR VIEWERS ARE HAPPY.

Oh my.. I've had 2 of the widow makers back in the day. I wouldn't ride it without being able to feather the front brake.. with it being hard to start, check the compression. If it checks out then take the carb completely apart & make sure the idle jet or the main isn't plugged.. sometimes when ya run outta gas on them older big bore 2 strokes lean out & run wide open for a minute.. fix the brakes guys for yalls safety.. be safe. & good luck, have fun...

I've had quite a few big bore 2 strokes, KX420, KX500, YZ465, IT490 but none of those bikes could keep up with the CR500!! Nice rare find!!

I'd LOVE to see more of this legend!❤ I had trouble with my 2smoker, check the expansion chamber and clean it out with FIRE and compressed air. Got my Husqy running gooood

Also, Careful running the fuel tank dry alot. Causes a lean condition every time and the piston wont like that 😁

About time you guys tackle a big bore 2 stroke dirt bike. Granted I’m a KX500 fan but I can’t complain about seeing this legends come back to life.

A tip of advice for two strokes, instead of starting fluid. You’re supposed to use pre mix in a squirt/mist bottle. At least that’s what I was always told ! :)

Finally a real bike! I get that whole mini bike stuff, but dirt bikes and proper bikes reach a far bigger audience for you guys. I reckon focus on this for the future, like old car stuff you've guys done blows up. Lawnmower engines are cool but kind of done it's dash ...keep this up guys

Try putting in a set of boysen 2 stage reeds in the original manifold. Go one size hotter on the plug, double check jetting to see if has been changed, and definitely get brakes working. Those 500s are at their best in sand dunes, had allot of fun with the CR500 and KTM495 on the dunes and in the desert. Be safe:)

17:46 for future reference and for a LOT less fighting take off the sub frame on the bike and it makes putting the carb in 1,000,000x easier its a bit more work but helps so much more

You always restore a monster and definitely a older monster cause that is where it all started from. Great job guys. Can’t wait to see it finished and purring

You guys walked me through covid and helped me on some of my builds. Love to see how far you guys have come! 🔥

Those bikes are monsters, I had a 91 back in the early 2000s and by far the torquey bike I've ever had. I swear mine had a compression release that made it much easier to start

I had the kickstarter punch through my O'Neil boot from a backfire, broke my foot! 😂 it had a tiny Crack on the main jet, but after I fixed it was able to start first kick every time. Tuning is key to having a great cr500!

Love this one!! Reminds me so much of my first 2 stroke dirt bike drive! What a rush!!! It will throw a rooster tail as long as you hold it! Awesome y’all!

Love the 500. Can’t wait to see more episodes on it. Definitely restore!!👍🏻

Complete restoration, it's a once in a lifetime find. What a 2 stroke beast.

I had one of those. Practically gave it away when I couldn't find a piston large enough for another boar. Even Weisco couldnt get the next size larger piston. Yea, it was a beast. Needed re-sleved-----cost prohibitive. Pistons tend to sieze when it gets hot.

I have some CR 500 experience and the first thing I can tell you about it seemingly starving for fuel is that the carb float is probably set to low. Secondly, make sure the carb jetting is the original size and the needle is in the factory set position. CR 500s are absolutely awesome. Robbie Knievel made a CR his bike of choice for good reason👍🏻

Love it when your neighbour makes an appearance haha. You could give him his own show!

Keep it in the higher gears and let the torque do the work

I’m really liking the longer vids love y’all keep it up ❤

I remember when y’all picked this up. I’ve been waiting for it to make an appearance. Good luck boys!

I've ridden one once. That was enough for me. Y'all handled it well, but keep in mind that you haven't gotten it in the power band yet and that's a whole next level of insanity!

My old CR500 was the first bike that taught me proper hand position on the throttle. WHEN it throws you back, you don't want an accidental WOT. It also was the first bike I had where a front brake was required. It was great for desert riding. When I quit traveling to the desert every week, I brought it home and discovered it was too fast in any gear to ride cow trails without insurance.

The 85 engine is unique. The cylinder and crankshaft are different than the other CR 500 models. Mine was hard to start like that one is. Later ones were easier to start because they moved the exhaust ports to lower compression.

I am coming to Busco Beach in October! I can't wait, never been before! Great video!

This bike deserves a full restoration!!!! It's a perfect machine!!!

Do a crankcase pressure test to check the integrity of the crank seals. It sounds a bit lean as you guys are riding it, especially in the mid-range. Leaking crank seals will cause hard starting. I'd drop the clip on the jet needle to the second from bottom position to richen up the midrange, definitely get both brakes working and put the biggest knobby tire you can get on the back and a sharp new knobby on the front. Then hang on!!

The thing with these cr500's (had two myself, an '86 and a '88) is you have to kick it the right way and really do it with persistence. Use work boots or mx boots or something, with thick soles. Also, do a leak down test (look up: 2t leak down) to exclude any airleaks which can make starting a pain. These bikes should start pretty easy like any other 2t when sorted. Good luck!

Wait until you get that beast running properly guys, these bikes are phenomenal 👌🏻

I have a 96, .050 over, 10:1 comp, I don't have to even get off the seat to start it. The throttle is more of a on/off switch, they're not a high revving engine and have a close ratio gearbox meaning first gear is really tall and then they're all super close. It definitely chews your nerves riding it. Not much really equals it. Love the things.

Awesome video!! Great job guys, I’m sure you’ll turn this into something pretty SWEET!!! 👌👍

If you are just running pre-mixed fuel and gas, use Opti-2 two stroke oil. Follow the directions on the oil jug. I bet a lot of the issues clear up by themselves

There are a few episodes where I worry about your safety, and this was one of them. That bike is just plain dangerous. I rode that bike's little brother, a similar year 250, and it was crazy powerful. I vote for bringing it back to its former glory, taking it for a run around the track, then immediately selling it, lol.

I had the KX500 its kawi brother and the cr500(the kawi was faster), lol. BUT The carby def still needs work, you can even get a whole new flatslide carb for it if you get tired of tinkering with that one. Also, double and triple check side seals. Basically they can suck air through your crank seals, usually it causes lean conditions or bogging, almost all older 2 strokes will need a set of crank seals. Usually the revs or idle will hang when that happens tho. You could just do the crankseals for the heck of it, then youd know for sure if your issues are purely carby and fuel related. But leaky crank seals can cause erratic running, kinda like you guys were experiencing, especially at w0t.

I had a 1982 RM465 that I bought new. This brings back memories. I knew what was going to happen to his foot when I saw he was kicking it with a tennis shoe.

My buddy had one of these MONSTERS. He would beg me to take turns trying to kick-start this thing. My last starting assist, the kick starter went through my brand new Alpine Star Tech-6 boots. My buddy has since sold this MONSTER. This video brought me so much joy. Thank you.

i love how charlie pulls off the coolant hose in the back and smakes the face of *that aint supposed to happen*🤣, priceless haha

They used to make a compression release for those high comp. 2 strokes to make it easier to kick start them.

Can't wait to see you guys restore this bike an it's running mint with everything working

Reminds me building my 86 cr250 and 87 cr125, imo champion plug and 40:1 to 50:1 , it took just over a year on my cr250 to get it right chasing them same troubles

I had a KTM 300 2 stroke. Thought that was beast. Couldn't imagine what a 500cc be like.

Guys, please be careful on this bike! I want to enjoy many more years of content from all three of you...

I had a 85? 84? XR500. I still have the divit in my shin from the Kickstarter. High compression 500cc 4 stroke during the winter, and it kicked me up in the air and slammed against my shin. But I could keep up with ANY 2 stroke. The downfall, dual rear shocks and I barely weighed 137lbs when I got it so absolutely NO upward travel. But the huge front tire was awesome for curb hoping. But it had absolutely so much torque you could shift whenever you wanted, and you could take off in any gear. You could basically shift straight through all the gears back to back and it just went! Miss that bike. If you ever decide to get rid of that, let me know, I would LOVE to have another from that era