KX500 - they're HOW FAST?

[IridiumRed]

Hey Guys

Just bought a 1997 KX500. why didn't anyone ever tell me what monsters these were??

I've been riding for about 10 years. Owned.... 20, 30 bikes? Have some racetrack (roadrace) doing trackdays. Been to a couple race schools.

Owned some big fast sportbikes (modified 95 GSXR1100, fairly stock 01 GSXR1000, supersport prepped 2K GSXR750, heavily modified 94/96 GSXR7/11.... still own the last two)

The King Of The Hill? Was a 1997 GSXR750 with a TURBOCHARGER!! Made 190 rwhp (had a decompression plate, ran 10 lbs intercooled). ATS (american turbo systems) setup. This bike made a couple of national magazine covers a few years ago.

I thought that bike was vicious, and it was. It would try to flip over in 3rd gear at 110. And thats me, flat on the tank, rolling into the gas.... It powerwheelied in third gear like my GSXR1000 did in first. It would pull to about 185 on the speedo (which was probably about 170 actual, due to speedo error/ gearing), but it hit that HARD.... it just ran out of gearing on the top end, pulled to redline

I'm a little guy, 5'4, 155 lbs, so i could put a girl on the back, and we could chase down Busa's, one up, at over 120.....that bike was just scary to ride. My buddies with GSXR1000's and Busa's, they were scared of it, they would ride it and come back and not want to ride it again

Anyways, sorry to ramble, but what i was getting to was that I just bought a 97 KX500. I'm amazed at how hard it runs!!!

Now, you can't ride along at 120 and punch it up to 160 or anything like that, but damn, i'm amazed at how .... VICIOUS this bike is!! Just hopping on it to run around the block, it snarls and snaps, it seems like anything above 1/4 throttle in the first three gears and it wants to wheelie

There doesn't seem to be a "powerband" really. From idle to redline/over-rev, from 0 throttle up there is just tons of power

Now, the former owner of my 500 said that it had been ported, made a decent amount more than stock. I can't prove that, but i believe that it is true given the jetting that its running. So it might be 5-10 hp on stock, but still, i'm flat shocked by this bike

Fellow sportbikers teased me about getting a dirtbike, saying they "might be fast in the dirt, but they'd be slow on the street".... well they need to ride a 500

I used to have a 190 rwhp turbo crotchrocket, but now my KX500 is officially "the meanest bike i've owned"

but, oh yeah, I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT :)

 

[gwcrim]

....i'm amazed at how .... VICIOUS this bike is!! Just hopping on it to run around the block, it snarls and snaps, it seems like anything above 1/4 throttle in the first three gears and it wants to wheelie

You say that like it's a bad thing!

The streetbike environment is a very controlled environment. You know... paved roads, excellent traction, traffic cops, oncoming cars..... Riding dirtbikes, if done properly, is on the ragged edge of out of control. At least that's how I like to enjoy it. :ride:

 

[i_955]

No Cush Drive on the KX (or any other dirt bike). Amazing how much that little rubber in the hub reduces the HIT on a street bike. There is the whole power-weight thang too…

Congrats on the new scoot. Get it off the road and into the dirt. That is where you will find out how much an animal it really is…

Also it doesn’t matter how many street bikes or street / racing/ track days you’ve had.
Take it very easy your first few rides. You’ll have to change many of your street bike habits that get you around the corners fast and safe on the roads. Actually throw them into the garbage, they don’t work in the dirt.
Awe, forget it, I see in your profile you have a Kaw KLX650C so I you must know the difference.

 

[mhardee]

There doesn't seem to be a "powerband" really. From idle to redline/over-rev, from 0 throttle up there is just tons of power

but, oh yeah, I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT :)

I have an 03 KX and have ridden 450 Maicos in my past life.. The bike is a gas... We're going this weekend to a place that is mainly powerline hills and the 500 shines there - can't wait till Friday!

 

[Senior KX Rider]

A few years back my cousin who had ridden street bikes for years decided he wanted to get a dirtbike and guess what he bought. :nod: Thats right, a KX 500. Said its just a 500 like that was a small bike and to him it was. He called me and said....YOU WOULDN"T BELIEVE WHAT THIS BIKE CAN DO!!!!! IHe lives in southern Ohio and I was down there visiting family at the time so we took it out and started him on some dirt roads. Those things will do the finest 5th gear powerslides you ever seen. What a blast :) It is an awesome hill climber too. ENJOY the bike :cool:

 

[IridiumRed]

Sorry if I wasn't clear above, I've had it offroad some already

I've had a BIT of offroad experience, last year I got a KLX650C (street legal).... took that offroad some, and realized just how much fun offroading is!!

Compared to the KLX (360 lbs w/ gas), the KX is like a bicycle. Now, I'm sure if I got on a 125 and rode for a while, the 500 would feel slow and heavy steering, but compared to what I'm used to, its amazing how easy it is to manuever the KX

And right now, I actually like the tight twisty single track stuff with it. Put in a new clutch with steel drive plates (an extra 11 oz over the stock aluminum) and a 14 oz flywheel weight... (along with a pro circuit platinum pipe and silencer), man its a TRACTOR now, just like everyone said

and, oh yeah, i take it REAL easy with it. go slow, learn, slowly work up to bigger/badder things.



What i was trying to say up above is that i think more people would be into dirtbikes if they had a chance to ride them. Even a power junkie like me!

Problem is, around where i live, there wasn't a single other person with a dirtbike that I knew of. The KX500 is the first dirtbike I've ever ridden (not counting the dual sport KLX mentioned above). On the other hand, I have 7, 8 buddies with quads.........

Course, nice thing is, a buddy fell in love with my KX, and he got a 500 too! someone to ride with now (besides roosting the crap out of a bunch of quads)

 

[john3_16]

Yup....Alot of people are surprized at how violent a 2 stroke MX bike is...My RC51 might do around 170 mph but it doesn't feel anywhere near as brutal as some of the MX bikes I've ridden.

The light weight and the fast revving nature of an MX bike makes it fun...Just wait till you get that KX on a MX track! Your arms are going to feel like spaghetti after a couple of laps.

Have fun

 

[nephron]

They're not good on a tight, technical track...so forget about that. I spent a lot of time trying to get this thing to work on a tight, sx-style track....ha. It's not because they're heavy or clumsy. It's that there's literally too much on tap, and you tend to underestimate how fast you're moving in tight situations. Something like Glen Helen would be perfect. I'd liked to have seen the old open class races there, with people like Hannah digging a trench up the mountain on a CR500.

I want to get better at the technical stuff, so I'm considering an 05 RM250, but ya know what? I will never get rid of this bike. It's great to appease the cravings for horsepower, while at the same time will be worth something in the future (if not just nostalgia).

BTW, get on Zip-Ty's website and check out the KX500 kit. I've got that, along with a 93 KX250 (black) rear fender and it's an entirely different bike.

Also, I actually think the 'calmness' of this machine, when properly handled (throttle control) is one of its better assets.

 

[Shorgasm]

You think that KX has a hit..lol..just throw a leg over a CR500 and twich the throttle.On the street in 1st-3rd if you blip the throttle you she'll either put you on your back or fry the tire and then spit you off.

My buddy has a 95 KX500 with basic mods and his is faster up top than mine BUT when we redid the top-end in my CR he just had to run it around the neighborhood and check it out..He always has the bigger faster toy but never threw a leg over a CR500.When he came back all he could say was "Good God that thing's got some low-end!".."all it does it shoot the front tire in the air"..I laughed.

Don't get upset when your friends won't ride behind you...they call mine the "shovel".Throw a Tera-flex rear on it and you'll see what I mean. :yikes:

 

[BIKEMAN111]

well after a yz 125,rm250,then the cr500,I`ll forever crave another 500 ,probaly a kx though.street and trail seems to be my thing now.but that 500 just seemed to have it eveywhere just all kinds of acceleration.a little too much flywheel effect at slow revs turns etc though.a blast for the dirt roads and gravel pits though I found it quite awesome to climb my usual hills from the very bottom with no run at all.

 

[kickstartkx]

Hey iridiumred... Is that you ross

 

[IridiumRed]

Hey iridiumred... Is that you ross

Nope, I'm Steve

btw, i really dont get the big deal about riding a "tall" dirtbike and kickstarting a 500

Like I said earlier, I'm only 5'4, 155 lbs (but pretty strong, have worked out a decent amount, done a lot of martial arts in the past), and I was thinking before I got my 500 that I'd probably have to have it lowered a couple inches, and that I might have to stand on something to start it easily.

Bullsh*t!!!!

So far its no big deal!!

37.4" (according to book) seat height - 4" of sag = 33.4

I can get the tips of both feet down, or get one foot flat by leaning the bike a tiny bit.

Starting is easy. Now, i can put about .... 1/2 or 2/3 of my weight on the lever before it moves, but it doesn't matter. I kick it through slowly to find TDC (sometimes just use my hand to do that), then get the lever all the way up, then get my foot positioned, and lift my body and give it a nice long kick. No biggie.

Size and weight of rider isn't the ONLY thing that matters.... i think that gets forgotten too much..............I'm glad I didn't listen to everyone's warnings, I would have missed out on all this fun!!!!

 

[gwcrim]

I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam. I lowered mine quite a bit. I prefer it that way, especially for the slow woods riding I do with my son.

I'm glad I didn't listen to everyone's warnings, I would have missed out on all this fun!!!!

Ain't that the truth! As I was discussing my purchase here at DRN, some guy said, 'sure buy one, I'll see you in the emergency room.' Fortunately, there were others who were encouraging.

 

[James980]

How's this for a mean dirt bike?

http://home.ama-cycle.org/forms/museum/classic/bike.asp?id=42

 

[ScootTec]

Just thought I'd chime in hear.
I'm only 5'4" and about 138lbs... and I used to Hare Scrambles my KX500! Oh baby what fun that was blasting by guys on the field straights. One guy said to me after a race "Was that you that flew by me on the top of the hill?...you were hauling"
One race I was lined up next to a co-worker on his old CR250...We took off (dead engine starts too mind you) and I threw so much dirt into his shift area that he couldn't even shift up. I have video of that start from his wife who was on the Hilside (Johny Martin's Spring Creek at Millville MN). When I hit 3rd then 4th gears, you could see me lung way out ahead of everyone.

500s are awesome to ride!!! I wish I still had mine.
Oh, the CR's do have great low end, but the KX rules the top end (where most are afraid to go)

Hang on, you may just rip your arms out of there sockets! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! :laugh: :laugh:

 

[xsnrg]

James980, Wow, can you even imagine riding that thing? A friend of mine has a 4cylinder 2stroke road bike (Yam RZ500) and it is wicked fast. A 750 and in a dirtbike is difficult to imagine.

 

[James980]

James980, Wow, can you even imagine riding that thing? A friend of mine has a 4cylinder 2stroke road bike (Yam RZ500) and it is wicked fast. A 750 and in a dirtbike is difficult to imagine.

Well, a dirt-tracker dirt bike. ATK has their 700cc off-road dirt bike. However, my guess is the difference is the dirt-tracker will have a powerband more like a King Cobra 50 -- two speeds, idle and full bore -- while I bet that ATK 700 is detuned a bit. (Not that I'm in any way implying it's docile!!!)

 

[xsnrg]

The other major difference is 4cylinders instead of one!

 

[IridiumRed]

one point i'd emphasize, based on what i've seen so far -

I dont care what size a person is, a 500 dirtbike is possibly the worst / most dangerous bike I could imagine for a beginning rider

I'm pretty new to dirtbikes, but i've had 10 years of experience with HIGH horsepower sportbikes. Thats the ONLY way i have the throttle control to handle it.... otherwise i'd be dead...

but with the flywheel weight in it, and a steel plate clutch, its surprising just how tractable the power is. VERY responsive. Sure, anything past about 1/4 throttle in the first 3 gears gets you going fast, but its amazing how many throttle positions you can achieve in that 1/4.... which is key

 

[Camstyn]

I wish I had that common sense and throttle control when I had my '94 500, for me it was just 'wfo and hold on best as you can'. I never did too well racing it and that bike put me on my head many times.

I still don't have it today, but the 250 is a lot more forgiving.