...so i got an used original fender and left sidepanel for bout $50 each! :huh orig. headlamp- im tryin to restore the orig. muffler/exhaust right now! so i got the orig. look back to bout 90%... was waitin for bout six months to find a rear oem fender-nothing!!?? so i purchased a new one from MAIER plastics for bout 70 dollars...!:eek1 BUT the colour is NOT right - the red is just too dark!! so i buy a nother one from DC-plastics and hope they got the right colour!??- lets see... -nice bike btw. LJ !! greetz peter -------whats this cant upload any pictures??? ok- try this:
The odd oem rear mudguard can be found on ebay once or twice a year. They go for over $250... DC Plastic one will not be much better than Maier but please do let us know. UFO has a good color match but shape is different. For me having tried all 3, I prefer the UFO (also it is MUCH cheaper).
...restored the old oem muffler- and get the DC plastics rear fender !! 60 bucks :eek1 but perfect fit and colour !!!
To recap... I sold my 500 to my friend. He likes it, but these days you need a plated dirt bike. He got an 82 xl...but, that's just not the same. In fact almost nothing is interchangeable! In comes two more 82 xr500r's for cheap. He's got enough parts now. Some of the stuff looking like it's only a couple years old. So now there is a plated R and she's ready for her maiden dirt run. We rode round town today and I put my oil temp dip stick in it cause he was worried it was getting too hot. When you spit on the head it sizzles! I never spit on my head, but did today and it sizzles too. Matching temps on his 500 and my 600 so all is good. That's a baja designs headlight. It's mounted to the original headlight with it's lens removed and a few cuts. Xl wireing harness with a few add ons. XL motor with and XR cam. Deactivated the auto comp release and plugged the hole. After market muffler. he got all the xr's for a song+dance... This is what he came up with, and my old trusty xr500r is still in tact for ohv runs. Photos outside our lunchtime stop where the french dip and beer makes ya really "fluid". But we'll save that for another day as we're down here in the valley where it's hot and there's very little in the way of dirt opportunity.
Well 22manyrides, this is a nice looking XRR! What valley are you in? I am perplexed by two of your comments: the "spitting on the head". Is it not bound to "sizzle", temperature will be well above water boiling point no matter what, no? removing the automatic decompressor cable. What is this intended to achieve other than making the starting procedure quite a bit more heavy and dangerous? Cheers, E
Well, Like I said, I haven't ever been in the habit of checking temp with spit on the head. Just kinda thought it'd dry quick, but no...it sizzles as if it was on the header. The automatic release cable that's actuated by each prod of the kickstarter gets in the way of normal feel for compression during the rotation to find TDC. Thus back to old school manual decomp with handlebar lever only. How could this be heavy/dangerous? Automatic release is for those who don't know better. The Automatic release is there so you can try kicking it over regaurdless of piston location/compression stroke. Sac valley central ca. Hot over 100 degrees...
I always thought the cable operated auto-decompression system worked excellent on these bikes. It still allows you to find the compression stroke if you don't bring the kicker all the way back up between kicks. I've said in the past that these are the easiest starting big thumper I've ever encountered. They will sometimes light off just by a slight movement in the downward stroke of the kickstarter when warm. My bike did that on a ride just this Saturday. Now, the later style auto-decomp on the camshaft that is used on the '88-'00 XR600, I freakin' hate. It works great for the e-start bikes like the XR650L but trying to find a compression stroke with a kick bike is almost impossible.
I neglected to mention that the xl engine in question had a crack in the case where the lever protrudes for the auto decomp. Thus arm removed, hole plugged, no leaky. Not a hard thing to start with out auto... How's she look Bruce?
Your buddys bike looks great! The Baja Designs headlight assembly over the stocker is a little different, but you guys did a nice job on it.
A few pics from Saturdays ride. The DR was having runnability issues but fortunately it made it out under its own power. Notice the large stump on its side. That was a big tree at one time. We used to have a lot of those around.
Nice bunch of vintage bikes, I love it! Starting a XR500 without the automatic decompression cable properly adjusted (very easy) is asking for unnecessary trouble. These motors tend to kick back nastily if not started as intended. I have a hole in my leg from 1982 (my first XR500) and a friend of mine ended up in hospital with a piece of bone off (leg hit the handle bar). Here is the simple intended procedure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDmvBhRqaKM Otherwise you may end up like these dudes :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK50Qgu5OYY&feature=fvwrel There is an easy way and lots of hard ones. Your call.
There's no need for automatic anythings. You've got to begin your kick just after tdc on compression stroke to get a good full engine rotation before the next spark. Having automatic stuff enables you to to kick it even if it wasn't in the right position. Eric if you're refering to me+my buddy who has disabled the auto release, be assured that we know how to do it. There's a manual release lever on the handlebar. Why have the auto? And if you can't tell where your at with the engine, well... Been kicking 500 singles since 1974 and still kicking strong. With amal carb/points ignition you've got even more variables than the trusty xr. Very easy to start your bike with the first kick if you know how. These can be started by hand if you have adjustments correct. If you are out of time, advanced, flooded, or don't know how then yes you can get kick back. 1974 TR5MX; 1972 BSA gold star street scrambler;
The 1979-1980 XR500 only had the automatic decompresser. Was a good improvement (in my view) vs the XT500: no need to fiddle too much and a free left hand to hold the bike solidly (useful when stuck somewhere on a nasty forest track). Honda added the handlebar control in 1981 on the XRR version. I only ever use the handle bar decompresser when stalled 1- with motor flooded after a fall to kick excess out 2- to start the motor going downhill in 3rd/4th gear. Obviously you know what you are doing... :) Have fun.
Eric... your points are well taken, they even make sense...(handlebar steady on a hill in the forest) What taints my xr 500 or 600 starting is that I have riden those old machines so long. Now back to Bruce's regularly scheduled 1981 xr500r thread focus...
hi guys- heres a vid from a friend filming me drivin this suckers in europe! ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEstVjWujzA&list=FLAdkqPt1i72vPN_OVPSRKOA&feature=mh_lolz we dont have such nice ridin places like eric or 22many have - its all illegal- we dont have a strong community- but i dont care... greetz to the us guys! peter
I love the video!! I love quarries, particularly when they are supposed to be ... off-limits! I miss my 81 XRs: will see them in 2 weeks, woohoo! E
Hello i have had a good amount of fun reading through this forum i recently aquired my own 1981 xr500. and it runs beautifully however i need to change out the spring or get a new shock all together due to the fact that i weigh around 350 lbs. and know how to handle a dirt bike. i cant find anyhting online for aftermarket or oem replacement springs or shock absorbers. any help you guys can offer will be much appreciated thanks
