Oppinions

[Motorrad]

Hey guys... Great site!   Glad to be aboard.... 
Quick question... I am giong to go look at a KX500 today (used to own a 87 sold it and missed it ever since so I decided to get another one)... here are the emails the guy sent me of what it has (just going to cut and paste)   give me your oppinion as to anything I should look out for.

And chances are the owner stomps around here... he seems like a very stand up guy...

-Dave

email description one
1991 main frame (Bought from Jeff Ward, I have the documentation)
 
In 2000 I bought the bike directly from Doug Haas & he built the frame to Kawasaki factory race specs with integrated engine guards and powder coated green.
I had three 500's at the time. I am down to 2, this is the last one I am selling.
In 2006 I had Haas Racing rebuild the motor from top to bottom (Doug Haas works with my brother-in-law). I rode it once in Ocotillo, and it has been sitting in my garage for almost two years now with no use. Maybe 2 hours on the motor.
 
It has a 21" black "Pro-wheel" in front and an 18" rear wheel. Maxxis IT's on the front and back.
Air injected big carb.
Boyesen Reeds
ProTaper KX High-Bend bars with newer grips.
Scotts stabilizer mount and top clamp.
DFLEX handguards
FMF Gnarly Pipe and Turbine-Core 4 silencer.
Uni filters only
Pro-Prept suspension with inverted front forks.
Air-Blown fuel cell for extended capacity.
Devol radiaitor guards and bottom glide plate.
 
and more that I probably forgot....
 

Email description #2
It's an E-2 head and cylinder. I had a sleeve put in by Racers Toy-Store and then had the head plate-coated to Pro-Circuit specs (I have a Mitch-Payton signature head from Destry Abbott, and I had them match that porting)
 
The motor was rebuilt top to bottom. All gaskets, seals and bearings were replaced. New piston & a new Wiseco Pro Crank.
 
Suspension is set up for 200-210 lb. rider. (me)
 
Doug haas built and ran the Dynos for Kawasaki in the late 80's early 90's. As per him, the stock frames were chain built. On the factory bikes they would grind and re-weld all of the welds. If you look closely in the pictures, he integrated engine guards into the frame when he re-welded everything. This bike as set-up, is primarily for the open desert. Although it would smoke anything in the sand drags, it has never had a paddle tire on it. I am not into the deep sand, I believe the wear & tear is too great on a 2-stroke engine.
 

[Motorrad]

Oh forgot to mention... I plan on getting back into our local desert racing sceen....

[Mick]

 
Air injected big carb.

I would need an explanation for this??  Air injection...umm ok?  And how much bigger is it?

  Pro-Prept suspension with inverted front forks.

  Apposed to the conventional forks it came with?  I don't think so...

  Air-Blown fuel cell for extended capacity.

  Again I'd need explanation.  Did he force air into the tank to swell it??  Blow it up like a balloon?  Or is Air-Blown a manufacturer?

  I had a sleeve put in by Racers Toy-Store

I don't understand why guys sleeve a KX500 cylinder?  I suppose I need explanation for this too...

  I am not into the deep sand, I believe the wear & tear is too great on a 2-stroke engine.

 
 

The lowest I would go is $1500 cash.

If the bike is indeed in as good a shape as pictured I think it's probably a good buy.  Some of the comments above would raise flags in my own mind but I'm not the potential buyer.  99% of used 500s I see are garbage.  This bike sounds and appears to be in decent shape.  Pictures are very deceiving however and no photo will tell you what condition the motor is in.  Don't make a decision until you've test ridden the bike.

[KXcam22]

It seems like a really good buy to me.  The guy mentions some stuff I don't understand, but the advantage of buying this bike is that the guy obviously knows bikes, which generally means that the bike has be far better maintained that the "average" KX500 you might find.  I would buy it myself. I sold my 92 for $2400. Cam.

[The Flyin Hawaiian]

I think the air blown tank is when you pour boiling water into the tank and put in a few pounds of air to swell it. Some people do this to gain up to a qt. more capacity. Ive never done this but a friend did it to his 89 KX250.

[Motorrad]

Okay....

To clear up a few things he wrote

the air injected carb (or whatever he said)... he just has the carb vents re routed with "filters" on them so dirt can not enter....

air blown tank... as previously stated. it is when you pour boiling water in the tank and pressurise them to get more capacity...

The "wiseco crank" was actually a HotRods Rod kit...

The reason it was rebuit is when he aquired that destry cyl. he wanted to port his bike, and dough hass convinced him to just rebuilt it while he was there...

14oz fly weight.

I know everyone has their personal preferance.. But I prefer a sleved motor... so that was a bonus to me...

The bike is as nice as pictured.... all the normal wear and beat points just show no wear at all. this is a very low hours bike... or it was taken VERY well cair of...

[Motorrad]

And I talked him out of this to put on my shelf...
Once again... A very nice stand up guy.... One of the best bike buying experiances I have had in a while... If your on here paul.... thanks again!

[Johnniespeed]

Does the "M P" on the cylinder indicate that it once belonged to Mitch Payton ?
 John

[Mick]

air blown tank... as previously stated. it is when you pour boiling water in the tank and pressurise them to get more capacity...

Sounds like a good way to ruin something to me.  How do you control the swelling so that the tank still fits properly.  The threaded portions in the tank are going to expand away from each other 

Sounds like a pretty nice bike, probably a good buy.