Hi everyone, Ive bin lurking around here and the other site for a while now and had my 500 for a while now also (by the way thanks Bob for this site and everyone for the endless amounts of info made available for us all!) Anyway I seem to have been bitten by the A/F bug and am seriously considering the option, after reading endless posts regarding the subject I decided that if I was to carry out the conversion that i would do so with a Gen 3 CR250 2 banger 02-07 model I believe? My 500 is a 95' and is pretty clean but the suspension I think needs to be revalved for my weight (90kg naked ) and the forks need a bit of work (new top out springs as one is broken, damping piston seals etc) the forks are FG997 Ohlins made for 99 model CR500. I have rebuilt the rear shock and everything in there seems to be in pretty good shape, but in the back of my mind i keep thinking is it really worth spending all this money on the steelie still only to have quite dated suspension and chassis? Plus some parts for the forks are already no longer available from Ohlins. So i guess this is a pretty hard question to answer and has probably been asked a thousand times before but is it worth it? How much better are the A/F's to ride? I ride a lot of single track with lots of sand and whoops occasionally get on an MX track, I live in Perth Western Australia by the way. I am also a mechanic so the logistics of the build are not really a problem apart from finding a good welder willing to help in the city of great customer service Perth Although I'm sure there are lots of people around here willing to help me with the project! I do enjoy building things too so i guess the satisfaction of the finished project is a part of it also not just the performance imporvements.So yeah everyones opinion is welcome what are your thoughts?
I went from a 94 and 95 steelies, and the 95 was nicely put together with suspension and everything (not fancy Ohlins or anything, just had maintained shock and fork with eibach springs front and back).
I built a pair of 2003 CR250 chassis's
The difference is incredible, it handles awesome, turns awesome, every aspect was better even without even setting up the suspension at all...
I couldnt be happier and the Gen3 250 2t chassis is likely one of the easiest to convert.
Pstoffers has the motor mounts you want for the front mounts, and I built my own double sided headstay
I have a mint 93, totally restored by a mate of mine. Once he finished it he realized it was too much for him and it sat in his garage for quite a whille. He got hard up for cash and sold it to me. I was going to chop it for the motor but I have plenty of extras so I left it whole. Did one lap on my MX track and parked it. Got back on the AF. Good layer of dust on it now........
I refuse to run new trucks and new excavators for the same reason. I know that once I try out new technology there is no looking back.
Kinda like going from a well worn older model girlfriend to a new faster, thinner, nicer race model
can you ride the 250? if so, take it for a spin and see for yourself. a hudred people can tell you that it is right for them, but nobody can tell you what is best for you.
Best thing to do is try out a few different bikes and see which one you like the handling of the best.
Ive never ridden a steelie, but Ive rode plenty of old bikes, and I would recommend the conversion too. IDK why new bikes have seats made of rock though......
2000 CR250, pipe, filter, Vforce
1980 XL80s
1969 Broncco TX-6
Natural selection favors Smart people, so nature selects morons to be slow and dumb for tigers and stuff too eat. But in our modern world there just aren't enough tigers.
you can't compare a bike with a conception dating from almost 25 years with a nowadays model.
I rode steelies and AF. It's night and day. The only common thing is the engine, but even the engine feels different because the rolling chassis handle its power way better.
As long as you don't chose a conversion with a CR 250 Gen 1 (which is the worst handling bike honda ever made), go ahaed and do it.
Are you SURE you've been lurking here for a while? I get the impression you joined and this is your first return visit? Lol Is it worth it worth it? Lmao. Fuck that just keeps getting funnier every time I read it.
Let me put this in perspective. If you had the choice between a beautiful early twenty something babe a licious nymphomaniac who did all your bidding and cooked and cleaned and sucked your dick at the drop of the hat in the park downtown.......because you said so.......but talked a little too much at times... about shit you could fucken care less about.....or a woman who barely puts out but cooks okay and her cleaning is passable.......but you and her connect mentally and always have great conversation. WHICH ONE YOU TAKIN?!?!
scooter5002 wrote:Are you SURE you've been lurking here for a while? I get the impression you joined and this is your first return visit? Lol Is it worth it worth it? Lmao. Fuck that just keeps getting funnier every time I read it.
Let me put this in perspective. If you had the choice between a beautiful early twenty something babe a licious nymphomaniac who did all your bidding and cooked and cleaned and sucked your dick at the drop of the hat in the park downtown.......because you said so.......but talked a little too much at times... about shit you could fucken care less about.....or a woman who barely puts out but cooks okay and her cleaning is passable.......but you and her connect mentally and always have great conversation. WHICH ONE YOU TAKIN?!?!
Okay...........Well I am not really sure what you are getting at by "I get the impression you joined and this is your first return visit?" ??? So I havent posted much is that it?? And returning from where exactly?? The OTHER site? I am a member of the other site with the same name as on here and have made more posts over there but doesn't mean i don't use this forum and the reason I made this particular post over here was because I knew I would get honest straight up answers with no bullshit. "Lol Is it worth it worth it? Lmao. Fuck that just keeps getting funnier every time I read it." Well I'm glad you find this amusing, unlike in the US over here in Australia finding a CR250 roller in ANY condition is next to impossible and a decent bike even as old as 2002 is $4000 so yeah cost over here is an issue otherwise I would have just gone and done it, not only that I don't know anyone who owns a Gen 3 250 to try out as everyone these days has CRF's so unfortunately I don't have access to ride one. But thanks for your reply anyway.
I have an 02 conversion and love it. Everybody who rides it comes back grinning. The young guys who grew up on fourstrokes are always in awe of it's brute power. The old guys always (ALWAYS) come back with comments like "It does everything right" and "This is the way a bike is SUPPOSED to feel". A local vet rider who's been around forever said "This thing is just FUN, the way dirt bikes used to be". That same guy is currently having a KX500 conversion done by the same guy who built mine. If you think about what he said, it's true and exactly why we put 500 motors in new frames. We get the latest brakes, suspension and styling, but we also have a motor that will outrun pretty much anything else at the track, yet is also easy to ride when ridden properly and, above all else, is fun like dirt bikes used to be. You should definitely build an AF. It's so cool having strangers constantly come over to check out your bike, and they want to know all about it. It's also cool just riding through the pits and watching people look up as you ride past. Even the newbies know it's special just from the sound...WHANG BANG BANG BANG!!! You guys all know what I'm talking about. I often read the lips of some other old fart (like me) as I ride past, saying "that's a 500". You're damned right it is. Our bikes are the bomb, and we know it. Build you one, Donny.
ridin4fun you need to edit your post so it can be used as the banned500 cread i agree whole heartedly to your post the kids at my club stop and stare and the old fellas come up and drool cool post mate
do it donny i just hate seeing quality 500 steelies being stripped down find a dog with a good engine and have the best of both worlds
Donny, the way I did mine was a 125. They are cheaper. Get a cheap 250 frame off eBay and swap it all over. Also you will sell a 125 engine very easily to the kart guys.
Personally your steelie looks pretty good, if it were me I'd source a second engine for the conversion. Mind you it don't bother me people parting these bikes as my mint 01 will just keep going up in value.
To the original question, yes they are worth it. Mines an 07 gen3. I seriously doubt I will ever ride my steelie again. It's like a friggen shopping trolley in comparison. Whilst the steelie is good, the AF is better. Going from steal to AF is good but you will appreciate it more after spending time on it then hopping back on the stealie. You'll think what a bloody death trap, how the he'll did I use to ride that.
the newer bikes inspire a lot more confidence, but unless you do something to the seat be ready for monkey butt
the 450 will have less power and will be harder to start, and will be heavier, but to make up for it it will require more maintenance.
4stroke=dead fish
"Rhino89523"]STEELY'S ROCK :headbang
Hey! Be quiet over there. Nobody asked you, Old Technology Boy.
Lol.
That's exactly what I meant Bob. I'd go to a steel 93 CR 250 frame with my 500 in it, but not back to that logging truck of a steel 500 frame.
Just another thought I'd like to throw out there. Paul Stoffers shipped a fully built AF to Oz. I'm guessing there's enough trustworthy guys on here. An Aussie wants a cheap roller. A Hoon over here hooks him up and is compensated for his efforts. How expensive is it to ship a bike in pieces to Oz? Is it worth it? Shit I saw a PRISTINE 02 250 go for 2G US. I mean absolute beauty.
Thanks for all your input guys! Now just need to find me a 250 and make it happen, I know it is a shame to gut the old steelie cause it is pretty tidy but I'd probably just hang onto it for a while rather than selling all the bits in case I come across another that I could use the engine although they don't come round very often over here even less than the 250's! Scooter5002 I did look into getting a whole bike from the US a while ago and I think it's about $1000 but not sure how much it would be for a roller in bits would have to be much cheaper I would assume and you could fudge the paper work and say it cost less than a grand so ya don't get charged import tax not sure of the logistics to make it happen though?
) and the forks need a bit of work (new top out springs as one is broken, damping piston seals etc) the forks are FG997 Ohlins made for 99 model CR500. I have rebuilt the rear shock and everything in there seems to be in pretty good shape, but in the back of my mind i keep thinking is it really worth spending all this money on the steelie still only to have quite dated suspension and chassis? Plus some parts for the forks are already no longer available from Ohlins. So i guess this is a pretty hard question to answer and has probably been asked a thousand times before but is it worth it? How much better are the A/F's to ride? I ride a lot of single track with lots of sand and whoops occasionally get on an MX track, I live in Perth Western Australia by the way. I am also a mechanic so the logistics of the build are not really a problem apart from finding a good welder willing to help in the city of great customer service Perth 
Although I'm sure there are lots of people around here willing to help me with the project! I do enjoy building things too so i guess the satisfaction of the finished project is a part of it also not just the performance imporvements.So yeah everyones opinion is welcome what are your thoughts?
Lol Is it worth it worth it? Lmao. Fuck that just keeps getting funnier every time I read it. 
