BannedCR500Riders.com

Was inspired flipping through some of my dads old classic moto books. Rather than just another generic cr rehash, gonna take this project a new direction. Got an oldschool husky tank on its way. time to get out the air tools and mig welder....

http://www.prattmachinerentals.com/luminousdiy/MTBR ...

The pipe on the right looks exactly like my 87 cr500 pipe.... Without the excessive rust and dents ha

I've detonated/ beat the crap out of my pro-X piston stock exh port and it still runs no problems !!!

The exh side is the only down fall ?? Which I didn't notice any difference in power what so ever!!

I wouldn't have a problem running that pro-x ,you allready have it!!

What finish did you use on ...

Turned out awesome! Super clean. Going to get those same footpegs I think.

Where did you find the decals?

Kuma wrote:I would think the powder should hold up, you bake at 400 and a water cooled head should not get there.

Ya, would agree, specs support that

So, just some photos. Over the last month I stripped the paint, sand blasted and powder coated the engine with 400 deg Eastwood powder. Garage low-buck setup ...but it works! Time will tell if the powder lasts... betting the head paint won't. Next is a total replacement of all bearing and gaskets ...

just make sure you relieve the exhaust ports before you assemble the top end.. Even though you're using a cast piston you could still drill the oiling holes on the exhaust side..
Once you get it up and running, don't go overboard with jetting.. keep it on the rich side.

Comments for the bridge ...

Instead of getting into a long heated battle about forged vs cast I'll tell you what I know from first hand experience from being in drag racing and motorcycles for the majority of my life.. I worked in speed shops where we built race engines for drag and circle track applications..

Cast pistons ...

Should have done more reading.
The prox isn't worth installing. In any bore size the pin area cavitates to the exhaust mid stroke.
Should have bought a vertex if you wanted cast.

In all honestly, I spent over a week digging posts up after work prior to buying the pro-x, so my lack of research ...

Off topic...

Anybody know if an 89+ 2 piece clutch/pump cover can be installed on my 87 engine. My 87 cover is pretty beat, and i want the coolant up pipe in any case. This 'up' ward pointing inlet is needed to re-route a coolant tube around the low exhaust pipe setup. The 88 prior had this angled ...

What's the damage in the swing arm shot? Weld crack, or the chain rub/rash?

The 89 frame I picked up is pretty beat in the same area because the guy wore through the plastic chain guides and just kept riding ...chain ate about 1/4" into the alum swing arm up by the pivot.

Ohh well, on mine at ...

I don' know why some still think cast pistons are better than forged.. bottom line is cast pistons are not as durable ..

good luck with your build though, im sure the bike is going to be nice.

Cause... ahh.... I've used my brain to decide they are. Old school cast pistons sucked, I would agree ...

So, I never knew piston shopping could be such a pain in the ass. I learned a few things surfing the web, opened up some old engineering books and taught myself a few other things, and then finally ended up buying some parts after giving up on weighing in all the factors and succumbing to the stress ...

So, been working away on the project. Got the engine paint stripped, then sand blasted, and some powder down a couple weekends ago with the assistance of a friend and his DIY setup in his garage. Needs a clear coat still as it didn't turn out with enough protection from mud, grease, etc, but so far ...

So, another quick update. I started looking more closely at the 87 and 89 frame as I will need to get my head around swapping all the components over to the newer frame.

The 89 clearly is a very different frame. (1) It is much more compact, more like a modern mx frame than the taller 87. The old ...

Progress this weekend. Engine guts are spread. Next comes pushing out the bearing/seals, sandblasting, and some new powder coat.

I was worried about the gears, so after clean-up with kerosene I gave them all a thorough check out. Despite how worn my high power LED flash light makes the teeth ...

With that much corrosion, I'd bet there is some in your rads too.
I used some vinegar to flush my rads, heard that was the thing to use.

Yep, when i popped the rad cap that was my first thing i noticed, salts and goo. not plugged, but knew right away i had a potential issue to check out. rads ...

Your gonna find that that old case is rotten as well

Ya, not too bad thus far ... which is amazing. May be able to salvage it with some cleanup and added coolant tube inserts. Goal of this project for me is low buck, so, throwing $ at a new case out of the question. BIGGER concern is how shot is ...

New parts!

Found an 89 CR 500 roller up in LA for a price I couldn't pass up, so, grabbed it along with a viable pink slip.

Gets me several significant things.

1) Low pass exhaust pipe setup (I'll post 87 vs 89 frame comparison photos later)
2) Inverted fork
3) Better piggy back shock
4) Newer ...

Tore the engine mostly apart this weekend. AND ...mystery solved. Lots of green rad fluid in the transmission case. Sooo a blown pump seal. He was making oily soap goo in the coolant system, and corrosion came along for the party. Mud in the trans, but no rust. Soon I will see on actual wear as i ...

Welcome, you will want to pull your exhaust and check the piston for cracks and your water pump for cancer. if it's not eaten through, you can clean it out and use some JB weld to fix it up. some '89s and everything newer used aluminum and more resistant to the corrosion.

Called that one. Was a ...

welcome mate what sort of shock is in that 87

That's a standard 87 shock Greg. I have 1 complete (in my Safari XR), and another spare in pieces at home . . . .

Thanks! On the shock, what he said. Apparently Honda had problems with this shock, overheating mainly I guess. The newer style with ...

Whats up man welcome to the board. Im in San Diego as well hit me up if you want to ride.

Cool. Mostly East cty trails and desert here. I ride with the San Diego Meetup.com group quite a bit, also a good place to find a few good riders ...although obviously mixed skill level. Will drop a line as ...

Started to tare it down this weekend, now glad I didn't try to start it up. What the hell is this stuff? Anyone conclusively know or seen this firsthand. No coolant what-so-ever, and a hard sludge that feels like a mixture of white bar soap and salt. Totally corroded the two in/out pump pipes ...

The Fat paddle is different, Never tried it, but if it were me I'd just use the money into some nice rims, the bike floats fine in the sand with a few exceptions, some of the slip face sand near gordons has put me on the sand looking back to see my bike standing axle deep

Ya, different is good ...