o
00
~
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(Top left) HPF chain gu ide. (Top rightl U-shaped peg bracket on the 500 eases starting.leenter left) With the stock intake manifold on the rig ht as a starting
point. an aluminum one was machined and after many generatio ns. became t he final product (ce nte r rig htl. (Above) David Ge rig on the 500.
shaped and allows you to kick the lever
through a full stroke without banging
to a shocking stop against the peg halfway through the arc . It 's a feature
more b ikes should have.
18
T he thing tha t continua lly amazed
us a bout the 500 was its abu ndant
power which sho uld mo re than match
the O pen class two -stroke guns. It
rea lly made the bike fun to ride . The
bogging of the smaller motors is absent
in the 500. There also seemed to be
plenty of responsive power available at
all times to aviate the front end when
desired.
Over gnarly terrain, the 500 was every
bit as plush as its little brother, though
when pushed to Pro speeds , it shook its
head . Time didn't permit us to play
with the different 'fork settings that
shou ld eliminate t hat quirk.
Throwin g the bike th ro ugh corners ,
be they hairpins , bermed or swee pers ,
proved to be no big chore. Both brakes
worked well and no, the shift lever
didn't stick out. The big bike was probably our favorite .
So what will all this thumping
material cost? Well , it won't be cheap ;
fast four-strokes (fast anything, for
that matter) never are. Bu t you can
• bet they'll be well thought-out , depend able and competitive. For example ,
local Pro Da vid Gerig took the 500 to
Hangtown four days after we rode it
and won the four-stroke invitational
race there , It was the firs t tim e the
b ike had been raced.
We didn't get a chance to test how
waterproof any of the bikes are, but
McCassy says th ey've all been through
a number of high -pressure car wash es
with no ill effects. If you plan on doing
much aquacycling. though , you may
wash to modify the still a irbox a bit.
One complete HPF 500cc Re plica
Racer will go for a good sum $4500. The 185 will sell for around
$4200. An engine package for your
500 will be in the neighborh ood of
$465 whi le $360 will pu mp your 185
up to H PF specs.
For more info on the bikes, engines,
fra mes a nd suspension ' avai lable,
contact :
Horsepower Facto r y
320 N . EI Camino R eal, Ste . A,
Encinita s, CA 92024
714/436-8692
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