1997 Honda CR500 Trail Bike

Description

Honda’s CR series of off road bikes dates back to the original CR250M Elsinore of 1973, a bike that revolutionised the motocross scene in 1973.  Developed in secrecy by a group of former race engineers and named after California’s famous off-road course at Lake Elsinore, Honda’s first serious motocross model featured a two-stroke single with a bore and stroke of 70mm by 64.4mm, a close-ratio five-speed gearbox and flywheel magneto ignition.  The CR250M’s chrome moly frame was a semi-double cradle design, with long travel telescopic fork and a swing arm plus refillable shock absorbers.  Combining aluminium bodywork and plastic fenders, the CR250M was an ultra-lightweight machine with excellent off-road performance and quickly proved itself in competition when Gary Jones won the AMA’s 250 National Motocross Championship in 1973.  Sold alongside the equally successful CR125M, both appeared just as motocross was really taking off in America, with tracks appearing all over the country, and paved the way for a generation of sensational Honda dirt bikes. Larger two-strokes appeared in the early 1980s, including the CR450R of 1981 and the CR480R the following year.  The first CR500R appeared in 1984, becoming the most powerful motocross bike made by Honda and competed in many long-distance off-road events including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000.  Notable features on this brutal off-roader included a disc brake up front, Pro Link rear suspension and cartridge-style dampers, but the CR500 quickly earned a reputation as an unforgiving beast and it took a skilled rider to tame the 60 horsepower available at the flick of the wrist.  Like all vintage motocross bikes, values of CR500s have picked up in recent years and they are fast becoming popular with collectors.