Posts
269
Joined
10/6/2008
Location
Salem, NH
US
Edited Date/Time
9/17/2017 4:14pm
Hello all,
I am looking for some help, I have a 1996 CR500 and over the winter I want to update the plastic, I love the look of the tank and shrouds (stock now) but I don't really like the look of rear fender and side panels. So My thought was that it would be cool if I could take side panels and the rear fender from like an 02 CR, maybe even refit an 02 subframe+airbox to fit the 500.
I happen to stumble this vid and found a quick shot of this 500. I watch the vid a few times lol. but it looks like its an 02-07CR250 airbox with plastic.
I would appreciate any input, if anyone has done this or something like this.
Thanks!!
Thanks!
I am looking for some help, I have a 1996 CR500 and over the winter I want to update the plastic, I love the look of the tank and shrouds (stock now) but I don't really like the look of rear fender and side panels. So My thought was that it would be cool if I could take side panels and the rear fender from like an 02 CR, maybe even refit an 02 subframe+airbox to fit the 500.
I happen to stumble this vid and found a quick shot of this 500. I watch the vid a few times lol. but it looks like its an 02-07CR250 airbox with plastic.
I would appreciate any input, if anyone has done this or something like this.
Thanks!!
Thanks!
The Shop
I have a AL sub frame and plastic and going to test fit everything in a couple weeks. I want to make sure I can put it back if I dont like it or just get sick of it. The 500 is sexy as it is, but I just feel like a small update would be good. The modern front fender is a good idea.
I have a complete 2002 CR250 with a blown up motor..... the temptation is there but not sure I can bring myself to tear apart the steel frame 500. Feel like I would be committing a crime...
your an old man what if your wife wanted to update your hind end?
The tank holds over 12 liters, down low, and the top of the tank is about 2 inches lower than std, and gives a flat seat / tank junction. It's also about 20mm narrower than a std 500 tank.
AFs - and I've made a Lot of them since 97 - feel like top heavy tanks, compared to my steelie with the drop tank.
It goes all the way down to the LH Ignition cover - the opposite side to the 84- 86 RC500s.
The tank is not being used at the moment, because I'm going to have to butcher it to make it fit over the E Start I've got - and the E Start is such a piece of crap that I'll probably never use the bloody thing. It's so badly made, in so many ways, it's disgusting. It's a potential engine destroyer, even with my correcting several problems the maker thinks are acceptable.
Also, besides laziness with regards to making the alloy tank, the fact that good quality CR500 replacement plastics are getting much more expensive than the CR125 and 250 plastics has me interested in fitting them. Soon, they may stop making the 500 stuff / they will go up further in price. The 125 and 250 plastics should be around longer, and hopefully at reasonable prices - you can get full kits in boxes still, and more colour options than 500 stuff.
And, of course, you can get 125 / 250 seats easily and cheaply - I've a couple of SDG seats sitting, waiting for usage.
To that end, I'll eventually make new Aluminium or Steel Subframes for the 500 , to take the 125 and 250 plastics and seat. It's not that important to me, and I'm just waiting for availability on a 125 or 250 subframe to do a jig from. I've been having a hard time finding one / or an owner of a 125 / 250 near to me, but, I admit, I've not been trying that hard to get one.
I've an Otto bin full of a few sets of 125 / 250 plastics, ready and waiting , and extra sets of original 500 plastics. But, I run the old monster (2002 CRE500) with plastics from mid 90s 500s I had. I ride in very tight / extreme terrain, and I'm happy to tear the living hell out of plastics, for as long as I can. I'm no 'Blinger' for my very regular riding - to be so would be wasting money.
Another reason for the 'eventual' usage of 125 /250 rear end plastics is that you can get 125 / 250 airboxes (I've 2 sitting in the Otto bin ready for usage) for about a 1/4 of the price of a 500 one!. I've a PDS rear end - with an Ohlins TTX- on the bike now, so I've a whole new airbox ( with a top mount airfilter) that uses the original airbox as just the shell (the front and bottom of it cut out to accommodate the shock), so side covers etc fit as std. As I used a 2nd hand subframe, airbox and swingarm for the PDS set up, I have not touched the original parts, so the whole rear end can be refitted in a couple of hours, if I wanted it back to std.
Mind you, I far prefer the original 90 /91 / 2001 rear end plastics for looks - I think it looks far better than 125 / 250 plastics, or any of the 4t plastics - and it goes surprisingly well with the 125 / 250 rad shrouds and mid years CRF front fender.
My wife would love to update my rear end as it seems to be dropping off lately.
I look at this old bike like this, if you are with a cougar you would want her to have a modern hair style.
Thank you for the info, any other pics of your bike you can share, I am interested in seeing more of it
I thought I had pictures of the bike with the tank and shrouds as it has been ridden, but I'm crap at taking pictures - basically, I don't. Bike pictures, travelling pictures, race pictures - I just generally don't bother. A few mates - or mates of mates, might have pictures of it, as it gets a fair amount of attention in the "what the f**k is that bike?" category, so I'll try to chase them down.
As I said, the 2003 /2007 rad shrouds go really well with the 90 /91 - 2001 rear end plastics. The curves of the radiator shrouds meld well with the curves of the std 500 rear end plastics. I've never liked the 125/ 250 rear end plastics, as it seems so flat, yet poking up in the air, with a strange straight edge to the bottom edge of the fender. Weird looking to me basically, as if the front end and rear end plastics were designed by two different styling teams.
The only stickers I run are the Honda Wing on shrouds, and those gawd awful stickers on the airbox 'shell' on the PDS conversion, as the 2nd hand airbox had taken a hit, and a bit of the wire that holds the CR500 airbox together, has popped out of it's track, so the previous owner had fitted them. I'm basically a bit of a Dag, and rather anti 'bling'.
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