Hello from the UK!

[bazza]

Just joined you guys and i thought i'd best introduce myself.
i purchased a 1989 KX500 last August with the intention of racing Sound of Thunder and Open races on short circuits over here. I've been road racing since 1997 on various bikes (RD250LC, CB500, YZF600 and CBR600) but a head-on car accident has given me back trouble and means that until i have a further op, racing 600's again has had to be put on ice. I was originally gonna put racing on hold but spannering for my brother last year made me realize that i had to race something coz i was goin outta my mind watching everyone else having fun out there!!
I started looking around for something to ride that had an upright riding position and was lightweight BUT still had to give me a buzz!! I remembered reading about a guy over here called Wayne Lamb who used to whup ass on a KX500 at circuits like Aberdare Park (a small, twisty, narrow, tree lined venue) - all he's done was beef-up the suspension, tweak the motor and fit wider rims! He was regularly whupping 600's on this thing so it got me thinking.!
Through a friend of a friend, i heard about a 1989 KX that had been road registered and mostly converted to super moto spec but had been laid-up for quite a while after seizing-up. Anyway, i strook a goos deal with the guy and took the bike home with the intention of just sorting out the seized cylinder and giving the bike a "once-over." Well i got carried and totally re-built the motor with a 520 Wiseco big bore together with Stan Stephens tuned head and barrel (he used to tuned Lambs bikes as well!). The bike is ready to rock and roll (after a few teething problems) and i'll be out in 3 weeks ready to take on TL1000's, 748's etc - fingers crossed!!!

[Paul]

Welcome to PBR and good luck racing and congrats on the 500. They are a truly a versatile an awesome machine.

[teamgreen500]

I hope you like Wheelies...you "Hooligan"!

Manny

[mikesmith]

Im sure youll love it!

[FastKX500]

I have a 89 500 too, its sweet still running hard.

[AUS_KX5]

yeah go for it, a mate of mine road raced an 88 KX5 and kicked ass on the round the houses circuits against FZR1000s, the shoe was on the other foot when we got to a proper race trck though

[demographic]

Tell me more about these "sound of thunder" races

Mmmmmm

[bazza]

Cheers guys!
The "Sound Of Thunder" class covers singles, twins and triples - basically everything that doesn't seem to fit into the usual road racing classes! Suzuki TL1000's seem very popular but there are loads of other weird and wonderful bikes that make up the grid - K4 Hondas, Rotax singles, 748's, 955 Triumphs - hell, even one guy turns out on a Benelli 350 four sometimes!! The sound the pack makes off the start line is awsome!!

Update on the bike - I went on a practice day over the weekend at Elvington (a wide, fast airfield circuit). Noth the best circuit for the bike but i only wanted to run the bike in and set the suspension so i wasn't too bothered. The first session went find (apart from the snow blizzard delaying the start for about an hour!!), i took things steady and steadily ran the motor in - i carried-out a plug chop at the end just to check (i'd deliberately set the carb. a little rich for this session) and yep, all was well.

i went out for the second session and opened the bike up a bit more - there seemed to be a decent bottom end and a nice meaty mid-range (Wiseco 520 piston doing the job nicely!!). After about 10 laps i started to gun the motor and yep, the big green dirt machine seemed to rock-and roll!! I was well impressed with the spread of power and also the lack of vibes from the motor at higher revs (thumbs-up to the balanced crank!!).
one problem i did have was that as i was pushing the bike harder out of the corners, i found that i was topping out just after half way down the straight!!) This ended up being my undoing and in the third session, i was coming down the straight and just felt the power starting to go - i whipped the clutch in and coasted back to the paddock. When i got back i kicked the bike over and although there was some resistance, there wasn't that solid - "i'm gonna break your leg" - compression as before! On strip down i found that it'd nipped slightly at the front of the piston and took out the rings!!

The barrell has already been sent off to be ceramic coated (better than Nicosil apparently) and i've got a nice shiny new Wiseco 520 piston sitting on my desk. And to stop me over revving the bike - i'm gonna get a tacho fitted to the bike.

Plus i'm gonna run the bike on 50/50 Avgas-Super Unleaded mix - this should make the bike run cooler than the 25/75 mix i'd been using before!!

Ding, ding - bring on round two!!!

[demographic]

Cheers guys!
The "Sound Of Thunder" class covers singles, twins and triples - basically everything that doesn't seem to fit into the usual road racing classes! Suzuki TL1000's seem very popular but there are loads of other weird and wonderful bikes that make up the grid - K4 Hondas, Rotax singles, 748's, 955 Triumphs - hell, even one guy turns out on a Benelli 350 four sometimes!! The sound the pack makes off the start line is awsome!!

Update on the bike - I went on a practice day over the weekend at Elvington (a wide, fast airfield circuit). Noth the best circuit for the bike but i only wanted to run the bike in and set the suspension so i wasn't too bothered. The first session went find (apart from the snow blizzard delaying the start for about an hour!!), i took things steady and steadily ran the motor in - i carried-out a plug chop at the end just to check (i'd deliberately set the carb. a little rich for this session) and yep, all was well.

i went out for the second session and opened the bike up a bit more - there seemed to be a decent bottom end and a nice meaty mid-range (Wiseco 520 piston doing the job nicely!!). After about 10 laps i started to gun the motor and yep, the big green dirt machine seemed to rock-and roll!! I was well impressed with the spread of power and also the lack of vibes from the motor at higher revs (thumbs-up to the balanced crank!!).
one problem i did have was that as i was pushing the bike harder out of the corners, i found that i was topping out just after half way down the straight!!) This ended up being my undoing and in the third session, i was coming down the straight and just felt the power starting to go - i whipped the clutch in and coasted back to the paddock. When i got back i kicked the bike over and although there was some resistance, there wasn't that solid - "i'm gonna break your leg" - compression as before! On strip down i found that it'd nipped slightly at the front of the piston and took out the rings!!

The barrell has already been sent off to be ceramic coated (better than Nicosil apparently) and i've got a nice shiny new Wiseco 520 piston sitting on my desk. And to stop me over revving the bike - i'm gonna get a tacho fitted to the bike.

Plus i'm gonna run the bike on 50/50 Avgas-Super Unleaded mix - this should make the bike run cooler than the 25/75 mix i'd been using before!!

Ding, ding - bring on round two!!!

Just re-read this thread and would love to know how you are doing?

Regards Scott

[Timbowe]

Yeah Bazza! Whats been goin down bro? Ceramic bore coating, sound very interesting. I raced Sound of thunder for three years down here at the spiritual home of the SOT. Ruapuna raceway just west of Christchurch. It was started by the legendary John Britten. www.britten.co.nz  , and some of his mates at the time [early 80s]. One of these guys, Ren Sykes, was the dude that got me into road racing. Ren and I had some amazing battles on the track. Him riding Dunstall Norton, Ducati 750 F1, and 900 SS. It took years before I could beat him on any of his bikes fair and square. Super tactition.
  The Sound of thunder got started due to the fact that if you rode any thing apart from the mainstream jap bike ,you were considered to be a gang member or an associate. Who were pretty much banished from the road race circles at the time. Plus old Triumphs nortons ducatis harley ect.. were no match for the stuff comming out of Japan any way.  Soooo the BEARS was formed. British European and American Racing. There race meetings at Ruapuna raceway were called the Sound of Thunder. Cause of the terrific Noise of straight through exhaust systems which allmost everone ran. The good old days before the 95 db noise limit.
  After a few years the event really took off and had some boom years, attracting hundreds of riders, some riding 3,4,5 bikes over the two day event. Riders and spectators came from all over bringing some very flash, old and rare machinery indeed. I remember this old dude, 85 years plus, ridding an even older Indian Scout type bike, side mounted gear shift handle, And he rode very well considering.
  Now the sound of Thunder and Bears has gone global pretty much with big money events worldwide. But I had heaps of fun racing with those guys, the originators of the idea. Sadly John Britten died of the big C in 95. He was a very clever man and the motorcle community lost a great mind. He had been working on a radical new single cylinder engine for trail bikes/ road racers. 660 cc 6 valve. But after his death the company lacked any real direction and scaled down to amost nothing. Shame. That britten was a hell machine. Sooo much power, light weight, super trick suspension and awesome looks.
  Couple of guys asked me the other day if I was going back to Bears racing, I told them I've got a new passion now, Kx500. Most fun you can have with ya pants on! 65 hp 99 kilos. Maybe if I had a Britten V1000.