Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Cycle News 1983 04 13

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/126634

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-------500ee National ...... ...... . 0.. ~ Kow-osold KX500SR After being the last to have water-cooled 260cc production bikes. Kawasaki is the only factory to have a Iiquidpumping 600cc works MXer in America. Honda will run them in Europe this year. but they ara air-cooled in the U.S.A. Only the head and cylinder are one-off items. Want a works Open bike trans and crank7 Run down to your Kawasaki dealer and buy one - The lower end is production. The shock linkage and geometry are new from last year. but will be production for 1984. The fuel tank is aluminum. as are the swingarm and shock strut. There is no magnesium or titanium on the bike anywhere. Weight is claimed to be 228 pounds without fuel. Horsepower is claimed to be in the healthy end of the 60s. Kent Howerton commented that the bike was plenty fast. and the power comes from the bottom up. smoothly. Power is transferred through a five-speed transmission. Suspension components are Keyaba at both ends. Note front disc brakes. YODloho OW64 L.. A four-speed. 487cc. air-cooled. power-valve engine powers Yamaha's Open class contender. The fork is Kayaba. but the rear shock is an Ohlins. Travel is 300mm at both ends. Horsepower is claimed to be 57-plus @ 7000 rpm . The Yamaha. like the others. is right at the weight limit and no special alloys are used . They say a privateer on a production bike could easily be much light er and get away with it. Yamaha claims that the link ratio is the same as their production bikes. but the linkage has been moved down and back to get the weight still lower. Drum. floating brakes are used at both ends. The hubs are magnesium. • " .:JoJi '~ " . J '" "'" .~ ''' ' '' ' ''''''''' ' ~ ' "I ~ ' . ~ • • r , ~" ~ I' '. f . • .t}l · ~ M · r." t " f ' I .J _ ..

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