Honda CR 500R

The 1984 Honda CR500R descended from a long line of Elsinores, although it was not called by that name. It was sold in 1984. One color was available: Flash Red. The number plate panels were yellow, the seat was blue, the fork boots were black, and the wheel rims were silver. It used a round-slide carburetor and had a rear drum brake. 1984 was the only year to be air cooled.  The serial number began JH2PE0207EC300001.

CR 500R Overview

The Honda CR500R, a two stroke, single cylinder, dirt bike series was produced by Honda between 1984 and 2001.

The 1984 model was the only year to be air cooled and was nick named the "ping king", with a claimed 59 hp. 

In 1985, Honda made the first water cooled CR500R.

The 1984-1986 models had a rear drum brake and front disc brakes, and from 1987 and up Honda fitted a disc brake at the rear.

The bottom end power is specially notorious for the years 1985 to 1991 with a claimed 64.6 hp.

For the years 1989 onwards, Honda smoothed out the power band by redesigning the head. This also helped with kick starting since there was less compression to push down. Also the bike received some big exhaust changes that resembles modern two stroke exhaust designs.  The front suspension was upgrades to Showa up-side-down forks.

The bike stayed basically the same throughout the years, but in 1993 to 2001 the hp was mellowed out to approximately 56 hp.

In 1993 the AMA 500 motocross races were stopped and there was no longer a designated motocross race for the bike to be in, so Honda stopped developing the CR500R.

2001 was the last year of production of the CR500R.

Dave Thorpe, three-time World 500cc MX champion said:

“The CR500 has a reputation as being an animal, but when you are thinking straight and everything is together, it’s a lovely machine. But as soon as your mind wanders you tire and become a passenger, that’s when a 500cc two-stroke becomes a beast that will bite you…

What amazed me the most was just how tractable it was, which people often forget. I used to race with a four-speed gearbox and start the race in third! It would just plough away from the trap like a tractor, digging a trench behind it due to its torque. It was awesome and I often used to only shift once in a lap, the rest of the time I just left it in third.

The time I used to notice just how fearsome the CR could be, was during pre-season testing. When you hadn’t ridden it for a while it really felt wild. Dad used to describe watching me as like seeing some washing hanging off the back of the bike. I wish some of the modern top-level riders could try one for size, I’m sure they would still be amazingly competitive as the CR500 was so far ahead of its time.”