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/126990
CR a serious kick. It'll usu all y fire, bu t we did ha ve problems with th e bike fouling spark plugs when cold, especially after a few rid es. Backi n g th e:idle screw all th e way in helped reduce the problem. O nce the bike is wa rm ed up, th ough , the Ho nda almost always starts o n th e first kick. Suspension has never been all tha t great o n pas t CR 500s, but the '88 CR IS e Jjy far the best yet. The most obvious improvement is up front. T he Showa fork is much smoother than last year's design, but th ere is still-a p roblem with head sha ke a t high speed. It 's not as bad as before, butthe sha ke is still somethi ng 10 watch out for. O n most mo tocr oss , tra cks where speeds aren' t so wide ope n, however, the H onda's front end wor ks flaw lessly, even more so after a change of o il. The rear Pro -Lin k suspension is up to pa r, as well. It 's no thing 10 rav abou t, but the Pro -Link set-up ~ets the job do ne well enough. There IS less kick th an before, and the shock hand les th e G-o u tS m uch better thanks to the sti ffer spri ng ra te and harder compressing da mping. Even th oug h the C R's s uspension is sligh tly sti ffer than befo re, th e . Honda glides over smaller stu tter bumps even more smoo thly th an in 1987. H andling is one of the CR 's strong points. It turns exceptionall y well and precisely, and the front and rea r disc bra kes perform next 10 perfect. The fro nt bra ke feels slig htly mushy compared 10 las t year's 500, bu t the adva n tage to th a t is tha t it 's not so sensitive a ny more. T he new , ' com pos ite front bra ke hose gives th e Honda a bit more positive feel ; it 's less grabby. Both the fro nt a nd rear disc bra kes h a ve stro ng power; th ey're ab le 10 ha ul down the big CR in a hurry. The CR turns accura tely which has a lot 10 do with the exce llent Du nlop tires . A Dunlop K490 is used upIront, which is considered one of th e best in the busi ness, and a K595 is .used in the rear. These tires and traditional CR500 corn ering tra its make th e H onda carve th ro ugh the tu rns bett er th an ever before - it 's th e best in its class . A slim mer tank/ seat j unc tio n a nd slig h tly tall er h andl eb ars a lso impro ve th e H onda's turning ab il ities. It 's easier 10 mo ve aro und o n the Honda. As in th e past, the Honda has a n extre mely comfortable seating pos i[ion, a nd the con trols are first class all th e way. The grips are th e best aroun d; hand levers a re easy to reach and use; ha ndlebar bend is comfortable a nd the seat has pe rfect den sit y. T he H onda feels tailor-made . There just isn 't much we didn 't like about the new Honda CR500, excep t for maybe p oor gas mi leage. We feel the gas tank sho u ld be designed to carry more fuel ; more than just 2.0 gallons. We averaged between 35 to 40 miles o n one tank of gas. For most motocr osstraces that's enough, but for th ose who also plan o n riding enduros, grands pri x, hare scra mbles and desert races on the CR (and th ere will be), a bi gger gas tan k is an abso lu te must. The bottom line T he 1988 H onda CR500RJ isn' t radica lly changed over last year's model , bu t it 'd id n ' t need m any cha nges a n yw ay . Lu c ki ly , th e cha nges it did receive were o nes it needed; nothing more. It 's very likely the CR will, once agai n, be th e bi g-bore class sta ndard with it s broad, smoo t h m ega horsepower motor, excelle nt suspensio n, precise han dl in g and clean detailing. So , what else is new? • De:;pite the new deeper red coloring, the 1988 CR500RJ looks identical to last year's model. Internal refinements to the motor and suspension are the key to the CR 's success in '88. The b ike worksl The front d isc brake is slotted . differently to reduce weight. The seat and tank junction is slightly slimmer; handlebars have a new, taller bend. Horsepower is super strong but tamer. A new kickstarter . Iev er and kickstarter gear ratio make the Honda easier to start than before. Yea l Honda CR500RJ Engine type Water-cooled, reed -valve, two-stroke Bore x stroke, . . • . • •89 X 79mm Displacement • • • • . . . . . 491.4cc Compression rat io 6.8:1 Carburetor . .. .. 38mm f lat-slide Keih in Horsepower N1 A Torque . . . . ... • . . . . . .. . . . N /A Starting system . . . . Primary kick Ign ition .. .• . . . .. . . . •. .. . . COl Lubrication . • • . .... . .. . Premix Transmission Five-speed Primary drive Straight -cut gear Final drive • .•. . . . . . #520 chain Frame Single downtube, spl it double crad le Rake . .. . . .... .... . ...•.. N /A Trail . .. . . ..• .. ... .. . . _. . N /A Front suspension ... Showa cartridge, telescopic fork Fork tube d iameter . . ••. . 43mm Front wheel travel 12.0 in. Rear suspension ... . . . . .• Single shock, Pro-Link 12.6 in . Rear wheel travel Front brake . • . ... . 240mm disc Rear brake . . • . . . . . 221 mm disc Front t ire . . . 80 /100-21 Dunlop K490 Rear t ire 110/100-18 Dunlop K595 , Claimed dry wt- •. . .. • 223.8 lbs . Wheelbase . . . . . . . • . . .. 59.1 in. Fuel capacity • . .. •. ... •2.0 gal . Ground clearance 13.0 in. Seat height ... . • . • .. .. 37.4 in. Co lors . . .. • . . . . ... .. • . . .. Red Reta il price $3198 7