Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

forks and shocks, th e entire testing s ta ff began to foam at the mouth. Needless to say, we were n' t disappointed wi th the news o f the cha nge, and were qu ite pleased with the on-track perfo rma nce of th e n e w machines . Last year, it was easy to get in trouble on th e CR500. The awesome motor, cou pled with the somew ha t unpredictable handling of the Showa-suspen ded chassis, e q u a le d bi g s ca r es w hen the goi ng go t rough. As a matter of fact, one tester s u ffe re d a separated sho u ld er when last year's CR sp it him off as he accelerated ou t of a ro ug h, ru tted co rner. Being on your toes was a must w it h la s t ye a r's bike, a s the fo rks wou ld a lso th ro w in a su rp rise or tw o whe n squa reed ged bumps entered the pictu re . Ad d in a set of too-so ft fork and shoc k sp rings, and it was also pretty scary to ca tch b ig air on the mot or cycle. We cu red last year's CRSOO' s hand ling woes by installin g a set of con ventional Mar zocchi forks, loosening up the initial comp ression rebound dampeni ng in the s hock and insta lli ng a stiffe r spring, and bolt ing on a Wo rk s Enduro Rid er ste ering c am per. No suc h mod ifica tions are needed in '95. From the first lap we took on the new bike, it was ob vious th at the Ka yaba suspenders were se t up with aggressive ridi ng in m ind . Stiffer sp rings come stock , fro nt an d rea r, a nd th e bike ha s a well-bal anced feel on the track. Rear-end swapp ing under power is all b ut elimina ted, as the KYB shock soaks up square-edged b umps, potholes a nd rolling whoops with equal authority. Up front , the KYB fork is complime nted by a set of wider tri p le clam ps an d a wi der, stiffer fro nt hub and axle. Fork action is plus h, yet at the same time stiff enough to handle large blows without bottoming. Deflecting off sq uare bumps is a thing of the past with the new setup, in spite of the more rigid front end. To our surprise, the biggest improvemen t that the larger fron t hub and ax le ma de was in the braki ng depa rtment. Like most people, we've always been great fans of Honda's ability to produce bikes w ith the best binders, bu t we truly believe that they' ve outdone themselves this year. The front brake is awesome. Period. Because of the greater rigidity gai n ed w ith th e ' n ew h ub a nd w ider spoke pattern, there is almo st no braking power lost to flex. Be careful. Rear brake action is the same as it eve r was - strong, with good feel. Most peopl e think that you "m uscle" a n open classe r a ro u n d a m otocross track. Maybe so w ith some, but such is no t the case with the CRSOO. "Finesse" is the key word : Good line selection, lots of self control with yo ur throttle hand and a neutral bod y position can make tackling most types of motocross tracks a breeze. Even tight, rutted comers can be con qu ered; just because it' s a big bike, doesn't mean that the ou tsid e line is the only option. . New, wider 43rnm footpegs provide plenty of grip for you r feet , thanks to th ree rows of sole-grabbin g teeth. The w id er platforms also help sp re ad the im p act from hard landings to a gr eat er area of you r foo t, easing th e pressu re di rected toward your arch. Obviou sly, the CRSOO is well liked by (Left)The biggest news in '95 is the Kayaba forks. In comparison to the Showa units of the past, the KYBunits are a dream come true. (Above) The CRSOO motor features no new porting, timing or carburetion changes, but remains the most powerful in the open class. (Left) A wider, thicker front hub and axle provide greater rigidity up front. Believe it or not, braking power is increased. the Cycle Nr0>5 staff. But that's not to say that th e b ik e doesn 't h a ve it s faul ts ! Thi ngs we d on't li ke about th e b ike inclu de the hu ge, boat-anch or silence r (but we mu st admit we liked its ra the r q u ie t note ), the h e avy -l oo kin g b od y style, the purp le gas-tank stickers, the rubber-like cha in and the stock steel handlebars. Not only is the silencer large a nd heavy, it is eas ily bent inwards in eve n the sma llest of cras hes. When bent, the silencer is subjected to hea vy abuse from the rea r tire, which rubs it with each compression of the rear end. Both the Pro Circuit and FMF aftermarket silencers are smaller, tucked in better, and are not significantly louder than stock. The ne w ra d ia tor shrouds ma y be p urple, bu t they s ti ll h a ve the same bulky-looking shape of many years past. Purple stripes on the gas tank may add to the showroom look of the bike , but they look terrible in no time. Peeling them off before you even ride the bik e m a y b e easier than peelin g off th e scuffed- u p rem nant s la ter on . The 125 a nd 250 models h a v e new radiator shrou ds that bolt to the same gas tank why not give the 500 the same? The bike looks mu ch, much hea vier than it feels on the track. Hondas have been kn own for their top-quali ty construction. Excell ent faste n e r s abo und on th e machine, a n d everything is well tho ug ht out and easy to work on. Why thr ow on a cheap chain that stre tches like an aw aken ing Rip Van Winkle? Plan on bu ying a hi gh -qu ality replac ement qu ickly. But what about the handlebars? Well, though we like the tall, flat bend of the stee l bars, we had a rather unpleasant experien ce w ith them that cou ld ha ve resulted in a serious injury. While casing ou t ove r a large triple ju m p, the rig ht side of the handlebar snapped off in one tester's hands. On impact! The broken bars we re sent back to Ho nda for inspection, an d they assu red us that the break was a resul t of damage incurred in a p re- vi ous crash. The only crash su ffered befo re the incident was a slow tip -over fall at the Carlsbad Hon da intro, in which the entire we igh t of the bike wa s centered on the hand lebars. Could that h a ve b een it? Ma ybe s o, maybe not. Since then, we have replaced the handlebars with Answer Pro Tapers, tha t, in a d d ition to bei ng th e s t ro ngest b a r s av a ilab le, do a gre at job of ab sorbing vibration as well. All in a II, the CRSOO is one heck of a ma ch ine, but one th at unfo rtun a te ly finds itself without a class at many race tra cks . Since the demise o f the 500cc National Series, it seems that open class interest has dwind led and the majori ty of the 500cc machines are usuall y found in the vet classes . We predict th at th ere'll be a lot of thirty-something g uys s m iling und er their helmets in 1995. l~ Wh ile Cyd e News believes tire foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reoieuxrs only and should not be relied upon in determining the perfo rmance or safe ty of the uehiclets). The reader should make his or her own inves tigation. H aC 500R ond R specnications Ust Price Displacement Engine type $4999 491cc Uquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke Borex stroke 89x 79mm Compression ratio 6.8:1 Carburetion 38mm flat-slide Ignition CDI Transmission speeds 5 Startin9 system Kick Fuel capacity 2.4 gal. Wheelbase : . .58.7in. seatheight 37.8 in. Front tire '. .801100 x 21 Rear lire 11011 00 x 18 Front wheel travel 12 .2in. Rear wheel travel 12 .6in. Front brake Disc Rear brake Disc Final drive Cha in Claimed dry weight .222.7Ibs. .. .. ~ t::: ~ ~ ~ ~ 0\ 0\ rl o ~ ~ l-< OJ .c E OJ :> o Z 21

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