Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

with past CR500s is the constam agony you have to endure when , startin g one of the things. They: simply would refuse to start if the. kickstarter wasn 't finessed into just the right spot, Positioning the piston in a certain point in the piston stroke. And even then it would take a perfectly executed, healthy ki ck on the kickstarter lever , combined with just th e right amount of throttle, r before the motor would even think about firing to life. . Nineteen eighty-eight sees an all new primary kickstarting gear lever ratio and reshaped kickstarter lever designed to cure the problem. We'll tell you now, it pretty much does the. trick. . The only other change to the motor worth mentioning is the swap to a stronger, larger diameter countershaft In the transmission, which also means last year's countershaft rr sprockets will not fit the 'S8 CR. The countershaft sprocket cover is now larger, too, to meet FIM regulations. , That's about it. The rest of the f water-cooled, 491.4cc, two-stroke motor remains the same, as does the 3Smm Keihin, flat-slide carburetor. Chassis changes offered are more than a new, deeper red-colored frame, plastic and seat, but not much. The 43mm Showa fork, which") retains th e cartridge design system, features damping valve and rate changes for in creased co m p ressio n damping, as well as stiffer fork springs. The fork retains 14-wa y external compression damping settings, and boasts 12 in ches of wh eel travel. The Showa shock is basically th e same e xce p t for so me valving ch an ges. It, too, ha s a stiffer spring rate, and the compression damping' adjustor is more sensitive to changes. The shock has IS co m p ressio n and • 21 rebound damping adj us tm ent settings. The Pro-Link rear suspen sion has 12.6 in ch es of travel. In the brake department, Honda, has switched from a steel -braided , hose to a cheaper-to-manufacture, ' lightweight co m p osite hose on the front, twin-piston disc brake, which , also features a new, lighter slotted disc. The rear disc brake is th e same as last year's. T he only other changes to the C~ ' is a slightly reshaped (taller) han-r dlebar bend and slimmer seat. I • But does it (st ill) roost ? Test: 1988 Honda CRSOORJ Hors.epower isn't everything (or is it?) By Ki t Pal mer Photos by Kinney Jones Ever since the first water-cooled CR500 emerged on the scene b ack in 1985, H onda h as dominated the ba ttle of the h eavyweights, n o ques tion s asked. Last year's 6 CR500 was still the pick of the litter in the big-bore class, so it's no surprise the CR500RJ sports Iittle change for 1988. The CR500 has never been criticized for lack of horsepower. In fact, almost the opposite is the case - it's been said that the Honda has too much power for th e average motocrosser, and it 's probably true. But instead of reducing power output Honda has been trying for th e past few years to mellow out the CR's awesome horsepower, attempting to make the powerband smoother a nd easier to manage. And every year th e CR500 has been getting easier and easier to ride without sacrificing horsepower. For 1988, Honda has gone two steps further in hopes of achieving an even smoother motor. The first move was a simple on" e. The new CR has a heavier flywheel, which accomplishes two things; it helps smooth out power delivery and reduces the chance of the motor stalling at low rpm. The second change wa s made to the five-speed gearbox. Fourth and fifth gears have a lower ratio to make better use of the CR's bru te horsepower. The lower gearing reduces the CR's top end speed since the motor revs out quicker. One of the biggest gripes we've had You betl The new Honda CR500RJ IS as powerful as ever and it's by far the easiest to ride CR500 yet. It 's still extremely fast but the powerband is manageable and less likely to get you into sticky situations; the motor is predictable and not so scary anymore. , When the throttle is rolled on, the Honda responds wi th a smooth surge . of power, hooking up progressively ' and hard throu~hout the powerband without excessive vibration. It still takes a smart rider to use th e Honda 's motor to its full potential. Throttle control is very importa nt- when riding the CR, as it is with most bigbore two-stroke MXers, but it's less critical with the Honda. The new CR is more forgiving than ever. Luckily, the Honda's transmission has no problem handling the CR's potent motor. Missed shifts were extremely rare, and the clutch has a super ligh t pull for a big-bore. Two fingers can get the job done easily enough. Like we said earlier, the Honda is much easier to start than the 'S7, but it still isn't perfect. The kickstarter lever is a little on the tall side; getting' a leg on it is somewhat awkward. Just like past CRs, you must position the piston a little past TDC (which is now easier to find ) then give the

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