YZM500

It sure looks trick but it did not work as good as it looked and they had sub par (for GP's) riders.

[quote="BAMBAMM13":97f08]

Love your website man. Cant get enough of it.

Do you know what MXA issue had that on the front cover?

I would like to find that issue.

Thanks for taking the time on all those bikes and pictures (and everything else, you must be a busy man).[/quote:97f08]Yes, I have it at home. I think it was Sept. 1987. Great photo.

If I see another one I will let you know.

Here is another one.

http://www.mxworksbike.com/Yamaha_YZM500.htm

As seen on TV?

http://66.235.214.130/media/oldschoo...hracepart2.wmv


Is that the YZM500 in action at the 1987 Masters of Motocross Beach race?

Hey I thought that bike was put in the crusher?..

[quote="BAMBAMM13":6c7bc]

Love your website man. Cant get enough of it.

Do you know what MXA issue had that on the front cover?

I would like to find that issue.

Thanks for taking the time on all those bikes and pictures (and everything else, you must be a busy man).[/quote:6c7bc]
July 87
[img:6c7bc]http://new.onthepiperacing.com/uploads/gallery/album72/julymxa87.sized…]

I had an 86 490, would have been a great bike in 80. Should have bought the Honda.

[quote="Larry":7dca7]I had an 86 490, would have been a great bike in 80. Should have bought the Honda.[/quote:7dca7]

Yeah, the old YZ490 was a brutal bike. Especially compared to the liquid CRs and KXs. I raced one, and it was such a piece of crap. Pinged, farted, and swapped all over the track. You couldn't hit the same line twice, since the frame was always flexing in a different way every lap.

I loved the old 490. It sure seemed a lot easier to ride than my 495 ever was!

Seriously, it always seemd to me to be a mellow, sort of torquey 250, a bit easier to (play) ride than a 250, but not the handful of the other open bikes. Not being all that fast, the chassis was never a bother to me at all. I was the reason it couldn't hit the same line twice!

To me, it was sort of a 2 stroke version of the ole XR600. Fairly bulletproof, kindy quirky, and a good all around ride.

The 84 YZ490 was a good bike for it's era. Not a CR, but they were competitive in close to stock form.

By '86 the 490 had seen better days. I had an '86 YZ250 at the same time, and switching back and forth between moto's wasn't good. That big air-cooled pig really sucked after getting off the 250...a buddy of mine raced an '86 CR500 Honda with an Ohlins rear shock, I rode it lots during the week...no comparison. My open bike sucked, and stayed in the van unless it was race day.

[quote="justpinit":47944]My open bike sucked, and stayed in the van unless it was race day.[/quote:47944]

Just curious..why did you get a YZ490 if you knew it was a boat anchor? I expect this to be good...LOL

Hasta la vista,
Francisco

Sorry, no funny stories or "too good to pass up" pricing. I worked at and raced for the local Yamaha dealer. They would have kinda frowned on me if I went and bought a CR500. The shop owner kept telling me to shut up about how good my buddies CR was.

[quote="justpinit":533d4]Sorry, no funny stories or "too good to pass up" pricing. I worked at and raced for the local Yamaha dealer. They would have kinda frowned on me if I went and bought a CR500. The shop owner kept telling me to shut up about how good my buddies CR was.[/quote:533d4]

What shop did you work at, and where?

[quote="RetVet":ae513]

What shop did you work at, and where?[/quote:ae513]

Kelowna Yamaha - Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Mid -Late 1980's

[quote="justpinit":1be7f]

Kelowna Yamaha - Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Mid -Late 1980's[/quote:1be7f]

I remember the old Cycle Barn Yamaha just south of you in Penticton...

We used to test drive the RZ500s there, and wish we had the white YZs they had back when ours were yellow!

[quote="APLMAN":ab30d]

I remember the old Cycle Barn Yamaha just south of you in Penticton...

We used to test drive the RZ500s there, and [b:ab30d]wish we had the white YZs they had back when ours were yellow[/b:ab30d]![/quote:ab30d]

That's really funny!!...I used to ride with a guy that went down to Omak Wash. to buy a black and yellow '83 YZ125. I always thought it was very trick looking compared to the Canadian white and red ones.