83 XR500r

[shortstraw8]

I have kinda inherited this bike from my brother. There are some issues with the fork set, I have been looking around and found replacements on rmatv but was wondering if there is a better than stock that would be worth the upgrade since it is bent and needs to be changed and replacement aren't cheap. It is not terrible but noticeable the faster you go, like the front is pulling left.
Also can't find a great seat replacement, will probably just try my hand at reupholstering the current one the tape job is fine for now.
And any tips tricks to make the plastics look newer better or are there good replacement kits out there that I am not finding.
Any other tips tricks knowledge maintenance on these anyone can offer will be helpful

 

[anderson750]

There are probably some good resources for this bike on thumpertalk.com

 

[shortstraw8]

There are probably some good resources for this bike on thumpertalk.com

It looks to be so far, thanks!
Also found xrsonly which has some of the other stuff I was looking for.

 

[Tonkaman]

Are you saying 1 of the forks are bent?

Just reupholster the seat yourself, if you still have a good seat base. It doesn’t seem like a bad job if you’ve got a stapler.

I’ve seen guys sand down plastics working there way to ultra fine grit. I’ve also seen them apply heat with a torch. Both ways get good results in the right hands.


Very cool bike, I’m sure it will be fun to have.

 

[Rot Box]

Cool bike for sure! eBay for a new fork. You might get lucky and find an entire front end from a 84 and newer then you’d have a disk brake up front.

 

[Rot Box]

Honda XR Disc Front Brake Forks, Wheel, Caliper &

$50.00 Honda XR Disc Front Brake Forks, Wheel, Caliper & for sale in Hill AFB, UT on KSL Classifieds. View a wide selection of Motorcycles, Dirt Bike Parts and other great items on KSL Classifieds.

classifieds.ksl.com

 

[shortstraw8]

Are you saying 1 of the forks are bent?

Not too sure, I was told there was an issue with them after a crash and his buddy said they were bent. Looking at it, if they are bent it does not seem visible to me. Measurements between the two don't seem off anywhere, but is just an old framing tape. Not sure it will matter too much as I don't plan on doing 80 down the highway, but was something that was mentioned and now I can't tell if it really affects drivability but have never rode a bike that I feel I need to fight to keep straight down the road. Any suggestions on jig or something to see if one or both might be out. Seems on that thumpertalk that a few have taken headsets and forks from crfs or the xr600.

Honda XR Disc Front Brake Forks, Wheel, Caliper &

$50.00 Honda XR Disc Front Brake Forks, Wheel, Caliper & for sale in Hill AFB, UT on KSL Classifieds. View a wide selection of Motorcycles, Dirt Bike Parts and other great items on KSL Classifieds.

classifieds.ksl.com

And apparently need to browse ksl too as this might be the best quick solution right now.

 

[shortstraw8]

I am no expert, but see no issues with bent/broken/malformed shocks tubes. At worst I think handle bars may be a bit out of alignment which may be why I feel the need to steer right?
Looks like factory suspension has stuff to rebuild front and rear on these.

 

[Gravy]

The disc brake front stops much better.

 

[Rot Box]

Yeah if you don’t see anything wrong with it I’d probably just ride it. Do the fork seals leak? They’re pretty easy to rebuild/reseal on those if I remember right.

That said for $50 I’d swap to the disk brake. Should bolt right into your clamps I think

 

[rholbrook]

Here is my BIL's original one owner. It stayed in a shed in Uinta Lands for about 30 years before I made him bring it home. That is the original seat, plastics and decals. I don't think it has 300 miles on it. The tires were replaced because of cracking and I replaced the fork seals. It is fun to ride. He tells me he wants to sell it but he hasn't given me a price every time I ask.

 

[N-Smooth]

I've always wanted one. I put some miles on a recently rebuilt XR400R and it made me wonder what a 5hundo would be like...

 

[shortstraw8]

Yeah if you don’t see anything wrong with it I’d probably just ride it. Do the fork seals leak? They’re pretty easy to rebuild/reseal on those if I remember right.

That said for $50 I’d swap to the disk brake. Should bolt right into your clamps I think

It is already disk brake up front.
Seeing gold valve emulator as a decent upgrade when rebuilding the shocks which I will likely do over the winter along with other maintenance. Needs muffle like none other or a good set of earplugs.
My brother put new tires front and rear and a handful of other things, I will probably just continue on with that over the winter and make it a good runner. It had no issues when we went out on a ride a while back other than stubborn to start.

 

[shortstraw8]

Here is my BIL's original one owner. It stayed in a shed in Uinta Lands for about 30 years before I made him bring it home. That is the original seat, plastics and decals. I don't think it has 300 miles on it. The tires were replaced because of cracking and I replaced the fork seals. It is fun to ride. He tells me he wants to sell it but he hasn't given me a price every time I ask.

Looks brand new, and even has the tool bag.
What does the end of that muffler look like? I think these disc kits would help quiet it down, but can't figure how it would attach as there does not seem to be anything for it. Not sure I have the right muffler for the kit.
Also if he does want to sell it let me know his price, I may buy it to have my own as my brother may move back and want this one.

 

[Rot Box]

Disk brake on there? Wonder if it’s been swapped at some point I know the CR’s didn’t receive disks until 84 for sure. Anyway is it a dual carb model? My memory is hazy when it comes to the XR’s. If so those can be a beast to start. Just find top dead center and roll past a tiny bit then hammer down on the kicker best way to start them IMO.

Those emulators are good stuff but I think a set of cartridge forks off of a 88ish or newer might be a good option too if you’re looking to upgrade.

 

[shortstraw8]

Disk brake on there? Wonder if it’s been swapped at some point I know the CR’s didn’t receive disks until 84 for sure. Anyway is it a dual carb model? My memory is hazy when it comes to the XR’s. If so those can be a beast to start. Just find top dead center and roll past a tiny bit then hammer down on the kicker best way to start them IMO.

Those emulators are good stuff but I think a set of cartridge forks off of a 88ish or newer might be a good option too if you’re looking to upgrade.

Yeah dual carb setup. It may have been converted to disc at some point. Not too sure on the back story as I am waiting for my brother to let me know more.
I was wondering about that startup, was trying to feel out tdc start easy when found. Can definitely feel compression stroke and thank god for the release lever.

 

[Rot Box]

Let’s see some pics of this beast! I wish I had an older bike again to tinker with but my wife hates fun so she says NO 🤣

 

[shortstraw8]

Meant to grab some yesterday but was checking it over more and trying to figure out lining up the handlebars. Then had to ride it around the neighborhood.
No where near as pretty as @rholbrook brothers, but she runs well.


Also got that 2wd fourtrax also runs pretty good.
Don't mind the mess, now that I have replaced the garage door opener it will be cleaned.... eventually.