KX500 as a trail bike??

[mercenary]

Hey folks.  Now before you think I have gone off the deep end hear me out

  I recently had the opportunity to ride an CR500 (be nice now) and got positively hooked on the power.  Since I have been a long time Kawasaki fan I believe the logical route for me is to purchase an KX500.

  Now here is the rub.  I dont race or compete in any form at all.  The bike would strictly serve my power addiction and trail duties.  I have looked at the alternatives (XR400,WR450,KDX220) and I dont think I would be very happy with the power output of these models.  I crave power.

  How many of you good folks just use your KX500's for trail and fireroad duties.  The trails around here are not too tight at all but can get quite muddy.

  Would the KX suit me or am I out to lunch?

[Paul]

I use mine for everything from the tightest singletrack to the fastest raceways and it's served me very well everywhere.

[mjscore]

I have an 86 KX500 that all I do is ride trails and climb hills with. I recommend that you install the V Force reeds and a torque spacer on yours and you won't be disappointed. Mine almost feels like my XR650 did as I have lugged it a few times. If you need more tractor like power try a flywheel wieght I'm told.

[husqrider]

in my opinion, the KX 500 makes a great trail bike, especially for bigger guys ( I,m 6'7"  250lbs ) I run a Steahly flywheel weight and a FMF gnarly pipe on my 1997 and it pulls from way down low some what like a four stroke. I ride a lot of tight wooded trails with steep technical climbs and the bike works pretty darn good! You made a good choice on the big 5! have fun

[kmac]

Yup, no MX for me, strictly off-road, my 5 is a gas. Stock motor, FMF Fatty, 14/50, thinking about a Steahly, I've got one, just haven't put it on. Apparently a good 5 with a fresh tire can change the rotation of the the earth if it can get enough traction.

[ShanMan]

This might sound crazy, but I am learning/relearning how to ride offroad on my '87 KX500. I rode/raced streetbikes for years and learned that in most situations, if used correctly, having an overabundance of power was an asset. I have only had the big 5'r for about 8 weeks. I have so far only riden the Glamis Dunes. That said, I feel like I am really progressing as a rider, and despite the power of the bike, I have yet to throw it away or even find it difficult to ride it because of the power. I know one thing for sure though, I have already become addicted to the rush that this bike can produce. It has been ported, polished, piped and jetted. IT FLAT GETS IT...even in sand (gotta love a 10 paddle!). In fact, I would say that the amount of power the bike has probably forgives me many mistakes because I do not yet have the riding skill I should have. (like climbing 100 foot dunes in 2nd or 3rd gear without any trouble...and haulin' ass!)

The moral of this story is this (for me): If I can become a proficeint off-road rider on an older KX500 that has more motor than suspension (at this point), I think anyone can ride this bike in almost any terrain, in any conditions, and do it easier than the guy who's bike may be marginally lighter and thinner, but has to work the bike harder through every bog, up every hill or through every crossing. Just my .02 cents worth.

I cannot wait to get this thing on some grippy dirt and/or some hard-pack to see how fast it is and how well it handles. Woohoo!

[EZ-Rider]

Yep I use mine for trail riding, I run 14/51 gearing with a pc pipe and fmf silencer.  Engine is stock otherwise, the bike seems to work a little better on medium speed trails but does fine in the technical stuff that I like. I was told that the pc pipe gives poor low end respone and I've been looking on ebay for a stock or fmf pipe to swap it with for a little more grunt on the bottom end. In my opinion the kx5 is more manageable in tight stuff than a cr because the cr has a more abrupt hit. Flywheel weights are almost mandatory on a cr and it's up to rider preference on the kx.  Do it you'll like it!!

[mercenary]

Hey folks, thanks for the input

[yzmike]

Hey mercenary, I too share your hesitation when confiding to our peers that I use a 500 cc two stroke for trail riding. But I am reasured by the comments of our ditch digging friends,who agree the 5 is an all purpose bike.When I bought my kx it was not set up for trail, so I used old school tech, it has an FMF pipe so I reduced the mainjet a couple of increments for easier starting and better bottom end. However, now that I know about the Moose reed cage spacer, [ thankyou pitbull racing! ] I have a much better option. The gnarly pipe is a must. Also, I installed a 51 tooth gear I had to cut a longer groove in the plastic chain guide with a hack saw,no big deal. Later!

[MarkNZ]

It sounds like it's all been said, But I'll add my 5c, The KX is the Ultimate Trailbike and Playbike for me. Just Like when Buying a Car the Trade-off often comes down to 'How much Petrol Does it Use ??' and 'Do I need the extra Power the Big Motor Puts out ??' My Situation at 41 and having Raced for many years on a Club level is Simple. I Don't race much these days apart from a Hare & Hound 2-3 Times a Year, so as a GP Machine for the Trail-Ride it's Superb, and it does it with grace and little effort.
Change the Airfilter and Engine Oil often and You've Got a reliable Big HP friend. I bought my KX new in '97 and It still runs Like the Green Greyhound.

[ShanMan]

You can take this bit of imput from a relative newcomer of off-road riding. We road a popular area in SoCal this weekend (Hungry Valley) that is packed full of tight, twisty, double black diamond "goat trails". I rode with lots of four-strokes and a few 250 two-strokes. The 250's really worked much harder to climb...especially when the trails got steep and the speed got slow. The four strokes are made for that stuff it seems but are dogs when the terrain opened back up. The mighty K-reX simply cruised up everything like a freakin' billy goat! Not having much to compare it to, I can only say that it handled great as well...not at all the too-heavy bike that so many claim it is. Of course when things opened up, there was simply no equal, no contest! Makes me wonder if they (the nay-sayers) have EVER ridden a KX500??? I think the only other bike I would consider riding would be a KTM 525...push button start would be bitchin'.

[sdkx500]

Anybody ever ridden a late model KTM 380?  I was thinking that might be a nice mx bike.  Not that I dont like my KX5.