Honda CR 500 | Complete Restoration Of An All Time Classic Two Stroke
1996 Honda CR 500 Rebuilt In OEM Style With Some Performance Upgrades
Last year, Andy Wells of Wells Moto Worx in Canada, completely restored and rebuilt a 29 year old Honda CR 500 motocross bike. The bike was fully stripped down right to the last nut and bolt, before piecing it all back together with the finished article looking like it has just come fresh off the production line! This is no easy task, as many of the OEM parts are now discontinued and are incredibly difficult to source. At AS3 Performance we pride ourselves on still keeping a ready and available stock of parts for the older two stroke models, to help out anyone that happens to be restoring one. We always love to be involved in projects like this, as it's great to see how our parts are used to bring these bikes back to life and we were especially pleased to be a part of this project, as he's maintained the original look of the bike as much as possible, while adding in a few performance related parts along the way. Below, we highlight the AS3 Performance parts that were used in this 1996 CR 500 bike build, with a very different take on your usual motocross bike photoshoot, due to the fact it was done in the cold winter Canadian snow.
Front Brake Line
One of the parts that has been upgraded from the OEM part is the front brake line. All Honda CR 500's come with rubber hoses which can sometimes feel soft and 'spongey', especially when the brakes heat up. Our brake lines are manufactured by Venhill Engineering here in the UK and are produced from braided, marine grade stainless steel, which prevents the line from expanding under pressure to offer a much better feel and response from the front brake, compared to the stock OEM rubber hose. The bike has the red version installed with these also available in black if you prefer more of an OEM look.
Rear Brake Line
The rear brake also has one of our braided rear brake lines installed to give the bike the same braking performance and feel from both the front and rear brakes. Both brake lines come with a plastic rigid section that is held in place by the two black heat shrinks that display both our AS3 Performance logo and the Venhill Engineering logo. Some brake line manufacturers do not include the plastic sheath on their lines, but we feel it's important as it offers an extra layer of protection to prevent the lines being penetrated by sharp rocks and other debris, plus it adds to the aesthetics of the brake lines, as the red matches the PVC outer later of the braided line, as well as the plastics and graphics on the bike perfectly. This rear brake line will fit all CR 500 models from 1987-2001 and just like the front brake line, a black version is also available for a more understated look.
Silicone Radiator Hoses
The OEM radiator hoses were replaced with a set of our silicone radiator hoses in black. We suspect this being due to the fact that many of, if not all of, the OEM rubber hoses now being discontinued. Over time, rubber hoses can go hard and start to deteriorate and even crack which is why we always advise anyone restoring an older motorcycle to replace the hoses. We offer the silicone hoses in red, black and blue for the Honda CR 500 and they fit all models from 1989-2001. The black version have been used for this project to try and maintain the OEM look, whilst taking advantage of the performance benefits of a set of brand new hoses for a 29 year old bike.
Stainless Steel Radiator Hose Clips
The hoses have been installed complete with our stainless steel radiator hose clips that are measured up specifically for the 1989-2001 CR 500 silicone hose kit. We always recommend to install our silicone hoses with a set of our radiator hose clips. They can look quite pricey if you compare them to some others on the market, but we strongly believe they are the best clips on the market, as they are specifically designed for use with silicone hoses - they have smooth inners and rounded edges, so you can tighten them without damaging the hoses. Silicone hoses are softer than rubber hoses and using perforated jubilee clips will just tear into the outer layer of the hose, which may cause it to leak over time. Our hose clips are also manufactured from high quality stainless steel, which will preserve the look of them for years, whereas non-stainless clips will soon corrode and rust.
Cooling Kit
Another performance upgrade was the addition of one of our cooling kits. The kits include a CNC machined billet aluminium oversized water pump impeller, a black aluminium spacer to increase the volume of the water pump cover, plus longer bolts and gaskets required for installation. With this kit installed, the bike should run between 10-15 degrees cooler. With the engine running cooler, this helps to increase the overall performance of the bike. These kits have been incredibly popular with our sponsored riders over the years and anyone racing at a high level. JWR Honda MXGP Team are currently using them and Jono Richardson also used the kit for extreme enduro events like Erzberg Rodeo, where any extra cooling makes all the difference.
Front And Rear Brake Pads
As with any project like this, you will always install a new set of brake pads in both calipers. Our brake pads are available in in two different options. Our Racing Series brake pads are designed for slower, wet conditions and our Factory Series brake pads are designed for faster, dry conditions. The bike is fitted with the Racing Series pads front and rear and these are more similar to the OEM brake pads out of the two options. The front brake pads fit all CR 500 models from 1995-2001, whereas the rear pads will fit the 1987-2001 models.
Front Brake Master Cylinder Repair Kit
As part of the restoration of the CR 500, there were also a lot of our parts used that you can't see from the photos, including the internal components of the front brake master cylinder. We supply these as a master cylinder repair kit that includes seals, washers, spring and rubber boot, all of which are shown in the image below and are all direct replacements for the OEM parts.
Rear Brake Master Cylinder Repair Kit
Like the front brake master cylinder, the rear brake master cylinder was restored on the CR 500 using our rear brake master cylinder repair kit, containing all internal components to directly replace the OEM internal components. When you're restoring one of these older two stroke models, rebuilding the master cylinders is almost a given, as most of the time these bikes have been sat unused for a long period of time, or been very poorly maintained previously.
Brake Caliper Repair Kits
Both the front and rear brake calipers were stripped down and rebuilt using our front brake caliper repair kit and rear brake caliper repair kit. Our kits are designed to allow you to replace the original rubber boots and seals from the brake calipers, which can wear and perish over time. They are also supplied with a brand new set of brake pad pins. The front brake caliper repair kit will fit all CR 500 models from 1992-2001 and the rear will fit the 1987-2001 models.
More Honda CR 500 Parts
As we mentioned at the beginning of this feature, holding good stock of parts for the older two stroke models like the Honda CR 500 is just as important to us as carrying parts for the latest four stroke models. We also have kick start levers, bearing kits, clutch and throttle cables, brake discs, sprockets and gasket sets for the Honda CR 500 plus many more parts and accessories, all of which can be found on our Honda CR 500 Parts page on our website.
Planning On Restoring Or Rebuilding A Honda CR 500 Motocross Bike?
If you're looking to restore or upgrade the parts on a CR 500, or any other motocross or enduro bike, don't hesitate to get in touch. We will be happy to discuss your project and answer any questions about any of the parts that we have on our website. or we may even be interested in developing something that you're struggling to find anywhere else. Oh, and for all those that are wondering how the bike looked before this project was started, here it is...
