SR500

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heyjoe
Posts: 127
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:06 pm
Location: North East Missouri

SR500

Post by heyjoe »

I have been an SR enthusiast since they came out in 78. I went down to a local dealer and got a brochure but never got a new one.

I got my first one in 94. Loved the solid handling and low end power. My 2 stroke road bikes were dormant during that period awaiting rebuild. I bought a second SR in 2008. My wife and I did ride both of them but she at 120 pounds had to give 110% to get them started. That grew old for her.

With the introduction of the 6000 dollar SR400 this year, the price on the old machines shot up. so I sold both my original SR and my XT500 getting more than I paid for all three of them with each sale. I still have my customized SR. My other two bikes were basically stock.

XT500
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SR500 (original one)
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Black SR
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I took off about 60 pounds of weight without going to lighter weight wheels and swing arm. Made my own seat base/tailbox from carbon fiber. It weighs 2 pounds. The bars are .049" 4130 steel. The kick stand is made from the same 7/8" steel as the handlebars.

Minimal electrical system, after all the 500 is basically a dirt bike engine. For a few years I didn't even run a kill switch, just used the compression release to stop the engine. That is till one day the throttle cable did something weird and held the carb open. Turns out the reducing the compression doesn't stop a full throttle engine, after wrestling it to stop with smoking brakes, I put on a kill switch on the electronic ignition.

I don't run a battery, just a capacitor which fits into the headlight nacelle on custom lightweight mount and use a trail tech vapor for instruments, I have the temperature sensor set up for a cylinder head gauge.

We retired to a farm and my wife and I both enjoy riding our off road motorcycles in the pastures and trails in the woods. We have 4 dirt bikes, a ttr125, CRF150, XR400 and a CR500.
RZ350K and RD350B, original owner
Both running!!

CR500R ... waking up
Motors by: Roger @ WickedATV

My RD-350 rebuild page updated 6/10/12
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JonW
Posts: 10599
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:33 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: SR500

Post by JonW »

Very nice! Ive always liked the stripped down SR look, the single disk and pipe plus the noise seem almost British bike but these dont drip oil! :D

Can you give me more details on the temp sender setup? Ive been thinking of building something on my XT500 and it might help to see what youve done.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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heyjoe
Posts: 127
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:06 pm
Location: North East Missouri

Re: SR500

Post by heyjoe »

The trail tech seems to be pretty versatile. I bought the cheapest one I could find. It was for some kind of Kawasaki quad. My plan was to bolt it straight onto the headlight nacelle.

In the wiring harness I got, it had a 10mm thermocouple instead of the 14mm needed for the sparkplug, that would have been ideal. I tried using a hose clamp to clamp it onto the exhaust header, It would regularly go to it's limit of 999ºF and then start flashing. Perhaps if I could have moved it further down the pipe to get a reading more in line with the range of the unit. I didn't like the looks of the hose clamp particularly slid down on the head pipe. I didn't want to put it under the header stud as it might have been crushed.

My solution was to clamp the thermocouple through one of the holes in the fins for the head bolt.
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I used a short chrome 6mm bolt and needle nosed forceps to hold the nut in place under the fin. I think getting a 14mm thermocouple and fitting it under the sparkplug might be more useful.

The display on the Vapor is quite visible both in bright light and in the dark. It has an internal battery but the main power source comes from the bike. I think it will run on a large range of voltage as well as AC or DC. They recommended that you just wrap the lead for the spark plug around the spark plug wire and get the rpm via induction. I got erratic readings so I just wired it to the coil. They have built in conditioning to handle the CDI spikes. I am thinking of making my CR500 a dual sport and may well fit a trail tech on it. Although in my state you really don't need any speedometer.
RZ350K and RD350B, original owner
Both running!!

CR500R ... waking up
Motors by: Roger @ WickedATV

My RD-350 rebuild page updated 6/10/12
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two-stroke-brit
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Posts: 1701
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 10:49 pm
Location: Houston texas

Re: SR500

Post by two-stroke-brit »

Love that XT500 . :smt007
that pic makes me want to jump on and go trail ridding. :smt040
350LC,Athena 392 big bore,stock porting,swiss cheese air box,stock reeds,spec11 pipes.(now TSA big bore pipes)
She might not be pretty but she will always be a fun ride


1982 YAMA RD350LC
98KDX 220R
1967 TRIUMPH TIGER
2001 TRIUMPH TT600
User avatar
JonW
Posts: 10599
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:33 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: SR500

Post by JonW »

Thats great, thanks mate!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
User avatar
heyjoe
Posts: 127
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:06 pm
Location: North East Missouri

Re: SR500

Post by heyjoe »

I told my wife you should start the XT and I would put it on Youbube.

We ran through several starts and I said once more. Well it kicked back sending her heel into the passenger peg. dislocating her foot and tearing the heel out of her riding boot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMc8xG6TBr4

Here she is starting the SR's
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Her road bike now is the old RD 350. It is my job to keep plugs in it and to encourage her to keep it running hard.
RZ350K and RD350B, original owner
Both running!!

CR500R ... waking up
Motors by: Roger @ WickedATV

My RD-350 rebuild page updated 6/10/12
User avatar
JonW
Posts: 10599
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:33 am
Location: Sydney
Contact:

Re: SR500

Post by JonW »

Ouch! the difference a few seconds make... walking and running one min, limping to the docs the next... anyone who has owned a big single has been there :/

Dont even large 2Ts start easily once youve had a single LOL! I actually have had my 421 kick back at me, but only once... you cant kick those like its a 125 Mxer LOL!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com
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