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/126838
(Above) The CR comes stock with Bridgestone M·36 and M-37 tires. (Below) The Showa shock does an adequate job absorbing the bumps. requiring a stro n g gr ipon the handlebars. Wh en co mparing th e H onda to the KX500 o n a rough track , th e Kawa sa ki has a sligh t edge over th e H onda. The Honda absorb s sma lle r, sq ua redoff bum ps sligh tly better wi th less kick, but th e Kawasaki is more sta ble over th e bigger b umps at speed. T he shock on th e H onda fade s more quickl y a nd more n ot iceably th an th e Kaw a sa ki 's shoc k. The C R is defin itel y a handler a nd doesn't really feel lik e a n O pen-class mo toc ro sser, wh ich is exactly th e o p pos ite feeli ng we go t a fter riding th e Kawa sak i. The Honda feels more lik e a 250 in th e tu rn s; it goes where it 's po inted , ho lds its line and can whip th rough turns wi th or wi th out a berm . A lot of th is sta bility m ust be credited to th e exce lle nt Brid geston e M-37 a nd M-36 tires, wh ich work best on dr y, hard -p acked grou nd. However, th e rear tire wea rs ou t q u ickly. The C R is a n easy m ot orcycle to ride for atwo-s tro ke big-bore. It has a co m fortable ridi ng po sit ion but is a littl e wide a t th e gas ta n k. T h e H on da . is well-ba lanced so it feels light in th e turn s a nd ca n be tosse d around in the a ir off j u mps. Co ntrols are simple to find a n d easy to use; th e cl utch has a ligh t p ull an d th e th ro ttl e is very easy to twis t. Bo th brak es are very strong, but th e rear isa little touchy whe n new ; h ow- The motor is the Honda's strong point; it's very powerful, yet manageable. Flat-slide Keihin carburetor is new for 19B5. 1985 Honda CR500R Engine type . . . .. Liquid-cooled. reed-valve. two-st roke single Bore x stroke 89.0 x 79 .0mm Displacement 491 cc Compression ratio 7 .4:1 Carburetion ... . 38mm flat-slide Keihin Horsepower • .. . . . . .. • . 60 bhp @6500rpm Torque .. • . . . ..... . . 50.6Ib-ft. @6000rpm Starting system . .. . Primary kick Ignition . . . • •.... . . .. . . .. . CO l Lubrication. . . . . . . . . . .. Premix Redline ...... . . . • . .. 7000 rpm Primary drive . . Straight-cut gear Final drive #520 chain Gear ratios Primary 63 /25; 2.520:1 Final 51 /14; 3.642:1 5th 19124; 0 .791 :1 4th . • • • .. .. . 21122; 0 .954:1 3rd .. . .. .. .. 23/20: 1 .150:1 2nd ... •. . .. 25 /18; 1.388:1 1st ... • • • .•. 28/16; 1.750:1 Frame . . . . . .. Single downtube. double cradle Rake . . . . ••. . . .. . .• • • . . . 27.50 Tra il . . .. . .. . ..•• . . .... . 4 .4 in. Front suspension ... Telescopic fork Fork tube diameter 43m m Front wheel travel .. . • . . 1 2. 0 in. Rear suspension • • Single-shock swingarm Rear wheel travel 1 2. 6 in. Front brakes . .•. . . . 9 .4-in . disc Rear brakes . • • .. . . 5.1 -in. drum Front wheel 1.60x21 -in . alum. rim Rear wheel . . . . . • .. 2.1 5x1 8 -in . alum. rim Front tire 3.00-21 Bridgestone M-37 Rear tire ' " 5 .10-18 Bridgestone M -36 Claimed dry weight 223.8Ibs. Overall length 86.6 in. Overall width 32.5 in. Overall height .' 48.4 in . Wheelbase •. .. . . . .. . . . 59.1 in. Fuel capacity 2.3 gal. Ground clearance 13.4 in. Seat height 37.8 in. Color Red Retail Price .. • ... . • . . . $2598. ever . th e shoes brea k-in q ui ckly then h ave a smooth a nd co ntro lla ble feel. T he front d isc is ver y stron g , a nd one fin ger is en o ugh to reel the bi g bi ke in fo r th e turn s. Wh a t makes th e CR suc h a to p-ra te Open c1asser is its incredibly smoo th, cris py-clean , torq uey powerb and. T he m o to r h as m ore th a n enough p ower for most rid ers, alth ou gh a Pro ride r might want a bit m or e o n top. The best wa y 10 descri be th e Ho nda 's sus pen sion is simply oka y; bot h th e fro nt a nd rea r suspe ns io n ge t th e job do ne but sometimes bal k a long th e way. No t on ly is the H on da a n exce lle n t mo tocros ser, it a lso mak es a fu n p la yhik e. And aft er gearing it tall er, th e C R will keep m any desert riders ha ppy, too . U n like la st year's C R500 . the re isn 't m uch for improvement. • 17