Old School still rules

**Sensei** · 12th July 2011, 21:03

For those lucky enough to have had or still have a Old school 500cc single then you will rememeber one of these .. Mate is doing some work on the bike pictured below , a 1979 XR500A that has being fully restored to even better than standard . I was lucky enough to take it up the road for a very carefull ride due to the fact it only had 50ks on a fully rebuilt motor & knowing how much time & effort had gone into getting this bike to where it is now , but what a great bit of kit . Very torquey motor with lots more to come once run in & it gets the supertrapp installed along with road gear & tyres it should be one sweet summer thumper , along with my Motard 79-TT500G afew other mates are getting their bikes ready as well a 1980 DR400T & a 84 XR500 roll on Summer Sinlges .. Hope a afew enjoy the pis

**maxlev** · 12th July 2011, 21:47

Had an XL500S mid 80's, did about 80,000 km on it, crapped off in the gravel hard out in 4th, was sore for many weeks.
Traded an old grey XL350 with 420 kit, wish I still had it.

Might be bit hard finding the 23 inch front tyres for the 500 now.

**helenoftroy** · 12th July 2011, 22:12

Sigh!!

That is one classic looking XR - nice !

Only bike I ever brought new was a XL500S when I was 22, did we have some adventures....& I mastered kick-starting the gorgus beast very quickly!

My 21yr old son has a XR650 atm

**240** · 12th July 2011, 23:42

I had an 84 mono shock xl500r.Grouse bike but a bastard to start! the first day i got it i went to get some beer from the local bottle store.
Outside were some "hard" core bikers (on triumphs of course) looking at the lad on the jappa.
I got a six pack and hopped on the xl (no elec start) kicked it over and it hit back at me so hard that it ripped my shoe in half and tore my jeans up the calf.!
I remember slowly getting off as if I had forgotten something,I didn't look at any one and walked around the corner as staunch as and then fucken collapsed and I could hear those arseholes laughing as I leaned on a wall trying to regain composure.
Auto decompression? my arse!
I mastered starting it once my calf healed and it was a fucken grouse bike.

**Paul in NZ** · 13th July 2011, 07:40

Man - thats great to see. Those things were everywhere once. Good to see it looking so well loved!

**Banditbandit** · 13th July 2011, 09:24

Yeah nice .. but old school? I thought this thread was going to be about Manx Nortons and BSA Gold Stars ...

Those are newish bikes as far as I'm concerned.

**Edbear** · 13th July 2011, 14:53

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

Yeah nice .. but old school? I thought this thread was going to be about Manx Nortons and BSA Gold Stars ...

Those are newish bikes as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, at my old school the boys had Matchless and AJS 500's. The rich kids had the Triumph 650's and I was poor and had a BSA B31...

**Banditbandit** · 13th July 2011, 15:41

Originally Posted by Edbear

Yeah, at my old school the boys had Matchless and AJS 500's. The rich kids had the Triumph 650's and I was poor and had a BSA B31...

Same ... but I had a B33 (plunger frame model - 1950 ...) The I graduated to a 650 Trumpy

**Edbear** · 13th July 2011, 15:48

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

Same ... but I had a B33 (plunger frame model - 1950 ...) The I graduated to a 650 Trumpy

Yeah, I lusted after the 650's esp the irridescent green but my next bike was a T500 from a mate who was going to Aus, hence my love affair with Suzuki's began.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 13th July 2011, 15:54

Originally Posted by Sensei

For those lucky enough to have had or still have a Old school 500cc single then you will rememeber one of these .. Mate is doing some work on the bike pictured below , a 1979 XR500A

While the XR500's go quite well, they can't hold a candle to your Yam as far as looks go mate!

**Indiana_Jones** · 13th July 2011, 15:57

mmmm old bikes

Looks very nice.

As with some of the others here, I'm a fan of the old Brit junk

Sadly I can only afford a Hinckley Triumph, funny isn't it? lol

-Indy

**Banditbandit** · 13th July 2011, 15:59

Originally Posted by Edbear

Yeah, I lusted after the 650's esp the irridescent green but my next bike was a T500 from a mate who was going to Aus, hence my love affair with Suzuki's began.

I must admit that before I got into the Brits (or even bought a bike) I liked the Suzuki 250 I think it was called a Hustler (or was that the 125) ... it was a twin .. much like a smaller Titan 500 ...

Then I discovered "cool" and went Brit ... and my Trumphy was irridescent Green .. it was an after-market job tho'

Now I own two Suzukis ...

**SPman** · 13th July 2011, 17:38

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

Yeah nice .. but old school? I thought this thread was going to be about Manx Nortons and BSA Gold Stars ...

Those are newish bikes as far as I'm concerned.

All a matter of perspective....to most people on here, this is old school. Goldies etc are prehistoric!

**Edbear** · 13th July 2011, 18:11

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

I must admit that before I got into the Brits (or even bought a bike) I liked the Suzuki 250 I think it was called a Hustler (or was that the 125) ... it was a twin .. much like a smaller Titan 500 ...

Then I discovered "cool" and went Brit ... and my Trumphy was irridescent Green .. it was an after-market job tho'

Now I own two Suzukis ...

The 250 was the Hustler, the 125 twin was the Stinger, My cousin had the 125 with the upswept pipes. I loved it! My B31 was a '51 and the plunger model.