Honda CR500R 2001 TEST: la 2 tempi più spaventosa (e bella) di sempre!

Testing the Honda CR500R, the real one! A dream we made come true thanks to our friends at Moltocycle. Here's the track test of the Honda CR500R 2-stroke, the queen of motocross in the '80s and '90s. A bike capable of 65 hp per 100 kg: enough power to pave the way for the arrival of easier 4-strokes, even in motocross. The 500cc 2-stroke motocross bikes disappeared from the scene in the late '90s. First surpassed in sales by the more agile 250cc 2-strokes and then by the arrival of the more manageable 4-strokes. But they left the stage as undisputed queens. Difficult bikes, as light as they were powerful in delivering horsepower. Their engines gave everything, all at once. A cannon shot to the heart, a racing heartbeat, and arms outstretched. They wrote unforgettable pages of history, thanks in part to a generation of riders capable of taming them. Thorpe, Geboers, Jobè, but also Bayle, Bailey, and many others, to name a few of those who rode the legendary CR. And this special episode of YoungTimer on Moto.it is dedicated to the Honda CR 500 R: we rode the legendary 2001 CR 500 R (its final year of production) on the Chieve track, a one-hour-old model provided by the Milanese dealership Moltocycle. You read that right, not a beautifully restored motorcycle, but a 20-year-old Honda CR 500 R practically fresh from the factory. Luca Uccheddu, owner of Moltocycle, took it to the track and invited a true motocross guru, Salvatore Guccione (Guccio to his friends, the mechanic of many world champions in the motocross world). Thanks to their advice, and under their watchful eye, we got closer to this incredible CR, whose market value is even difficult to estimate. The Honda CR 500 R is the product of a late 1980s project and, aesthetically, has remained unchanged since 1991. The graphics have changed, and the Kayaba fork was replaced by a Showa in the mid-1990s, only to return to Kayaba on the latest models. It has a single-cylinder engine with in-cylinder reed valves and liquid cooling. Its 491 cc displacement produces 65 horsepower at just 6,000 rpm. The transmission has 5 speeds and it weighs 101 kg. The seat is 120 cm from the ground. A large 38 mm Keihin carburetor provides fuel, the mixture is set at 2%, and the fuel tank holds 9 liters (which sometimes wasn't enough in the long 40-minute heats of the 500cc World Motocross Championship!). The frame is a simple steel cradle with a bolt-on subframe. Up front, we find a 46 mm Kayaba inverted fork with 310 mm of travel. The rear suspension features an aluminum swingarm with Pro-Link and a Kayaba monoshock with 320 mm of travel. The Nissin brakes are remarkably small compared to today's (240 mm front disc, only 200 mm at the rear). The tires are still the ones mounted 20 years ago, now marble-like in compound, measuring 80/100 x 21" and 110/110 x 18". How does it go? Riding the Honda CR 500 R is an exhilarating experience. A mix of adrenaline, fear, and pure enjoyment. Cold starts can be challenging, but when warm, the big mono delivers full power as soon as it's over idle. You don't have to wait for torque to build: the Honda CR 500 R pulls like a beast right away, always, and in any gear. You have to be careful on the ramps, because takeoff is guaranteed. There's very little acceleration. And thank goodness, because then you have to take the time to shift gears and briefly interrupt that wild flow of horsepower on the rear knobbies. The chassis is agile and precise. It has little to envy today's bikes. Not like the brakes, which, thanks to the lack of engine braking on the 2-stroke, require a lot of effort to stop this beast. The day aboard the Honda CR 500 R flew by; we would have spent more time with it, but now it's only right that it return to its owner (thank you!). Our appointment with you doesn't end with this video, because a second one will follow, dedicated to a crazy test. We tell you more in the video... 00:00 Introduction: How the Honda CR 500 R is made 10:00 How the Honda CR 500 R performs on the track 16:15 Intro, part two Special thanks to Moltocycle of Milan Chieve Motocross Track By Andrea Perfetti Video by Andrea Beuzer and Marco Ghisetti Social Media by Pietro Vizzini Photos by Roberto Sorrentino Clothing by Andrea Perfetti Arai MXV helmet customized by KAOS Design Alpinestars outfit Alpinestars Tech 7 boots Scott Prospect goggles Find your used motorcycle: https://www.moto.it/moto-usate IG:   / motoit   FB:   / moto.it   Telegram: https://t.me/+SI91PIKXQSLJtnRw