Hey-didn't know there were so many bike nuts here
Dr Deltron,Skyrocker, I had no idea there were so many old Yamaha guys here.Especially old XS500 fans.It was a bike that was a bit ahead of its time-4 valve heads,and dual overhead cams-but I didn't think anyone raced them!! There must have been 100 RD350,RD400 riders/racers for every XS500 rider/racer.
This SR500 is actually a 1980-despite the 1978 tank color-.I bought it new in April 1980-the only one of 12 different SR500's I owned that I bought new.
You got 140 mph out of a XS500!!!! It must have been the fastest XS500 in history!They were good for maybe 105 mph in stock form(like Skyrocker says,they were slowish-any Bonneville would eat it up despite 1950's 2 valve heads etc).You spent cubic $$ on that baby-do you still have it???
I should talk about speed-the SR500 was just about the slowest 4 stroke 500 made by Japan Inc.It was supposed to do a 14.9 1/4 and about 97 mph at top end.
Guess we were all bitten by the same bug.I spent a zillion $$ sending this SR's head to France(I think they actually had some Krauts do the machine work) to have the intake port raised,and to have a second spark plug plumbed in($1000 with shipping in 1994-I was clearly out of my F'ing mind!!).I also milled down(with a Sears grinder clamped in a vice) the crown of an 11/1 JE piston to drop 11 grams and to drop the compression to ~10.2/1 so it would run on pump gas.Usual Megacycle cam,Supertrapp pipe-36mm flat slide pumper.It runs strong for a primitive 2 valve single.Wish it wasn't kickstart.The only advantage to the 30lbs BlueBelle Home Made Vanilla has packed on me is making it easier to kickstart this sucker!!
I also have a 1983 VT500 Ascot-V-twin shaft drive-nice bike.It is probably quicker than the SR500 despite the $2000 motor,and 35 lbs wt advantage!!
Memory lane-didn't know there were so many MC nuts here.I would love to see the XS500!!If you sold it, it will probably appear on Ebay someday(for BIG $$)
Thanks,
Charlie
As I took the picture the Saints just CHOKED!!I told my wife and son that they would choke!!
PS-Take a look at my fine machine work-check the front caliper adaptor plate! I mounted an SV650 disc and caliper-got a 2 piston caliper,and dropped 2 lbs of unsprung,rotating wt.Looks like crap of course.I hacked the aluminum plate with a $20 Harbor freight grinder.
PPS- JohnnyBee-heh,folks still race the Yamaha 500's in various venues.Maybe someday all my SR500 junk will be worth something.You're right-2 wheels is 2 wheels! -
Last edited by phoebeisis; 12-02-07 at 06:49 PM.