BannedCR500Riders.com

I just got my 87 cr500 all rebuilt I purchased it blown up and threw it in a 95 roller anyway.. it runs awesome but I can not not start if to save my a$$ most of the time
My 2 buddies also have them a 91 and 97 I can start there's no problem it seems easier to kick them, there cyl have the exhaust reliefs in them is that the difference? I did put the thick head gasket in mine to keep the compression down pretty low.

My one buddy is a smaller guy than me and can start mine 1st kick everytime he jumps up and looks like he is donkey kicking the thing!!!! I will not be doing that my knee will hate me.

Anyway I would like to know do the reliefs really make that much difference or is it something else?

Also I would like to machine my head for a decompression valve is there a particular one that works the best?

Thanks for the help Mike

I think roostimus Maximus on here does the decomp heads. I have a guy sending my one named Sean that makes them that I could also give you his info too.

Im Still new to the cr500 world but it sounds like you could have a pilot jet issue making it harder to fire right off. What size do you have in there? Did I read it right your buddy kicks yours over easy? Can you kick their's easily? The relief ports will help but so will a decomp valve, and you wouldn't have to mess with pulling the cylinder and having the scallops cut in if you grab a dcomp head.

my brothers 91 has tough compression to start compared to my 01 (it has decomp scallops)

i get the 91 to the second hump on TDC and kick, its a bitch though

His is slightly easier to kick but seems like you can follow through tour kick better? I have a 55 pilot in it now and have played with 3/4-1 1/2 on the mixture screw.

just cant get a complete full kick out of mine seems it really slows down toward the bottom of the kick stroke? My buddy just kicks it with all his might and jumps moving the kicker way faster than me.

I have no problem pulling the cylinder off and putting the scallops in , I just hate to do it if they dont do much.

i think compression scallops make a huge difference in starting, my brothers bike doesn't have them.

when i was adjusting idle on my pwk air striker, i had bottomed out the idle screw, all the way in trying to get it to idle. it made it very hard to start, you couldn't crack the throttle hardly at all while kicking it

I wouldn't bother getting scallops.
Just get Roosty to make you a decompression head.
Check your kicker gear too.
Mine wouldn't engage until it was part way down, which made me lose about 15% of the kicker stroke. Roosty put some new guts in my kicker, and I have no problem starting it without the decompressor now.

I can start my 500 in flip flops with the decompressor though.

OK, once again it's time for Brits starting video if anyone has it handy.
Until then, picture a nasty grimey old school Harley rider kickstarting his hog.
He throws himself in the air and jumps on the kicker.
Brit seemed a little more cleancut from what I saw but the general idea is the same.
Oh, be sure to wear boots.

All fun aside, I'm 260 at 6'.
I can't get enough on it unless I jump up a little and really kick it.


One thought just passed by, is the piston in facing the front?
I've seen otherwise on other bikes. They even ran for a short time.

I have found a method that I can start it I need to go past tdc to the next click "kinda" then kick and I can start it. But I still need to stand on something.

sounds like you just have to get the technique down, if you weren'y crank'n it just past TCD, then backing the kicker to the top to get as much stroke as you can then you're goimng to have problems. I have found that different bikes have there own way they like to start, if your motor is healthy, timing good and good jetting you should be able to start it easy, I changed the carb, didm't have the jetting just right, it would fire up first kick cold, then I found the only way I could start it was to hold the throttle wide open.
Bob was able to get on it and kick it over like an 80 he is a big guy, i'm about 170

at a solid 130 lbs i didnt have any issues starting mine, your probably doing it wrong, and your bike probably isnt working right either

Rode mine yesterday.
I have had times when mine was hard to start until I do the routine.
Turn fuel on,
lean bike over till carb overflows,
put it in first gear and rock back and forth with thumb on kill switch,
prime kicker slowly a few times, find TDC,
bring kicker to absolute top,
jump slightly with left foot and kick it over.
Starts first time.

You can do the routine and still fail if you don't get a full kick and do it fast enough.

Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding about the boots.
I got used to taking my other stuff out and they all kick so easily, went to start the 500 and got a big ass bruise all over the inside of my foot and ankle, and I was wearing work boots.
I wear my Sidi's now.

Tharrell wrote:Rode mine yesterday.
I have had times when mine was hard to start until I do the routine.
Turn fuel on,
lean bike over till carb overflows,
put it in first gear and rock back and forth with thumb on kill switch,
prime kicker slowly a few times, find TDC,
bring kicker to absolute top,
jump slightly with left foot and kick it over.
Starts first time.

You can do the routine and still fail if you don't get a full kick and do it fast enough.

Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding about the boots.
I got used to taking my other stuff out and they all kick so easily, went to start the 500 and got a big ass bruise all over the inside of my foot and ankle, and I was wearing work boots.
I wear my Sidi's now.

That sounds like way too much work.

Tharrell wrote:Rode mine yesterday.
I have had times when mine was hard to start until I do the routine.
Turn fuel on,
lean bike over till carb overflows,
put it in first gear and rock back and forth with thumb on kill switch,
prime kicker slowly a few times, find TDC,
bring kicker to absolute top,
jump slightly with left foot and kick it over.
Starts first time.

You can do the routine and still fail if you don't get a full kick and do it fast enough.

Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding about the boots.
I got used to taking my other stuff out and they all kick so easily, went to start the 500 and got a big ass bruise all over the inside of my foot and ankle, and I was wearing work boots.
I wear my Sidi's now.

Sounds like the routine I follow. I was drunk with some friends a couple weeks ago and said" Hey! Let's make a You Tube video!!!" I decided to do another slipper start, but this time it didn't turn out to be a first kick deal, and after 3 pussy attempts, (and I say pussy because I KNOW I am holding back a bit just because I now how bad it's going to hurt) I ended up getting a boot on and turning the camera off. It then fired on the first kick.

I think I'm just gonna have to put the valve on it.. I might try to get one off a old dirt bike from the cycle shop that is local.

Figured out how I can start it, it just seems like to much work amd energy wasted when I'm hill climbing?

I also like to stop all the time to bs with my buddy's so the easier it is to start the better in my book!!!

Kuma wrote:

Tharrell wrote:Rode mine yesterday.
I have had times when mine was hard to start until I do the routine.
Turn fuel on,
lean bike over till carb overflows,
put it in first gear and rock back and forth with thumb on kill switch,
prime kicker slowly a few times, find TDC,
bring kicker to absolute top,
jump slightly with left foot and kick it over.
Starts first time.

You can do the routine and still fail if you don't get a full kick and do it fast enough.

Oh yeah, I wasn't kidding about the boots.
I got used to taking my other stuff out and they all kick so easily, went to start the 500 and got a big ass bruise all over the inside of my foot and ankle, and I was wearing work boots.
I wear my Sidi's now.

That sounds like way too much work.

That's just for the first start of the day.
It starts 1st or 2nd kick out in the woods after riding a while.
The key is getting a full, swift kick on it.

Hey, at least I ain't blowing thru the overflow tube
Somebody did a video about that a while back.

[/quote]

Hey, at least I ain't blowing thru the overflow tube
Somebody did a video about that a while back.[/quote]
Saw that vid and had to question the guy's logic. He tried to tear me a new one and tell me I didn't know shit about shit.

Yeah, it was odd.
At one time I was considering anything short of a rain dance to get mine started

I had a really high compression '86 nd no one could start it but me and James Lewis
You have to find TDC and really kick it. I don't mean put weight on it, but I used to be on the bike, standing with my left foot on the ground, find tdc, then shift my weight lower and actually used my leg muscles combined with my body weight dropping to get a solid kick in. I would do this so hard that my left foot would come off the ground.
Its all about figuring out what works for you. Decomp is cool but its nice to be able to start the bike without it.

Thanks to everyone who helped me.. I put a valve on it for now , can start it sitting down with sneakers on
So far I like it

dannygraves wrote:I had a really high compression '86 nd no one could start it but me and James Lewis
You have to find TDC and really kick it. I don't mean put weight on it, but I used to be on the bike, standing with my left foot on the ground, find tdc, then shift my weight lower and actually used my leg muscles combined with my body weight dropping to get a solid kick in. I would do this so hard that my left foot would come off the ground.
Its all about figuring out what works for you. Decomp is cool but its nice to be able to start the bike without it.

That's what I'm talking about.

lms1977 wrote:Thanks to everyone who helped me.. I put a valve on it for now , can start it sitting down with sneakers on
So far I like it

Nice aren't they...

Add a lever and they are even better.

Rode trails and hills for 10hrs put a lot of miles on the 500 today and man do I love it now the valve works awesome

10 hrs?
Monkey butt

Tharrell wrote:10 hrs?
Monkey butt

We stopped to refuel 3 times and took a few 15 min breaks but yea we were there 10hrs.. I had a great time I really like the bike