99 Kx 500

[kxopenclass]

I just bought a real nice 99 KX 500 off of Ebay.Looks like a clean bike.What can i expect in performance?.What mods are the best from what manufact?I'm most likely looking at exhaust and reeds.I want it to sound like a beast as well as add some more power.Is this year a bitch to start like mostt 500's??Also what on the bike is the same as the 250 of that year?I see alot of stuff for the 250 and i was hoping to cross over a few.Thanks for the info!!!

 

[LJW]

You haven't ridden this bike yet, have you?

 

[dave186]

anybody that need more power out of a 500 is crazy :scream: as for the cross over to 250 stuff, not much does, but i have seen a company offering a new frame for the 500 that will let you use all the 99-02 plastics/seat/tank but you keep your 500 suspension and motor.

 

[clutchcover]

You probably won't need to mod it at all. They are freaking fast. They are really loud and beastly sounding out of the box. They are so fun to ride. Not too much is the same as the 250, since they haven't changed much over the years. They are hard to start. My starting procedure is 1. tip the bike on it's side till a little gas runs out the carb 2. kick the bike as hard as you can all the way through 3. it should fire right up, if it's flooded, push start it cause you won't ever get it started if you keep kicking it over. These bikes will pull the wheel up in any gear. If you goose it too hard at the wrong time get ready to buy a new rear fender. I usually start in second or third gear. These bikes pack way more punch than the cr500s, they lack some of the top speed but are just plain brutes. Buy a ton of lock tite, they rattle things loose.

 

[DEA]

How does that saying go??
"Get on,shut up,and hold on" :ugg:
or something like that

 

[cr25096er]

pack more punch than a cr500?

 

[nephron]

You haven't ridden this bike yet, have you?

Nope. Doesn't look like it. :D

 

[bwalker]

Id for get the mods and put the cash you where going spend on them in a TCS(tire, Chain, Sprocket) account. BTW anybody who thinks a cr 500 is less powerful than a kx 5 is full of it. Both bikes have awesome power but the kx lays it done smoother than the low end punch with little overev cr. No problems with mine though I just ride it in fourth gear all the time.LOL

 

[dave186]

me want 500, me looooove 500. man, i sound like elk :|

 

[1999RM125]

man ive been riding a cannodnale 440, lol first the battery termanels(no kick start on this puppy) rattled off, and the ignition cover 3 of the 4 screws fell out...and my arms, they will never forgive me. BUY A STERING STABALIZER and hmm buy a couple puieces of rupper to put between the bars and the clamps, that should help the vibration, get good gloves too, youll need them to hold on for dear life

 

[bwalker]

Cannondale? IMO a dale is a nancy bike compared to a kx or cr 5.

 

[Weezie]

I think you can put a early 90's 250 fender on a 500. I know I saw it somewhere, can anyboby help me out? I've never rode a 500, my buddy has a CR500 and me thinks I'm gonna try it on our ride next week. He say's once you hit 4th gear everything is a blur :scream: :eek: :)

 

[nephron]

Weezie, if you're talking KX, it's the 93 250 fender. UFO's are available. Modification to the fender is required.

 

[kciH]

There is also a low rise pipe from FMF for it that works out good with an extra capacity fuel tank from ZipTy. I think you use a newer style seat and tank scoops with it so it looks like it was produced in this decade.

 

[1999RM125]

yes a cannonjdaly is wimpy compared to a kx 500, but it vibrates like a mother... the cannondale is a Hemi 4 stroke, i vibrates a lot

 

[92cr]

I briefly rode a 98kx a few months back.It sure didn't have the mid hit of my old cr but seemed to rev and pull further.Most kx's I see have an fmf pipe.The stocker seems to crack at the headpipe or the mounts.As for starting I got it going without to much fuss with my sneakers.I wouldn't care to much about modernizing the appearance.Once you are riding you care more about the power than what it looks like.Have fun!

 

[Tree]

The KX500 is a blast. I have an older one (87) but it still screams. It has alot of compression and you definitely shouldn't kick it over without boots on. Your foot will get sore real fast. If it is tuned correctly it should start within the first three hard kicks. My procedure when cold is to put the choke on, give it about three or four slow primer kicks then kick it hard. It usually starts in three kicks. I second the motion for a steering stablizer. That's probably the best mod you can do. There is alot of head shake when you open it up. One thing to look out for is the top pipe bracket (the one just behind the radiator). After having every bolt either vibrate loose or break I finally decided to just safety wiring it to the frame.

 

[DEANSFASTWAY]

I had a few of these . They are great bikes! You can use a 88/89 kx 250 gas tank , its slimmer & lower Loctite everything espescially the sprocket bolts . Get yourself a CR or YZ type rear axle nut(self locking) A RAD valve works really well on this bike with much smoother & stronger power. The FMF pipe is smooth The PRO CIRCUIT pipe makes a lot of hit but is more durable. The bikes used to come sprung too softly. The bike needs a stronger chain from the get go. With a rad valve and pipe you could gear the bike up a little to get the power more tractible. You can purchase an earlier fiber head gasket to lower the compression to smooth out the hit if need be. I think we used 55 pilot 165 main in NJ . HAVE FUN

 

[nephron]

It has alot of compression

...dynamic, maybe, secondary to the big bore. But static approx. 8:1 ;) LOL, I don't really notice the difficulty kicking it over that everyone else does. When I hosed my ankle and was lying on the ground crying like a baby, a friend was trying to get my bike to the side of the track. He has a KX250 & couldn't kick it over. :think:

Anyway, there's a very helpful guy on here that's been racing KX5's practically his whole life--thorman75. I don't know if he's still around, but he's very "in the know". I've seen him refer to the ProCircuit shock dogleg for turning as a "must". As far as power goes, you don't need more--don't even tell me you could use more, except maybe in a hs or desert race. Hell, there's not enough room on a standard MX track to use all the power.

 

[DEANSFASTWAY]

Yeah nephron is right It doesnt need any more power , but a RAD VALVE really helped to spread the power out and make it a little more tractibleand then we could ride them faster. When the stock pipes went away (cracked/dented badly) was when we changed pipes The FMF was smooth & quiet The PROCIRCUIT was hard hitting & louder The PRO CIRCUIT tucked up better so it didnt dent up as easily . We tried DYNO PORT pipes and they made good power but stuckout on the right side and burned your knee a little.We also filled the bars with silicone rubber to help fight vibration. Good bikes though , we only had problems with 3rd gear stripping out . we had about 7 or 8 bikes and had this happen to 3 of them. We almost always rode in sand when we were not MX. Sand is the hardest on the motors. We also put HONDA CR clutch perches & levers on them , it made the clutch pull a little easier. a couple friends and I raced these bikes for years without much trouble at all .

 

[michigan]

There is a way to make it turn??? I must know more!

My best bit of advice for this bike is to remove the stock tires if it still has them. The k490 front is the worst front tire I've ever used. I went to a michelin m12 front and irc m5b rear. I'm happy so far, but I haven't had the irc rear on hardpack yet.
Someone mention chain and sprocket wear....
I put a DID oring on the stock sprockets when I brought the bike home. I now have 9 rides on the bike and the sprockets are already hooked!

Oh, and I also needed much more rebound damping than stock... for all conditions.