VIDEO: the KTR, a modern 500cc two-stroke!
Honda has always been a cool lover of two-stroke technology and could not have imagined that one of their machines would reach cult status. Production of the Honda CR500 stopped in 2001 due to the advancing four-strokes and changing rules of the AMA and FIM.
The story of the CR500 started back in 1981 with the CR450. Three years later the CR480 saw the light of day and in 1985 the Japanese introduced the first water-cooled CR500. These motorcycles were legendary because of the well-known “punch in your ass” character. From 1989 onwards, Honda tried to polish the rough edges by installing a modified cylinder head. Nevertheless, the CR continued to maintain the status “only for real man”.
Twenty years later, the CR500, together with its counterpart - the Kawasaki KX500 - is the collector's item of the moment. The cult status around these two has become so great that fake news is even written about them. Websites that were not so strict with the double-check principle announced with great respect that Honda was developing another CR500. Dreaming is of course allowed, but the reality is that many knowledgeable people use the CR500 as a project.
Restoring and preserving originality is one thing, but using the Honda powerplant in a modern frame is a bit more challenging. In the video below you can see a very successful reconversion of the CR500. The mighty block was spooned into a frame from a 250 KTM 2016SXF. The engine has been significantly updated to make the power manageable and there is a decompression valve to make starting easier. It is a creation of the Canadian company Millar Race Engineering. The whole thing also looks very slick, it is a successful but perhaps very expensive mix of this Japanese powerhouse with an Austrian frame.
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