CR500 Hybrid

[DWitcher]

Hey all. I'm looking into building a hybrid 400EX and I've seen alot of 4 stroke 450 swaps and I've been considering a CR500 swap. What I'm after is a Dune machine. I ride a Banshee now and just bought a 2002 400EX which I like better due to the handeling and weight and would perfer to keep it the way but I'm in need of a MAJOR power increase. Any thoughts and advise would be helpfull. Thanks.

[400exrider707]

A CR500 engine would tear that thing apart. Im pretty sure there is no counterbalancer so it would vibrate like crazy. Its doable though.:devil:

[Pvt. Maggot]

I have researched this topic to no end...It will always vibrate because it has no counterbalancer..But you can send the crank to be balanced..which will help alot...you can also rubber mount the motor which also helps..an anti vibe stem and handlebar inserts will also help alot..Your frame will need gussets but not too many because it could cause the frame to become too brittle. If you need anymore info just contact me. :)

[2muchquad]

im sure it will vibrate to a point but the frame will be fine.i have a cr250 motor in my blaster for over 2 years now and its been bullet proof.you only notice the vibration when your sitting there in neutral reving it up.when you are riding its a non issue.it kills me when people talk about motors that wont work due to not having a counter balancer,they tend to believe what they read or hear instead of what they see.go figure.anybody near me is welcome to come check it out for themselves.a 50hp blaster..;)

[blue416ex]

POST a PIK of it i wanna see that blaster hybrid cuz its something new and interesting:devil:

[DWitcher]

Thanks for all the input. I kinda figured the 500 would vibrate but not bad enough to destroy the frame. I wounder what keeps that engine in the dirtbike from killing the vibrations and not the frame.
There is a guy not far from me thats has a CR500 in a 250R that he's selling. I'll have to check it out.:cool:

[DWitcher]

*UPDATE* Ok I just got off the phone with the guy selling the CR500 powered 250R and he says the engine has been counter balanced and has upper and lower engine mounts and YES it does vibrate but not bad enough compared to the power it has.

[TCracin440ex]

ok...im no frame expert or anything like that...but i have a buddy that has done this conversion...and yes this motor will vibrate the teeth out of your head...he broke 3 250r frames in a few months time because simply because it would just break the welds...

far as the cr 250 in a blaster frame...that motor aint near as big as the cr 500 motor so there is pretty much no way you can compare the 2...ive seen both and ive seen the damage a cr 500 motor will do to a frame

[HiperEX]

theres a guy from bluetraxx if im not mistaken that has a cr500 powerd banshee that rips $hit up

[2muchquad]

after seeing the older air cooled yz465 and 490 motors in quads,i cant help but wonder why a cr500 wont work,they are worlds smoother than the yz motors,i know because i have a yz490 motor.i would say if the mounts are properly fabbed it would work.i see a lot of those cr500 conversions on the net

[450Rcarbonpro]

I am putting a cr 500 motor in a cannondale frame.

[Rich250RRacer]

There is a CR500 powered 250r on ebay right now. I own a CR500 and I can tell you it vibrates very badly. I could only imagine what it would be like in a quad chassis. Power is unreal though.

[dangle]

I've seen the damage the cr500 will do to a frame too.... chews it up and ****s it out.


Mike

[450Rcarbonpro]

Put a ktm 520 motor in it with the head ported and a pipe it will spit out 65 to 70 hp. Stock cr500's have just over 60 hp. With the torque of the fourstroke I would put my money on the ktm 520 or 525 anytime.

[450Rcarbonpro]

Put a ktm 520 motor in it with the head ported and a pipe it will spit out 65 to 70 hp. Stock cr500's have just over 60 hp. With the torque of the fourstroke I would put my money on the ktm 520 or 525 anytime.

[300ex-boy]

theres no way a stock cr500 motor will put out 60 hp... that i know of...

[300ex-boy]

i heard it was low 50's

[450Rcarbonpro]

um yes there is. That was a factory rating on the dirtbike.

[450Rcarbonpro]

I read a history of the cr500 and that is what it said. But it was probably at the flywheel.

[300ex-boy]

ya, that would make more sense.

[400exrider707]

The 01 CR250 engines that servicehonda puts into their four-wheelers put down 47 to the rear wheels!!!:eek2: I wouldn't doubt that the 500 would be too shabby either. Get the new issue of ATV Rider cause they have the CR powered EX in the mag and they explain what they had to do to make it vibrate less cause its uncounterbalanced. They said the motor mounts need to be very strategically placed and aligned.

[2muchquad]

a stock cr500 makes about 56hp.the highest hp cr500 was the 85 cr500,it made almost 2hp more.i have ridden a tecate with a kx500 and i will say the accelleration was UNREAL.at low rpm i noticedthe vibes but it wasnt too bad in the mid on up.now this wouldnt be a problem for playriding but i wouldnt do a barstow to vegas long distance desert race on it.:)

[Rich250RRacer]

The Honda certificate of origin for my 99 CR500 shows an SAE horsepower rating of 61.2 hp, I believe that's at the flywheel.

[450Rcarbonpro]

Thanks bro I knew I read 61 somewhere. See boys I don't give out bad info just the facts.

[450Rcarbonpro]

I have a cr500 engine that is a 90 or 91. It has the rebalanced crank which is what I was looking for. Anyways long story short I am not able to build my cr500 drag quad due to money issues. I will let it go for a good price. It is in mint condition and comes with carb, wiring harness, all electrical. My loss is your gain. email me and let me know we can work out a deal.

[DWitcher]

Hey Thanks for the info guys. I'm gonna check out the ATV Rider mag on the CR swap. I just hope I'm not making a mistake with the CR500.

[450man]

a friend of mine has the ktm520 in a 400ex frame and that just rips. rides A class and he pulls every holeshot (not a great rider either) it does not rattle to much either like the cr500

[Yamahauler_04]

A friend had one long long ago. He had Duncan Racing do the motor mounts, pipe, and rebuild (pump up) the motor. It looked, at a casual glance, like a 250R, but would run away from almost everything in the dunes, including some drag bikes.

Every ride, something was vibrated loose or welds were broken. There was nothing you could do to keep it in one piece. He eventually quit riding it.

It was an experience though.

[wilkin250r]

I have never done the conversion, but I've talked to many people that HAVE done them.

The story is always the same. Great power, very fast, ungodly vibration. Initially, it is very fun to ride. However, it's not too long before the novelty wears off and the vibration begins to really get annoying. Pretty soon, they just stop riding it altogether, because they are tired of the vibration, tired of fixing, tired of inspecting bolts and motor mounts that are vibrating loose.

Fun to ride, and they had a blast on it. However, I don't think I ever met a single person that was completely happy with it in the long run, or would ever do another CR500 conversion.

[Mechanix311]

i have done two of these conversions and i will never do another if that tells you anything. Alot of fabrication and frustration comes along with this project and when it is all done you will get tired of it. Just trying to help you make the right choice on what to do. I have never broken a frame though. Just a couple of silencers till i used an out of frame pipe.

[400ex87]

my friend aaron reisig(pro-am open) has many 250r's one of which i now own and has used 2 roll frames to make 2 cr500's! Top notch nothing but the best on them...but yes they virbrate like a mechanical bull!! I mean it's bad. and he says he does not feel too much of a difference off of his 350 powervalve engines. My advice get one of those or the ktm. Aaron pulled the whole shot at glen helen last year on his 350pv..then right before first turn mike walsh on his ktm passed and never looked back. All depends on your preferences in my opinion!

[luv2ride500guy]

i have a 93 cr500, 01 service honda, and o4 service limited. all motors have been rebuilt at one time or another with the vibration issue in mind. i have just finished rebuilding my o1 and thier are 3 things that ive found over the yrs to help combat vibration issues. #1 always have your crank "trued" (balanced). #2 oversized rod.. #3 13oz stealthy flywheel weight. doing these things dramaticly reduces vibration, smoothes out your powerband, wich intern creates more useable tractable power and your pocket book still has some cash left in it.. thanks shane