Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

Is the K5 outdated?

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afritts4u:
I have been riding my 99 KX500 for 2 years now, almost entirely in the desert. I have no doubt this is still one of the best bikes ever for desert racing! Thanks to more and more land being shut down however, I find myself on tracks more often lately. Im not giving up my K5 for desert. After all the $1500 - $2500 you can get is not worth taking it out of my garage. I am considering a new purchase for my MX Track riding.

I'm no pro MX'er. A good Novice at best. I was wondering however how much of an improvement a new bike like the KX450 would be on the track. Are we talking 10ths faster or Minutes? My speculation is the K5 is outdated for track situations?

machine:
I'm sure the KX450 is great for trak, but the 4 speed I think would suck big time if you ever wanted to use it in the deserts!!!

I'm a big Kawi fan, but I think I'd always really like 5 gears, at least if not 6!!!! :lol:

Torch654:
Is the K5 outdated?.......Yes but so am I. I will keep it till they make something with more power thank you very much

Timbowe:
I rode a mates WR450 at the weekend, and it was just ok... Stiff as a plank, seat like a concrete block. Although the steering is a little sharper, I reckon that the Kx500 would still blow it into the weeds on any track, trail or desert. I did like the traction that it gets on loose rocks. The new bikes these days appear to be only made to be tight for one season then shake to pieces and be biffed out for scrap. Dont know wheather I told you guys about the dude round here who dumped his CRF 450 cause it kept stretching the valve stems. 3 or 4 times! Seems to me that in order of lightness, manufacturers are sacrificing durabilityand building junk. Like the early eighties Japanese cars.

 Just my 02 cents on this subject. But I'm still convinced that the Kx 500 was far ahead of the rest in good design. After all why fix what not broken....? Good design is timeless.

GDubb:
I personally think that the K5 is only outdated in "style". It looks older because it doesnt have a flat slab for a seat and tank profile.  I mean, what REALLY matters on a dirtbike?  SUSPENSION, and POWER. The K5 is not that far off in suspension... from what I have seen here, a little suspension tuning goes a long way...  and nothing makes more power than a 500cc 2-stroke.  Granted this is no "Supercross" machine... but it is very capable on outdoor tracks where speed is key, and no, you will never see anyone doing "Freestyle" on a K5 as its weight and rotating mass has negative effects on its flickability.  This is still a GREAT bike for the aggressive recreational/ occasional motocross rider. I would love to motocross this bike but there are no local tracks close to where I am now. There was a nice outdoor track back down in Oregon, and although I never got the big 5 on the track, I did get to ride my mid '90s RM 250 there... and I can tell you that I would rather have had this KX at the time.  The only plus to the RM was the ease of clutch-pull.  What I'm getting at with this is that if you are a hardcore serious racer... you could probably get a slightly better bike for the application.... but the K5 on the trail, logging roads, desert, dunes, hill climbs... pretty much anywhere else... Is the more capable bike.  My $.03

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