XR500 (and similar) legends and lies thread

[Racing Dave]

Paper photos scanned...

My Honda XL350 is of the era - in fact pre-XL/XR500. Here's mine in 1977 at Hobsonville, in what was a new subdivision then.

The other is my XR500 motor in an RM125Z frame (built for me by Peter Sales) at Wigram sometime in the '80s. This was in the "good old days" when we used to run open bike racing there at the weekends. Now, of course, that's a new subdivision.

Cheers

[helenoftroy]

Fantastic ! - TWR your shots bring back memories (was an Ashburton girl ) my brother & his mates, including Ross Horsborough racing motocross meets (Scrambles back then )

Only new bike I have ever owned was an XL500,I was 22 & I loved it.....

[thepom]

Is that you on the back wheel dave?...again...!

[T.W.R]

Fantastic ! - TWR your shots bring back memories (was an Ashburton girl ) my brother & his mates, including Ross Horsborough racing motocross meets (Scrambles back then )

Only new bike I have ever owned was an XL500,I was 22 & I loved it.....

Used to have heaps of pics from meetings around Canterbury; all the good old tracks . Got a few more up at the Ashburton lakes too.

geez just did a count on these damn things the XR500, 2x XR250s & 2x XL250sa

[Kickaha]

The other is my XR500 motor in an RM125Z

Little bro bought one of those from Eric the Hood probably in the late eighties, got a ambulance ride the first night of ownership, lunched the motor two weeks later, got it rebuilt and we all thrashed it without mercy, not sure where it went in the end but it was a fun ride, had a bunch of HRC shit in it

[Racing Dave]

The first is a rather spirited two-up crossing of the Okuku River in Lees Valley, and the other taken on the road to French Pass, in the Marlborough Sounds, overlooking D'Urville Island.

[10bikekid]

Cool shots Dave

One of the benefits of being, shall we say maturer, we have cool old pics

[brp]

Kool topic 10 - clothing a crack up - some of it looks few decades older than the bikes

[10bikekid]

Kool topic 10 - clothing a crack up - some of it looks few decades older than the bikes

Yer, some good shots being posted

your comments reminded me of this shot, the guy would kill me if he knew I posted (paints and boots from the 60s bikes from the 90s)


And this pic of my Hallman Mach 5 desert racing body armour which I bought from the States in 80s that still does dirt bike duties today (unsure if its still considered modern but am to old to care)

[10bikekid]

I promised a story so here goes, (you judge if its true or not)

Some of the locals had just purchased a brand new CR250M (red with red frame) and apparently it was the fastest thing on two wheels.
An unamed said XR500 owner was sort out so they could promptly embarrass him with their whole clan spectating at our local drag strip (near 1/4mile straight on the back road to the local prison)

Said XR rider agreed to a duel, and a start flag and girl member of family to wave it.

Two smoke and XR sit at start line revving, flag drops, XR immediately lifts its front wheel though rider is on tank trying to hold it down.
XR shift into 2nd wheel still in air cant see CR so shift into third wheel still aloft and considers if it time to hunker down and get serios, cant see CR so shift into 4th, no CR shifts into fifth and continues on finally dropping wheel as the need to brake as end of road looms, turns around and CR is still coming

XR 1 CR nil

Strange thing is they wanted a second chance so XR wheelie was repeated in the opposite direction with same result.
CR family went home a little dejected and never bothered XR rider again (sounds feasible ?)

This is actual road said event occurred on back in about 1980


Think this was the CR as they were sold as play bikes brand new into the 80s so easy meat for an XR500 really

[brp]

He looks like a twin of a dude that use to do wednesday nite rides down here, steel caps and all, only exception is
he wore one of those bikie type black facemarks, he was like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica following behind, eyes only visible
part - leaving Diamond Harbour late one night wound the tap on the XR and a stone dislodged from the E07 rear and exploded
the big round headlight on his 900 trumpie

Yah look like an old hardcore MXer in ya kit


Mate reckons he had a twin carb xr250r that he had spent $2000 on back in the day
and it could take down an xr500 in a drag - could it be possible ?

[avgas]

Still the best era of trail bikes. New ones just look like shit. Monoshocks and fancy plastic.

[DR Girl]

Cool pics & stories.
A baby version of the XR500
My 1979 XR185. Ordered before the 185 was released in NZ & the first in HB. Nothing like perth gumboots, jeans & an open face for protection
You should see what I wear now lol !!!

[Waipukbiker]

Finally, photographic proof of Robyns mis-spent youth

[10bikekid]

He looks like a twin of a dude that use to do wednesday nite rides down here, steel caps and all, only exception is
he wore one of those bikie type black facemarks, he was like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica following behind, eyes only visible
part - leaving Diamond Harbour late one night wound the tap on the XR and a stone dislodged from the E07 rear and exploded
the big round headlight on his 900 trumpie

Yah look like an old hardcore MXer in ya kit


Mate reckons he had a twin carb xr250r that he had spent $2000 on back in the day
and it could take down an xr500 in a drag - could it be possible ?

Thanks for the hardcore comments and in regard to xr250r, just to give an idea, XR500s were dynoid stock at 33,-34 rwhp, xr250r about 22rwhp, I doubt anything less than methonal breathing drag engine treatment would pull the extra 10rwhp required to allow the 250 to have a chance

I'm going to vote lies on that one

Just for interest sake the bikes my own XR500's conquered in drag contests, TT500, RD350, CB500four, KZ750twin and many smaller capacity victims (not boasting much but actually never lost a drag and larger bikes were rare in those days and wasn't silly enough to seek out anything over 750cc)