OzVMX Forum
Marketplace => Wanted => Topic started by: James Lee on February 21, 2012, 10:49:25 am
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Im looking for a ready to ride pre 90 big bore,hopefully before the weekend.Have cash and also a good running 83 rm125 I could throw in if its more than I can afford.Cheers,James 0266661487.
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What about this one ? It looks good 8)
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=22439.msg225087;topicseen#msg225087
Getting it before the week-end could be a challenge
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James if you look on the retro website www.retrodirtbike.com i have my cr500 listed for sale. You have to log into the website to view the pictures. Cheers Dean
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http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KAWASAKI-KX500-/380413112972?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item589263728c
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kawasaki-KX500-VMX-1989-/270917362168?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item3f13eee1f8
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/YAMAHA-YZ490-1986-S-MODEL-Hi-Res-Pics-Below-VMX-CR500-KX500-RM500-/260960309336?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item3cc2725058
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I spoke with robin about the 87 model listed on ebay,sonds like a nice bike then someone told me they arnt a good bike and to find an 88 or 89.Robins bike fits right in with my budget and I like KXs.Anyone know of any faults on the 87 KX500?I would love an 83-84 KX500 but dont think my budget will allow
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I spoke with robin about the 87 model listed on ebay,sonds like a nice bike then someone told me they arnt a good bike and to find an 88 or 89.Robins bike fits right in with my budget and I like KXs.Anyone know of any faults on the 87 KX500?I would love an 83-84 KX500 but dont think my budget will allow
What .. you mean aside from the fact it a Kwakasaki?? ;D
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The 87 KX500 is not a bad thing. The 88 has much better forks, better ergos, and a better shock (in that order of importance only the forks really matter).
The motor is different 87 vs 88 vs 89, but they're all good. If anything, the 89 tends to have too much bottom end power, making them a handful. Plus the Aussie 89s have those rubbish early USD forks.
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James if you look on the retro website www.retrodirtbike.com i have my cr500 listed for sale. You have to log into the website to view the pictures. Cheers Dean
Damn it i just bought a 89 CR500 6 weeks ago...
Deans bike wouldve been the better buy :(
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Dont you like the kwakas Craig?Ive has 3 CR500s and each one has had a rotton smashed up frame underneath.The last one looked good but after a few rides the bog fell out so I thought Id try a KX this time.Thanks for the advice Nathan.I think Ill go and look at Robins one.If I never ride an 88 Ill never know the difference.
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I believe you can mod the 87 forks and make them nearly as good as the 88's.
I know because my ones (87's) have been fixed and work real nice!
Still if you are slow like me, it doesn't really matter.
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Dont you like the kwakas Craig?
No mate, not a big lover of the green (flame suit on) but as I've never actually owned one I'm not really in a position to say too much. Sort of a viscious circle .. you know ... I don't like them, therefore I don't buy one, therefore I really don't know what they are like, therefore I don't buy one .. etc etc etc :)
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I believe you can mod the 87 forks and make them nearly as good as the 88's.
I know because my ones (87's) have been fixed and work real nice!
Still if you are slow like me, it doesn't really matter.
The 88s were a proper cartridge fork, rather than the 87's Travel Control Valve fork - the cartridge fork is fundamentally better.
I recently read that a cartridge fork added US$400 to the price of a new MX bike in the mid-late 1980s. Honda used them on the 86 CR250 and they were unquestionably the best forks out there. The other manufacturers faffed around in 1987, trying stuff like TCV to match the performance of the cartridge forks without the cost, but by 1988 they realised that they had to go to proper cartridge forks to be competitive. The superior forks were a big reason why the 87 Hondas dominated shoot-outs across the globe.
There's no doubt that the 87 KX forks can be hugely improved, though... For a start, the stock spring rates would suit an eight year old kid, better than they suit a typical VMX racer.
In 2012, its easier/cheaper to buy a pair of 88 forks and bolt them straight on - although their springs are still too soft for most of us.
The US-model 46mm RWU forks are even better, but you need the matching triples and front brake caliper to suit (and maybe brake rotor and wheel to suit).
On the rear, the 87 KXs had a fairly small, primitive valve piston. The valve piston from a late model (1995+) KDX shock will go in and is a better design but will require revalving to get it working better than the stock 87 KX item.
I'm pretty sure that a whole 88 KX shock will go into an 87 KX which gets you a bigger and better valve piston. The stock spring rates are radiacally different 87 vs 88, so I assume you'd need to revalve and respring the 88 shock in an 87 bike.
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I think my ones are 87 forks (they have a clicker on the bottom of the fork leg, which you turn with an allen key. The clicker does make a diffference to damping, or whatever the technical term is, (they get harder to opush down or softer). Can you tell that I am not very mechanical; :)
Apparently the insides were moded to bring them up to scratch. The good news for me, was that the mod's were already done when we opened the forks up.
They seem to be pretty good. No doubt not as good as cartiage forks but none the less much better than my early 80's bikes forks.
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I Know it's another CR500 James and you have had a few bad experiences with them before but what about this one:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HONDA-CR500-1987-LOW-HOUR-BIKE-POWERPIPE-AWSOME-DEAL-VMX-YZ490-/120851691424?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item1c235277a0
Seems to fit your budget?
I've spoken to this guy before and he has imported a number of bikes so might have something else for you if the CR isn't what you want.
Cheers
Craig
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What's with all the different pictures of different bikes ???
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Yea its hard to know what your bidding on.I rang him this morning and he has another CR500 thats supposed to be a good runner but has a long range tank,Ill take a look on my way to see the KX.