How old are you?

[QuantumDuck]

I'm wondering what the median age of the average KX500 owner is..this was brought on by several things...reading around the intro page here and on the last few forums I notice almost all of us have more than an extensive amount of ride time under our belts...another thing that prompts this question is two separate episodes that happened at my work last week...

The first one happened when a kid about 17-18 years old came in and was asking about trading in a KX on a YZ...I asked what kind of KX and he said it was a KX125....since I am now looking closely at the KX500s on the market, I said," d**n, too bad it's not a KX500 cuz I would buy it from you right now."...This kid wrinkles his nose and tells me that KX500s are junk. I looked at him incredulously and said,"Junk?!" and he says," Of course they're junk, you can't ride them anywhere except the desert. They ain't no good anywhere else. And we live in Ohio, there ain't no deserts around here".. At that point, I realized this kid had no clue about the big KX and he didn't seem like he was receptive to learning so I just droppped it...

They next day I was talking with our other mechanice, again, he is 18 years old, but he has a great head on his shoulders, he rides alot, races motorcross and hare scrambles occasionally and was just accepted to MMI in Phoenix..I was tellin  him about this kid who came in and it turns out my mech knows him and informs me that his buddy was right...after calling my mechanic a few choice adjectives i asked him how he could possibly think that about the KX500...his reply," Too much power...too much power off the bottom...too much power in the middle...too much power on the top...too much power to be usable in anything but running as fast as you posably can dodging rabbits in the middle of Nowhere, Mexico." I laughed...at least he was showing a little respect  I said fine, in about 3 weeks there is gonna be a big ol' KX500 sittin in my shop and I told him no matter how much he begs, he ain't gonna ride it...his answer?...GOOD!...I'd kill myself on that thing!...

I guess though in a way it's good that the younger guys are afraid to run something as powerful as the KX500 in the dirt...cuz there is no shortage of young guys that think they can handle the power of the new generation of 600cc sportbikes out there with 125-130 hp as new riders...and I've seen firsthand the damage that can do...

I guess it's a good thing that most of us have 'grown up' enough to appreciate the big 5....another reason i ask this is...I turn 35 today and if I'm gonna get old...by god i'm gonna do it in good company!:mrgreen:

[Paul]

I ride mine in everything from desert (AZ - where I live) to Gulf Coast gumbo mud (where I grew up) and the big bike is at home everywhere, unless a MX track is your thing and then the bike is seriously lacking by todays standards. Oh yeah, I'm 33

[Mhardee]

..and the big bike is at home everywhere.. Oh yeah, I'm 33

I often get asked the infamous "Why did you buy a 500?".. The answer is ALWAYS, "'cause they don't make a 600!"... The other obvious answer is, your street car CAN run about 120 mph... do you drive it 120 all the time?.

My bike history is a 250 yamaha D/S, 360 Yamaha Enduro, 360 Yamaha MX, 450 Maico and the present '03 KX500.... (see a pattern?) It's a blast when going up a hill and just grabbing as much throttle as you need .. KNOWING there's a lot more left to twist if you NEED IT!..

Oh yea, I'm now 48....

[alan]

57 at the end of the month!

Well you guys! I may be the oldest guy in this club, I would like to know is that is true?

 I get all those remarks from the young 4strokes guys. Why would you ride one those outdated bikes? "follow me in the desert, if you can, and you will understand" Or "how many jackrabbits you caught today"

I guess when I get to old to ride my KX I will put the motor in my wheel chair  


PS I love that comment, "Why did you buy a KX500", because they don't make a 600    

[greenmonster]

I am 39 and got mine for the same reason they didn't make a 600!! The main reason the young guys don't like this bike is because they are used to the cut and thrust riding style.If you do this on a kx500 you will be in a world of hurt.This bike is about self control ( which very few of the young kids have now a days) stay smooth with the throttle and respect it and this bike will reward you with awsome fun.These kids that say " to much power" are just saying I have no self control so I am scared.I have found that " to much power will get you out of more trouble than not enough".
Ray

[demographic]

57 at the end of the month!

Well you guys! I may be the oldest guy in this club, I would like to know is that is true?

 I get all those remarks from the young 4strokes guys. Why would you ride one those outdated bikes? "follow me in the desert, if you can, and you will understand" Or "how many jackrabbits you caught today"

I guess when I get to old to ride my KX I will put the motor in my wheel chair  


PS I love that comment, "Why did you buy a KX500", because they don't make a 600    

As a Maico fan you might want to see this http://koestler-bikeworld.de/en/maico/models_2003.htm  Who doesn't make 600s now then?

And if you look down this page you will see they also make a 685cc versionhttp://www.koestler-bikeworld.de/maico_modelle_2002.htm sorry bout the german page but I could not find on written in english
the 620 Supermotard version (the 685 looks the same though)

the 500 motocross version


By the way I am 31

[sdkx500]

im 30 it hurts more to hit the ground now.......why is that?

[Suicycle]

26 here.  guess i am the pup.  my bikes list started with a honda z50 and went through the xr's in order.  80....100......200.....250......650. and now finally i switched brands.  that 650 did real ok though.  scared everybody that got on it or about threw them.  of course i had about 1800 bucks in engine work on it too.  this kx only two have rode it and they aren't getting back on it.  freaked them out.  but agin they were on the short side of 170 lbs.

[alan]

im 30 it hurts more to hit the ground now.......why is that?

Don't worry the older you get it hurts even more!

It gets to a point that you have to chose not to think about stuff like that at all    

[Rick]

Well, back on the board, and thought I would jump in on this thread.  I have never raced or owned anything but Kawasaki bikes.  Didn't start riding until I was 30, and started on a well used 1986 KX250.  Stayed on the KX250 until 1999, when I switched to a KX500.  The only reason I tried one is because our bike sponsor had one I could get ahold of for several months to ride.  So, I rode both the KX500 and the KX250 for about 6 months.  Once I got over the fear of the big 50, I decided to stay with them because they fit my 6'5" frame a lot better than the 250.  Now, I can't think of riding or racing anything else, but then again, I don't race motocross, just offroad.

Oh yes, I will be 44 years old this year, and this year I will finally move from the Open expert class to the over 40 class.  The overall is really what matters anyway, and it will shut everyone up that keep asking when I'm getting out of the open class.

Rick

[Hogwylde]

I'm turning 40 this year.  I started on dirtbikes back in high school on a 79 KDX 400.  This was my first dirtbike and I always felt it was underpowered.  I got my KX 500 two summers ago (it being my second dirtbike...been on street since high school) and when I was looking, I wanted something more powerful that that KDX.  About the only thing bigger was the 500.  Having never rode a 125 or 250, I had no preconcieved idea about how much power it did or did not make.  I just got on and learned its characteristics and LEARNED to ride it accordingly.

Anyone who says the 500 has too much power has NO THROTTLE CONTROL!!!  I watch the video tapes of the District 15 (Indiana) harescrambles and GNCC's I ran last year and you can hear the guys with 125's and 250's with the throttles pinned and slipping the clutches going up hills and in mud.  My 500 (and the big 4 stroke guys) just get on and off the throttle as needed and I hardly EVER use the clutch.  There just isn't the need when you have a TRACTOR under your seat that just putts up a hill or thru a tough spot.

You dont need desert to run the big 500 in either.  It works just GREAT here in central Indiana for harescrambles. (at least I like it!!).  I only ran 4 D-15 races and finished 11th in the state for beginner  "C" class.  Managed to finish in the top 20 in the Open C class for the 2 GNCC races I ran also.  NOT bad for an almost 40 year BEGINNER on a 10 year old KX 500 that hasn't been on a dirt bike in 20 years!!

[KX142]

I might be the youngest one on here, but I have probably logged more hours on a bike than most of you MATURE guys!!  I'm 27 years old and just bought 2 new kx 500's, a new leftover 01 and a brand new 03. I have ridden extensively 125's, KTM200's, 250's, Husky 360, and last year yzf 426 and 250f's. I wanted a bike I can win contingency $$ on in the Open A class in the GNCC's, and it came down to the yzf 450 and the big green machine. I have rode the 426 with a great many mods and trick parts last year and in 4 to 5 months went through 3 major motor breakages. But like I say I also ride a lot, usually at least 5 days a week in the middle of the season. But any way, I got on the 01 500 and immediatly loved it. It has to be the smoothest easiest to control bike I have ever ridden.  Starts 1st kick every time, is quite light and flickable and doesn't know the meaning of the word hillclimb, turns on a dime and doesn't require a factory mechanic if something in the motor braks. Plus I got both bikes for $8700.00. I don't know why the 500 has such a bad reputation, but most people laugh or think I am totally insane for buying a 1992 dirt bike without all the power jet carbs, and expensive designed graphics of the "new" bikes. I have yet to get to race this year, and may be out for a while due to a crushed left knee,  but I do plan on still doing very well in the GNCC's and National Hare Scrambles this year.

[Lincoln]

I had an ATC 110 as my last dirtbike, and it's quite generous to call that little thing a dirtbike, but it was the most fun a sixth grader could have.  Everyone does always seem to trip when you "explain" about having a 500.  The bottom line with any risk-oriented sport is throttle control.  Dad always said, "Just keep the brain attached to the throttle."  And there are times when there's just no substitute for horsepower.

Speaking of horsepower, did anyone else see the Tomahawk at the Detroit Auto Show?  It was in Autoweek--maybe that'll pique your interest.  I just spent the past half-hour trying to find the link, but I suck.

I'm thirty-one.  Whoo-Hooooo......
Lincoln

[ulves]

Speaking of the Tomahawk, theres rumours saying they will build 1oo, price around 240.000US.

Here`s  a few links http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/tomahawk.html


http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewsArchives/2002/Dodge_Cycle.htm

Jakob D
http://www.supermotard.dk

[Lincoln]

sixteen pistions on 20" rotors looks to be the hot setup for next year.  Now if they can find anyone to ride it in The Isle of Mann.
We're up at Stoddard Wells tomorrow.  I'm the red head at Slash X.
Happy trails.
Lincoln