BannedCR500Riders.com

Hey I'm shopping for a CR500 and wondering about differences as they get newer. A friend has an '86 for sale. Obviously the suspension and brakes were upgraded in later years, but what about the engine?

Is an 86 engine as good to have as a newer one? Any major reliability issues or performance differences? Parts availability? vibration?

thanks!

Welcome to the site.
In my opinion the only major problem with that older vintage is the side cover which houses the water pump, and is Magnesium and most likely rotted out. Sometime in '89 they changed to aluminum though I have an 89 and it's mag
The later side covers are also larger and house a clutch with more disks.
Check here for more info http://bannedcr500riders.com/board/view ... c&start=25

lots of great info! thanks much. I'm guessing the later motors have more torque at low revs due to the longer stroke...

84-01 Stroke is trhe same, 87-01 +5mm rod length

my .02

my 85 cr5 has a powerband like most other smaller cc 2 strokes. except that its a 500 so in the midrange when you start getting on the pipe, it takes off like a raped ape and then signs off in the higher rpms and is very short shift friendly.

my dads 90 feels like it has a much broader powerband. i could tell i am faster around a track on the 90, its much more predictable and easier to ride fast, for me atleast.

both are very fun motors but i do prefer the 85 for hills and dunes, and 90 for track or singletrack. hope it helps, also 85-86 were the only years of the shorter rod that had the more explosive hit.

brilliant! that's exactly the kind of info I wanted, thanks guys.

Do any years vibrate less than others?

bluegroove wrote:brilliant! that's exactly the kind of info I wanted, thanks guys.

Do any years vibrate less than others?

I had an AF with a 1989 engine and now have a steelie with a 1985 engine. I did not notice any difference in vibration and neither vibrated much in my opinion. Be careful of excessive vibration - could indicate other issues such as bad main bearings. The 1985 certain pulls harder off the bottom (a lot of torque) and throughout most of the RPM range than the 1989 I had - both just had new top ends installed. I had to replace the rear engine bushings to use the 1985 in the 1997 frame since the swingarm bolt from 1989-2001 is larger than the pre-1989 engines.

What about other stuff like body work, pipe, wheels, shocks etc...