I rode my friends Cr500 (87 I think, maybe 86) a few weeks ago. It was harder to start, not kick wise, but it was picky about how much throttle gave it. Cold starting was trickier than my bike. Took atleast 25 kicks to get it to fire....mines usually 5 at the most. The Cr was setup not to idle which took some getting used to (I have my Kx set to idle for a few seconds before it dies). The Cr seemed to run smoother, throttle response was better and it felt crisper (could have been my jetting...was still tunning it that weekend). The power was good, but not like what I was expecting. I was expecting a big hit when it finally came into the pipe. I like the power of my 500 more, it's got more bottom end and more top...midrange is about the same. As far as the handling, I think they were about the same. His bike has fresher a shock/fork on it. I planned to send mine out to get rebuilt later this year, didn't have the money for it when I redid the motor. The brakes were far better on mine. Although his had drum in the rear. What I like most about his was how smooth the motor ran, almost like it had a counterbalancer. Mine vibrates allot more. That and how crisp the throttle response was. It wasn't enough to make me want to jump ship right away, but it was enough to get me to start looking for a Cr500. My 500 usually breaks something each time out too. Latley it's been pipe mounts (not the ones on the frame, the ones that hold the pipe to the frame mount). It's one of those "nature of the beast" things. For the type of riding I do, either bike would do just fine. I just happend to come across a Kx5 first. I don't have anything against the red bikes (I ride a Cbr1000 on the street), if I come into a deal on a Cr500 I will probably jump on it.
