450F Meet Elise

It won at least one of every kind of race I ever entered it in. Violent kind of. Most people couldn't rude any of the 500's. Mechanical nightmare. The dealer thanked me for being the first one tho.


I haven't ridden anything newer than a 1990 model but my experience told me never to own one. Lucky to still have my arms the hits were so violent and obnoxious. I rode a brand new ktm 500 back in 86. I was about 5'6 and maybe 120lbs. Ripped that sucker through a field. Clicked 4th, my eyes were watering through the goggles and the wind force blew my feet off the pegs. I was flapping like a flag trying to hold onto this thing. And of course the more I held on, the more the throttle twisted. I was able to compose myself enough to slow down and idle back to the owner. I kept the underwear as a badge of honor. Phuch that was scary fast. Longest 1.5 miles of my life.
 
one of my friends has two of the aircooled 495's. one an early one, piston port like the one that was radared at over 120 miles per hour back in the day. felt a lot like the kx500. mine ran low 13's at an all bike drag I took it to. 96 mph on all 5 runs, as it was topped out at about the 2/3 mark. came through the traps with the throttle at about 70% to keep the critter from blowing up. at that point it was wound as far as it would go on the porting, pipe and carburetor. backed the timing down two times during the day. stock rear sprocket, a 15 on the front (one tooth up from stock) and a carlisle dirt track tire that was about 3/4" shorter than the knobby I took off. no better than the carlisle gripped I should have left the knobby on. The other prep work was picking a cylinder that I milled the base on. I ran it what with with 3 (yes 3) head gaskets. Keeping it from seizing was the goal. ABATE was pretty much the all harley crowd back then and there wasn't a one of them with a license plate on it that clocked better that day. I raced two other twins and they lost badly. one honda 750 4 that lost and flew by right after the traps. higher gearing would have easily put it in the 12's and a better tire would have brought it down low into the 12's. boring day, if not for the sad looks of the street crowd. I have always thought of taking one of my cr500 motors and making a frame for it that is long and low and seeing how far down I could come on those times. Cheap fun to make the street crowd cry.
 
one of my friends has two of the aircooled 495's. one an early one, piston port like the one that was radared at over 120 miles per hour back in the day. felt a lot like the kx500. mine ran low 13's at an all bike drag I took it to. 96 mph on all 5 runs, as it was topped out at about the 2/3 mark. came through the traps with the throttle at about 70% to keep the critter from blowing up. at that point it was wound as far as it would go on the porting, pipe and carburetor. backed the timing down two times during the day. stock rear sprocket, a 15 on the front (one tooth up from stock) and a carlisle dirt track tire that was about 3/4" shorter than the knobby I took off. no better than the carlisle gripped I should have left the knobby on. The other prep work was picking a cylinder that I milled the base on. I ran it what with with 3 (yes 3) head gaskets. Keeping it from seizing was the goal. ABATE was pretty much the all harley crowd back then and there wasn't a one of them with a license plate on it that clocked better that day. I raced two other twins and they lost badly. one honda 750 4 that lost and flew by right after the traps. higher gearing would have easily put it in the 12's and a better tire would have brought it down low into the 12's. boring day, if not for the sad looks of the street crowd. I have always thought of taking one of my cr500 motors and making a frame for it that is long and low and seeing how far down I could come on those times. Cheap fun to make the street crowd cry.

I need to sit down with you one day and have a case of beer to fetch the memories. No worries, Jax and Nedge will be there. You know a guy named Jimmy Ford?
He was all the rage in drag bikes back in the seventies. Built his own frames and machined his own motors. An MIT burn out that lost his potential in hallucinogens and rolling papers. Guy is a genius and I respect him but damn he could have been the next best thing after Honda.
 
It is now blowing raw oil out of the weep hole on the head, the exhaust, and the blow by tube, all a part of my decision to keep going with that valve cover gasket caved in :/
probably has a broken/collapsed ring
 
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Just 12.2 hours untill it pulls the pin.
till I pull the pin.
hpi-15113-piston-pin-retainer-set-8622-p.jpg
 
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