KX 500 OR CR 500

David_Darkes
Edited Date/Time 7/27/2021 8:37pm
So im seriously thinking of buying a 2stroke 500cc.
Its between a cr and a kx. Whats your thoughts and opinions guys.
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Muscle-Milk-KTM 3/23/2018 2:57pm
3/23/2018 2:57pm
I know the CR's are going for serious money, my brother has one and would ever sell it. New OEM spares are few & far between but there are loads of good second hand spares on Ebay.

I have no idea about the value & availability of the KX 500
David_Darkes 3/23/2018 3:05pm
3/23/2018 3:05pm
These are my options now. I can feel my bank card twitching in my wallet lol







Uncle Tony
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Uncle Tony 3/23/2018 3:07pm
3/23/2018 3:07pm
I raced a CR500 for ever, great bike but I picked up a KX500 in 16 and I have to say, I like it better, draw backs are well not really a draw back is a power valve and absence of a quick release clutch cover

Still love it and I can honestly say you can’t go wrong with either one, those Honda’s are like good now so expect to pay

The Shop

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JOE_SPROCKETS#1 3/23/2018 3:11pm
3/23/2018 3:11pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2018 3:13pm
I never rode either but I think the Honda just looks a lot better than the kawi. Looks don’t mean nothing tho.
H4L
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H4L 3/23/2018 3:50pm
3/23/2018 3:50pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2018 3:55pm
My vote would go to the CR5.
A good friend raced the 500 class from the mid 80's to early 90's. He raced an 84 & 91 CR5 & would get the top podium spot in races from Norcal to Socal. I've owned AF 02 500, but preferred the steel frame due to the vibration. you can't go wrong with a 93-01 CR5 as they're bullet proof. The last model changes Honda made were 97-01. They're basically the same bike.
Adam43
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Adam43 3/23/2018 3:50pm
3/23/2018 3:50pm
At those prices, it would be neither for me.


Steve125
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Steve125 3/23/2018 5:27pm
3/23/2018 5:27pm
I've ridden both.. Though they're actually not all that different from each other, I find the KX more tractor like in the power department. The CR is very easy to ride (like the KX) but has a racier MX feel for me. The KX gas tank is wide and high too, lending it to more of an enduro or desert racer feel for me ergonomically.
Compared to my favorite bikes ever (the 92-96 CR250R), I put the CR500 a very close 2nd on my favorites list.
Good luck, you really can't go wrong with either.
smithers57
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smithers57 3/23/2018 5:46pm
3/23/2018 5:46pm
Had both KX and CR 500 but love the CR way better these are my two




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Phantom 661
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Phantom 661 3/23/2018 5:50pm
3/23/2018 5:50pm
Well my only experience is with an 87 CR500 but I loved it! Especially having rode nothing prior except 125's for so many years. What an eye opener! I'm sure the KX is nice too. I'm not sure if one would be better suited for mountains and forest or not though. Probably just preference. Did I mention I loved the CR? Lol.
Anyhow, best wishes either way.
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mikec265
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mikec265 3/23/2018 6:47pm
3/23/2018 6:47pm
Find a quality conversion with better handling and suspension or build one if you can.
magoo1982
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magoo1982 3/23/2018 7:05pm
3/23/2018 7:05pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2018 7:20pm
I had Honda , my son had 03 KX 500 . I thought suspension on his KX was better and seemed like more and better power .. like uncle tony said the draw back was the power valve on KX .. have also had 500 jawa , xr 500s , yz 490 s 465 s , 480 Honda, 500 huskies , 560 sonic , 630 CCM , 501 600 Bergs .. I saw an article once about a guy that took his kx 500 with knobs stock everything and was runnin 10s consistently in quarter mile drags , was getting bad starts even with seat height.Hakan Carlqvist was riding what he said was basic stock KX on GP circuit after his Yamaha factory days were over with good results ...
mxdevon
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mxdevon 3/23/2018 7:10pm
3/23/2018 7:10pm
I really prefer the power delivery and overall feel of the kx. I loved mine..... which was a 89 that had been modernized a bit with forks and brakes. However I always liked the look of a buddy's cr a lot more. I Just didn't like riding it as much when we traded bikes on a ride.
Ted722
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Ted722 3/23/2018 8:17pm
3/23/2018 8:17pm
500’s are cool. Either’s going to be a great choice. There’s just something wrong about having 60+ hp delivered via water cooled 2-stroke, but that’s what makes it great. And when it comes back down to idle and does that big bore “pop pup pop pop” you know you’re alive!
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Ted722
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Ted722 3/23/2018 8:56pm
3/23/2018 8:56pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2018 9:42pm
Ted722 wrote:
500’s are cool. Either’s going to be a great choice. There’s just something wrong about having 60+ hp delivered via water cooled 2-stroke, but that’s what...
500’s are cool. Either’s going to be a great choice. There’s just something wrong about having 60+ hp delivered via water cooled 2-stroke, but that’s what makes it great. And when it comes back down to idle and does that big bore “pop pup pop pop” you know you’re alive!
My '01 - paid $3,500 US in '12

vetmxr
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vetmxr 3/23/2018 9:20pm
3/23/2018 9:20pm Edited Date/Time 3/23/2018 9:21pm


Why risk a bad decision?? Get one of each and have a shootout....Smile

Its the only pic I have with both of them in it.....

Lightning78
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Lightning78 3/23/2018 9:24pm
3/23/2018 9:24pm
Muscle-Milk-KTM wrote:
I know the CR's are going for serious money, my brother has one and would ever sell it. New OEM spares are few & far between...
I know the CR's are going for serious money, my brother has one and would ever sell it. New OEM spares are few & far between but there are loads of good second hand spares on Ebay.

I have no idea about the value & availability of the KX 500
Correct....NEW OEM parts are becoming a rarity BUT something I realized today, especially with CR500's is there are a BUNCH of rolling chassis bikes around on Craigslist for sale dirty cheap. Obviously AF transplanted engines but if you're restoring a CR500, there are plenty of bikes w/o engines meaning there are a lot of parts that would normally cost you an arm and a leg to buy these parts OEM from a dealer.
vetmxr
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vetmxr 3/23/2018 9:25pm
3/23/2018 9:25pm
You may have to pay up dearly to get one though........one things for sure, the prices aint going down, no reason to wait if you want one. You'll get your money back, if your foolish enough to sell. I buy every one I can get under 3K .

Pit Row

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magoo1982
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magoo1982 3/24/2018 2:03am
3/24/2018 2:03am
David_Darkes wrote:
So im seriously thinking of buying a 2stroke 500cc.
Its between a cr and a kx. Whats your thoughts and opinions guys.
after seeing Yamaha jt1 s post , I looked at your previous post . if your lookin for bike to ride in mountain trails etc.and where u r located, try to get a ride if u haven't already on a Armstrong or ccm 560 - 600 . I see them reasonable priced in your locale .. I would like to have one of the older dual shock 560s but would cost me to much to ship across the pond..that 560 - 600 rotax motor gives a lot of fun and you can build as much power as u want
Lightning78
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Lightning78 3/24/2018 2:40am
3/24/2018 2:40am
Uncle Tony wrote:
I raced a CR500 for ever, great bike but I picked up a KX500 in 16 and I have to say, I like it better, draw...
I raced a CR500 for ever, great bike but I picked up a KX500 in 16 and I have to say, I like it better, draw backs are well not really a draw back is a power valve and absence of a quick release clutch cover

Still love it and I can honestly say you can’t go wrong with either one, those Honda’s are like good now so expect to pay
So my dad had an 1988 CR500 and I rode the Hangtown national track on it back in 1998 and it was SO MUCH FREAKING FUN!!!! My buddy had a 1993 CR500 and only got to ride it at Carnegie SVRA which is almost identical to how Beaumont is laid out but with MASSIVE & STEEP hillclimbs that were a blast to rip up. Riding the 93 CR500 was so much fun BUT not nearly as fun as riding moto on a wide open track like the Hangtown national circa 1996.

Now I have an 03 KX250 and im dead set on getting a KX500 ... any year from 1990-2004 but all i know about them is that the powervalve makes the power so broad and the chassis is VERY stable but doesnt turn near as good as the CR500’s..... jwould love to hear what to expect on riding a KX500. My above experience with riding CR500’s was sofa-king amazing, and in a word “intense” they had bad headshake and handled very quickly i.e. turned good but not at all a stable chassis. Kinda felt like they were in too small of a frame and had a seemingly short wheelbase even though they were designed specifically for racing moto... im salivating at the chance to just experience riding a KX500 and hopefully one day be a proud owner.
mx317
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mx317 3/24/2018 3:13am
3/24/2018 3:13am
I've had both and liked the KX much better. Neither is as good as a modern day 450.
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David_Darkes 3/24/2018 3:17am
3/24/2018 3:17am
mx317 wrote:
I've had both and liked the KX much better. Neither is as good as a modern day 450.
Do u mean the modern day 450 4 stroke. Do you actually think that? If so why do you think the 450 4 stroke would be better than lets say a 1994 cr500 or a 1990 kx 500.
Uncle Tony
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Uncle Tony 3/24/2018 3:32am
3/24/2018 3:32am
The KX doesn't handle was well as the Honda, the power delivery is much smoother on the KX, more mid to top where the Honda is low to mid then flattens out

Suspension is better on the KX, but that really doesn't mean much as most people send it out anyway, all I did to the KX was stiffer fork springs and a 48 tooth sprocket

I thought the Honda was a little bit more to set up, but still a great bike, I raced it from 92 to 08, I owned around 10 of them

The hassle with the KX is power valve needs to be maintained, and to do a clutch is a hassle, but really a 500 you hardly use the clutch and clean the power valve when you do a top end once or twice a year depending on how much you race/ride
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Markee
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Markee 3/24/2018 5:33am
3/24/2018 5:33am
My .02 cents. I read a article somewhere going over bikes to ride before you die. One was the KX500. Never had or rode one. I have worked on vintage harleys and built a lot of bikes and parts, engine work.. blah blah. So decided to build a KX500 for myself but update some flaws like brakes/suspension.

I'm about 90% done and my advice is to find a super low hour stock KX500. My search went on for a year and I got impatient and bought a bike that needed work. My thoughts were "I'm going to go through every piece anyway". But what I found is not everything is available. My thinking as well was there would be a lot of parts out there because the bike was the same from 89-2004 basically.

I came across a 03 that had been sitting in a garage for years with about 5 hours on the bike for 4500. I ended up with a 92 for 2500. 2000 would never get the 92 in the condition the 03 was. Thats my point.

Good Luck
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Sidecar
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Sidecar 3/24/2018 8:18am
3/24/2018 8:18am
KX all the way but I’m biased as I have 3 of them, 2 of them are sidecars though... My regular KX500 is a low hour 91 model and I love it, I also have a 600 Husaberg and the big thumper and the big smoker are pretty similar, I have ridden CR 500s solo bike and sidecars but I have never owned one... The KX seems to tractor off the bottom more from low revs and then pulls and pulls and pulls and then you change up and there’s more and more power... The CRs tend to “come on the pipe” with a harder hit and then pull really hard, similar to the KX but with a harder initial hit... think KX.... broooooooooorp CR... brrrr...aaaaaahhhhp (come on everybody loves making bike noises Laughing )

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Uncle Tony
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Uncle Tony 3/24/2018 8:46am
3/24/2018 8:46am
Funny cr500 story, I work at a Honda shop and in 01 I was set to pick one up for 4800

I was looking through the paper and I see 2001 cr500 brand new 4500

So I go and look and it’s brand new, just started, the guy was totally blown out on weed, I mean he could barely stand, I said I’ll be back tomorrow to pick it up, gave him 100 bucks to hold it

All of a sudden his wife comes running up to me with a brand new baby, maybe two weeks old and says do you have a check? I said yeah but I don’t Have enough to cover 4500, she says write me a check for 2500, I said no way it’s worth the full price

She started getting pissed at me and said take the bike for 2500, after a lot of arguing I finally gave in and said why?

She gave her stoner husband 5K to buy baby furniture and instead he picked up a cr500, I offered to give her the additional 2K tomorrow, she NO!!! Take the bike and leave we need baby furniture, I felt really guilty, I look at her husband and he’s just standing there giggling so I took the bike and left
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FI2T
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FI2T 3/24/2018 11:30am
3/24/2018 11:30am
 I have had several of both. The k5 has a better power delivery, Cr is a little more nimble but the k5 is much more planted and more stable at high speeds. Really though neither bike is great at anything other then going really damn fast in a straight line. I built an 04 yzk5, with SSS forks 09 450 swingarm and shock. It works way better then any AF I've ridden....



Save just a few more bucks though and get a 300xc! I haven't even thought about riding my 500 since I got one. The 300 is light yrs better in every situation except maybe dunes.

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