Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126023
fo ur -stroke engines in expensive frames, trying fo r that elusive, id eal combinatio n of light, fast, good-handling dependability. ' The XT500C see ms to be the answer to the special builder's dreams. The tal l engi ne weighs o nly 100 lbs, an d puts out 28.2 foo tpo unds of torque at 5,400 RPM. Our tes t b ike has 1, 723 hard mil es on it at this wri ting. It has been dro pp ed , lu gged , over-revved an d raced wide open and it still ra n as sweetly as sugarplums un til it final ly ate some lint fro m the fu zzy " hair" filter and started to misfire . If it we re o ur s, we'd have th rown away the stock fil ter element and pu t in something that doesn't shed. Crea ture comforts are first-ra te on th e XT. The sea t and handgri p s are the finest, co ntrols are easy to use an d no th ings gets in the ride r 's way. The 5·speed gearbox shifts cris ply and the b rakes really h aul it down in a hurry o n th e h ighway, yet operate smoo thl y and n ot gra bby on the lo o sest dirt . The standard trials pattern Bridges tone tires are fine fo r t he road, but the bi ke cries fo r knobbies in th e dirt . We co uldn 't ge t it goin g fast enough , owing to lack of tr acti on, to really check its handlin g ove r desert wh oop-de-do os. The XT's stro ngest fea ture is its torque. It will cl imb up any slope it s tires ca n get a grip o n . Th e fac tory ra tes its climbability at 35 degrees, and we think t hat's unde rstating it. . With its mildly tu ned engi ne and ru gged design, we suspect that the XT500C has a lot of potential in the hands of a good tuner. Do a little hopping up, give it some better handles, and it should be a top contender in smooth-track scrambles. With some lighten ing up and quicker steering geometry it will make a fine enduro campaigner. Certainly fo r the suggested retail price of right around $1400, the XT500C is a dual-purpose bargain. • Specifications ENGI NE Single overhead chaindrive ca mshaft , 2 valve vert ical single cyli nde r. S7mm bo re, 84mm strok e. 499 .5ee d isplac em en t . Dry sum p lubricat ion , 2.6 qt. o il in fra me. 9 :1 co mpre ssion rati o. Flywh eel magneto. 30 BHP. T ota l weight Transrnlssion (wet ) 304 .5 lbs. Straig ht cu t p rimary gears, 5-speed down fo r low, clo se rat io gearb ox . Wet clut ch. Fu el 2.2 gal. alloy tank , prem ium gaso line. 40-50 mp g. 34 mm Mikun i ca rb o Suspension Forks 7.5" tra vel Shock, 4 " gas Kayabas Ground cleara nce Unladen S" Seat height • . . . .. . . .. .. . ... . • • . .. 32 .5" T ires Front 3.00 x 21" Rear 4 .00 x 18" Bridgestone t rials Universals Price •• •. . . . .. .. . . $1395 Long Beach, CA. Bendable brake pedal after brush with bush. (To p ) The fenders are plastic, the tank is aluminum and the p lastic side covers unscrew from the right to get at the tools and air f ilter, and u nlock (f o r some insc rutable reason] on the Jeft side to see the battery . (Above ) " Ecstasy 500" makes a fine fi re road or Baja bike. Removing spark arrester seems to increase low rp m torque, but hurts top end performance. Best leave it on. What is it , twilight for two-strokes? A chopper fo r the dirt? Japan's answer to the B33?