Yeah, think it was air cooled. I should have a clear memory since I had to replace the top end at the track for him.Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback
When we sent him back out it was running rich as fuck. He liked the torque.
Ta
Yeah, think it was air cooled. I should have a clear memory since I had to replace the top end at the track for him.
When we sent him back out it was running rich as fuck. He liked the torque.
Fully qualified Sifter.
Dog of an engine. Great looking bike (the 83 and 84 KX500), but a dog for sure.
Kiwibiker
Interesting you should bring that up. that is likely the bike I had built up. Got Damon at Cycleworks to put that air cooled engine in a rolling chassis I picked up from AK. It absolutely had to have the airbox Richard Leong built for it to run properly. We took it to Ruapuna national round just weeks after the initial build. Richard built the airbox on the Friday night from a sheet of aluminum. It went from being a back of mid pack bike on Friday to me putting on 2nd on the grid of F3 in qualifying on saturday - just a split second behind Tony McMurdo. Then it lost third gear for the races dammit. I then totally ran out of money from 2 prior seasons of senior production and one of superbike. To this day I felt if that bike had been developed further in the right direction it could have been a class winner.
In 93 I did a flat 1.17 around Manfield on the water cooled Kx500 I got from Pete, and it took something like 7 or 8 years before a 4 stroke finally beat that time, and the motor was not even at it's best that day. Pete is right, 450 four stokes are faster and easier to ride. I'll not forget the day I came up against Pete riding a RMZ450 at a tar based supermoto race at a new suburb in the making at Upper Hutt. I ended up on my arse twice on the same bloody off camber corner and Pete rode stylishly off into the distance for the race wins.
However, everything that most riders dislike about KX500's - being abrupt (even with extra flywheel weight added) cantankerous, wildly vibrating beasts of a bike is everything I personally "LOVE" about them.
The feeling I get from it while ascending the local gravel road "The Rising sun" with it "on the pipe" fully sideways, yet with it somehow wheel standing at the same time - for me is an unparalleled experience on a dirt bike
Last edited by sugilite; 14th May 2016 at 11:50. Reason: Named the racetrack - doh
Fully qualified Sifter.
Yeah. I still love 'em for the same reasons. Fuck, I love my RM400T race bike, and it's a pile of shit compared to a KX500 of any year. Amazing what you can get your jollies from eh!? But the RM will still wheelstand in any gear given enough traction. Pity it has no brakes etc etc...oh the *charm* of it...
However, everything that most riders dislike about KX500's - being abrupt (even with extra flywheel weight added) cantankerous, wildly vibrating beasts of a bike is everything I personally "LOVE" about them.
The feeling I get from it while ascending the local gravel road "The Rising sun" with it on "the pipe" fully sideways, yet with it somehow wheel standing at the same time - for me is an unparalleled experience on a dirt bike
Kiwibiker
Wow, your RM400T is one sweet machine Pete, awesome!
I can remember as a 14 year old pedaling my Mongoose bmx bike up wrights hill watching in amazement as a mighty PE400T went past. RM400's were mythical entities until I saw one being ridden up there. The earth shook and I was in complete awe!
Fully qualified Sifter.
Hahahaha...cheers mate! I had a 400C as a kid, but always wanted an N or a T. Had several now and just love them. Prob goes like a modern 250 2T but with more torque. Pity last time I raced it I fucked myself good and proper. Still waiting on shoulder surgery, and to top it all off, I tore the bicep clean off the bone on my bad side about three weeks ago. And they tell me they won't ever re-attach it. Fucking over it all I must say. Been a very long and painful 8 months I must say.
No8 Wire Extraordinaire
Rich barstard, only ever had an HMX500 to pedal through the mud puddles in the Arena. That and the dreaded suspension bike.
My brother had a mad dutch mate Rob Vink who used to show up on a RM250 on his way to wrights hill, think might have been a T, and he lived in Thorndon or somewhere. Ahh the 80s.
That race in upper hutt, was that the one mixed with buckets? Drove through there today.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Ta
Yip, that's the bike. Never had an air box when Jimmy Got It.Interesting you should bring that up. that is likely the bike I had built up. Got Damon at Cycleworks to put that air cooled engine in a rolling chassis I picked up from AK. It absolutely had to have the airbox Richard Leong built for it to run properly. We took it to Ruapuna national round just weeks after the initial build. Richard built the airbox on the Friday night from a sheet of aluminum. It went from being a back of mid pack bike on Friday to me putting on 2nd on the grid of F3 in qualifying on saturday - just a split second behind Tony McMurdo. Then it lost third gear for the races dammit. I then totally ran out of money from 2 prior seasons of senior production and one of superbike. To this day I felt if that bike had been developed further in the right direction it could have been a class winner.
In 93 I did a flat 1.17 around Manfield on the water cooled Kx500 I got from Pete, and it took something like 7 or 8 years before a 4 stroke finally beat that time, and the motor was not even at it's best that day. Pete is right, 450 four stokes are faster and easier to ride. I'll not forget the day I came up against Pete riding a RMZ450 at a tar based supermoto race at a new suburb in the making at Upper Hutt. I ended up on my arse twice on the same bloody off camber corner and Pete rode stylishly off into the distance for the race wins.
However, everything that most riders dislike about KX500's - being abrupt (even with extra flywheel weight added) cantankerous, wildly vibrating beasts of a bike is everything I personally "LOVE" about them.
The feeling I get from it while ascending the local gravel road "The Rising sun" with it "on the pipe" fully sideways, yet with it somehow wheel standing at the same time - for me is an unparalleled experience on a dirt bike
Fucken pig of a thing.
Kiwibiker
Not quite what it seems. I had a panther, and snapped the frame, they replaced under warranty, and I snapped another, then had all the usual panther daily punctures due to shit design mag wheels. My being obsessed with doing jumps on it "may" have had something to do with it
My father had a friend coming from the States, who put a Mongoose Super Goose frame and one piece crank, which I then married up to a set of Tuff 2 wheels. No more breakages after that.
The Mongoose frame was a good price direct from the States, not anything like what the NZ shops were selling them for. Days before the internet eh!
Yes, I think it was combined with buckets that day in Upper Hutt, though I did not get a great view spending half the day lying about on the track
Kiwibiker
If it came with fitted that shit crescent carb that had been bored out with a round hole, would of knee capped it too. When I put my 38mm KX250 carb on it made a great difference as well.
Enigma
Jeeezus pete ! Thought I'd mention my experience. I biffed a Bandit 1200 about 10 years ago.Still waiting on shoulder surgery, and to top it all off, I tore the bicep clean off the bone on my bad side about three weeks ago. And they tell me they won't ever re-attach it. Fucking over it all I must say. Been a very long and painful 8 months I must say.
Picked it up at an awkward uphill angle and ripped the bicep off the elbow joint.
(brain was stronger than the bicep lol). No pain at all either !
Wgton Surgeon said, what do you want me to do,we sometimes leave those,what do you do for a job ????!!!!! I was amazed. ( I was still a policeman so that may have helped ?) But he agreed to fix it (ACC). I had to push for it tho.
Jump up and down a bit mate,you only get one body!
You'd never go hungry with Nigella Gaz.
If it weren't for flashbacks...I'd have no memory at all..
Ta
The things ya find out. Always wondered why the slide didn't go to the bottom of the bore in the carb. I was about 15 when we took it to the track. Had no clue about anything other than lefty loosey, righty tighty.
Fully qualified Sifter.
Prob is mate, they can't re-attach it at the big head end (top). The tendon goes right through the actual shoulder joint, so they can at best, anchor it to the top of the humerus, which they all seem very reluctant to do. Looks like I'll have a tiny Popeye Bicep for ever!Jump up and down a bit mate,you only get one body!
Enigma
Bugger, you've done a great job of it this time huh ?
One of my wide eyed granddaughters looked very concerned recently when i showed her the scars from all the years of riding motorcycles. We'd do it all again tho,wouldn't we ?
You'd never go hungry with Nigella Gaz.
If it weren't for flashbacks...I'd have no memory at all..
Ta
I might have gone about things a bit differently...but the outcome would likely be the same half fucked body I've got now.Bugger, you've done a great job of it this time huh ?
One of my wide eyed granddaughters looked very concerned recently when i showed her the scars from all the years of riding motorcycles. We'd do it all again tho,wouldn't we ?
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