Best 500GP rider of all time

[TMKIWI]

Who is your favorite 500GP road rider of all time ?
Mine would have to be:
1) Mick Doohan . Legend
2) Valentino Rossi. I know but most of his titles have been on a 4 stroke.Would be 1'st if it was still 500's
3) Kevin Schwantz. One of the few guy's that raced with the attitude that 2nd was the first loser.
He never had the best bike but could make his bike do things that would seem impossible.Was my favorite rider to watch in the early 90's.

Honorable mentions: Giacomo Agostini,Barry Sheene

[opfermanmotors]

Valentino Rossi's Day At The Office

[opfermanmotors]

I don't follow GP, but Yamaha was putting out some comic clips with the GP riders like the one above and some interviews like this one.

One on One - Eddie Lawson & Ben Spies - Part One

One on One - Eddie Lawson & Ben Spies - Part Two

One on One - Eddie Lawson & Ben Spies - Part Three

[Out of Order]

Wayne Rainey was one of the best, too bad his career was cut short. Doohan would of never had as many championships as he did have, and Kevin would of never won his only in 93. Another would be Eddie Lawson he won 3 times with Yamaha and his final one in 1989 on that evil NSR500, needless to say he ran away from Honda the next year. I wonder why? lol

Then before these guys (and before I was born) there was Kenny Roberts Sr. And as TMKIWI said Agostini and Sheene are other names I can't forget either.

As for Rossi he's a legend in MotoGP. He won the 500GP championship in his second year. It also was the final year for the 500s.    But Rossi has said multiple times he'd rather race the 500 2 stroke.

[ford832]

Hands down Barry Sheene.Second to Schwantz.Third to Mamola.Not the very best maybe but my favorites.Something about the attitude.Especially Sheene.Schwantz because he wrang the guts out of everything and Mamola because he was twisted

How about favorite battles?I'd take Rainey and Schwantz-for as long as Schwantz kept it on two wheels anyway.

[TMKIWI]

Schwantz v Rainey Hochenheim 91. 
There was another race that year when the battle was Rainey,Schwantz and Doohan. Amazing

[TMKIWI]

500cc 1991 Suzuka Final Lap

[Out of Order]

^ Now that's RACING!!!!!! I loved the 500's.

[fabbo]

Mine would have to be

1) Kenny Roberts
2) Wayne Gardner
3) Mick Doohan

Loved those 500 cc two strokes. If my memory serves me right Kenny Roberts also raced 750 cc two strokes in formula 1

[2T Institute]

Some awesome talent in 500's, some of the riders on non factory machines were very bit as good as the well paid factory blokes.

Jarno Saarinen
Virgino Ferrari
Jurgen van der Goorburg
Jack Middleburg
Will Hartog
Graeme Crosby
Garry McCoy
Jeramy McWilliams
Alberto Puig(before the big accident)
Late Noriuki Abe
Taddy Okada
Luca Cadalora
Jean Michel Bayle

NORICK'S FIRST 500cc GP

One rider I abhore is Mamola he accepted a works Cagiva ride just for the money and rode round doing wheelies, his nadir was flipping the bike on the warm up lap at the Assen TT. He recently did a stoppie on the main straight at a litre bike launch, 2 riders almost 'Liberace'd' him at speed.   

[Coop]

I used to enjoy road racing a lot more when the 500 two strokes were racing.

[2T Institute]

Some YZR500 pipes(lowers) a friend in NZ was asked to copy. Titainium is very difficult to press into shape would have had to been formed at 600 deg C

[TMKIWI]

I was lucky enough to meet Graeme Crosby in the late 80's.
He was a real character and bloody good on a bike.

[ford832]

One rider I abhore is Mamola he accepted a works Cagiva ride just for the money   

Interesting.I've never heard tell of a rider doing that before-shame on him.Most base their choice of rides on what's best for the sport or their love of the factory-not what benefits their career or bank account.

[ford832]

500cc 1991 Suzuka Final Lap

Sweet vid.G.D. I miss that.Way back when, 3hrs on Sun morning was "leave me the hell alone time"They used to televise the 125,250,500 races back to back.