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Offline keeptwostrokesalive

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Two stroke hillclimbing
« on: July 25, 2010, 09:14:26 AM »
These guys are insane.

Hillclimb Highlights 2

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2010, 01:37:38 PM »
Now, am I mistaken or are there are a lot of CR500s there?  From what I've heard about that particular beast, they tend to struggle with hills because of their relatively radical powerband (compared to more mild 500s like the KX and Maicos).  Are the hill-climbing CR500s configured differently to that this is no longer the case, or is it a matter of the CR500 just being "the" 500 everyone turns to?


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline opfermanmotors

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2010, 02:13:20 PM »
CR500s are bad for trail riding, even Super Hunky says that in his column for the exact same reasons.  However, a CR500 is fine in the above type of hill climb because they don't ever loose momentum and they are wide open the entire time.  Its when you let off the throttle or loose your momentum where the CR500's snappy power band makes it hard to recover and you have to start from the bottom of the hill again, this is where bikes with a smoother powerband are easier for trail style riding.
Modest beginings start with a single blow of a horn, man.

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2010, 02:20:11 PM »
Okay.  I was thinking that maybe they'd be having some wheel-spin troubles compared to a motor that emphasizes torque over screaming and wailing horsepower, but I guess they're going fast enough to avoid that.


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline GlennC

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2010, 02:33:47 PM »
I don't know the exact year they re tuned the CR500, But the later ones (1990? -2001) have a very wide power band.
My Service Honda is a great trail bike and hill climb bike as well. Always starts with one or two kicks, and will take off in the middle of a rocky hill climb easier than any bike I have owned.

The power on this engine is quite usable for me 47 a year old desert racer.
Last Year I loaned this same bike to a local pro Chris Barret and he got the hole shot at the  L A Sleeve/Glen Helen two stroke race. He pulled Chuck Sun on a Service KX500 in the process.

Top ends last a long time, Rear tires don't.





Offline Coop

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2010, 02:57:03 PM »
My friend friend  Frank Volbrecht, formally from western NY, now living near Bedord Indiana (owns the bike shop Outdoor Purrformance in Avoca, IN) used to love hill climbing. He build this bike and for the life of me I cannot remember the bike/engine he used as the base.

- Mike - Don't take life so seriously, nobody gets out alive.

Offline 2smoker

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2010, 03:46:19 PM »
They are spraying meteorite! Metal Paddle attached to a retarded engine! These guys are nuts!
Formula over substance will ALWAYS sell more.

Offline opfermanmotors

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2010, 04:20:50 PM »
I have a 86 CR500 and it's terrible in the trails.  Too heavy, doesn't turn, the snappy power makes it just spin tire if you ever loose momentum.

A friend of mine has a 2001 CR500 and it's actually even worse in the trails.  The 86 has a bit more bottom end makes it a little easier to ride in the trails, but the 2001 may have a little better suspenion, but its harder to ride in the trails.  He is always crying when we go on tight single track or what not and has backed out of attempting hills that the Maicos put up.  He is actually thinking to get a Maico just because of how mine handle in the woods compared to his CR500.

I'm like this trail isn't that bad, he's like but look at what you're riding!  He always says why don't I bring the CR!

One time on a double black diamond he almost went over the edge of a cliff, I have it on video.  I was there on the 1982 Maico 490GS and there is a landslide that went onto the trail.  One side of the trail is the hill the other side is a 50 foot drop stright down.  On the trail at this section is a pile of loose rubble from the landslide. 

I stopped at it, and then I just putted right over it on the Maico.  He went on it and slowed down and when he gas it a little bit of gas to keep going, like CR500's do, the back end just spun out and kicked itself right down almost off the side!  The maico doesn't spin out and those CR500's are all pretty heavy as well. 




« Last Edit: July 25, 2010, 04:34:16 PM by opfermanmotors »
Modest beginings start with a single blow of a horn, man.

Offline keeptwostrokesalive

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2010, 04:33:43 PM »
My friend friend  Frank Volbrecht, formally from western NY, now living near Bedord Indiana (owns the bike shop Outdoor Purrformance in Avoca, IN) used to love hill climbing. He build this bike and for the life of me I cannot remember the bike/engine he used as the base.



Coop, the bike at the end of this video is fairly similar to the one in your pic.

Dickeyville Hillclimb June 2009 - High Definition LPmotocross.com
« Last Edit: July 25, 2010, 04:40:08 PM by keeptwostrokesalive »

Offline GlennC

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2010, 04:36:59 PM »
I have a 86 CR500 and it's terrible in the trails.  Too heavy, doesn't turn, the snappy power makes it just spin tire if you ever loose momentum.

A friend of mine has a 2001 CR500 and it's actually even worse in the trails.  The 86 has a bit more bottom end makes it a little easier to ride in the trails, but the 2001 may have a little better suspenion, but its harder to ride in the trails.  He is always crying when we go on tight single track or what not and has backed out of attempting hills that the Maicos put up.  He is actually thinking to get a Maico just because of how mine handle in the woods compared to his CR500.

Have Your friend do a little reading over at cr500riders.com lots of good info over there, Sounds like his bike is horribly out of tune.
I am quite certain that the older ones are higher strung and the newer ones have a broad spread of power.
Mine really has great torque down low and pulls great through the whole RPM range.
You should ride a properly tuned Service 500.

Offline opfermanmotors

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2010, 04:45:15 PM »
Ya, he pretty much lives on cr500riders.com.  He's done a bit of work to it like flywheel weights.  I don't know, any CR500 I've ridden all feel the same, maybe yours is tuned differently than the rest. 
Modest beginings start with a single blow of a horn, man.

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2010, 04:49:49 PM »
Holy hell!  That Kawasaki triple (is that a 750?) was just orgasmic!


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline keeptwostrokesalive

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2010, 05:12:27 PM »
I have no clue what it was, all i know is that it was super fast and sounded awesome.

Offline 2stroke250

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2010, 07:27:23 PM »
I wish we had hillclimbing down here in Florida so I could go watch. Looks like tons of fun!
1996 SUZUKI RM250 W/2000 RM250 ENGINE SWAP

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Two stroke hillclimbing
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2010, 09:52:30 PM »
By the way, I just noticed that irresponsible son of a bitch has THREE straight stingers!  I think there's something about Kawasakis that just doesn't want to be muffled.


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?