1980 SR500

scott s

Over 1,000 Posts
DTT BOTM WINNER
Picked up this one owner 1980 SR500 today. I've wanted one of these FOREVER! It was parked eons ago and the tank and carb was drained and the oil was changed just before parking it. The oil looks brand new and the tank, which is extremely straight and solid, is spotless inside. Kicks over with excellent compression. Showing 8611 miles from new.

While the engine was stored properly, it's resting place must have been very humid or something. The chrome has all seen better days. The seat and bodywork are solid and I'll probably even keep the patina.
Plans are to get it running again and do only bolt-on mods. Brakes and suspension upgrades are at the top of the list.


 
Low miles.



Tank is perfect other than the fading and a BB size ding at the right rear.


 
Lots of oxidation and surface rust, but it's a solid bike.




The header is particularly crusty on the outside (man, I hate header wrap, but it may be a temporary solution on this one) but the stock muffler is solid.

 
And it came with lots of paperwork, including the original title, bill of sale, receipt, warrant folder, owners manual...even a genuine factory Yamaha service manual. And the tool kit is there, too!


 
Plans are to keep the patina on the seat and tank. I originally planned on keeping the chrome but I think some of it is just too crusty. MotoLana makes some nice aluminum fenders.
I want to get it running, obviously, and then focus on suspension and brake upgrades.

I'm VERY interested in hearing about modern caliper and rotor options. I know the XS650 forks are pretty much a direct swap, and I've built a bunch of XS650's, so I'm a little familiar with making the stock forks better. I'm not opposed to a fork/triple swap, but I don't want to get into USD forks, wheel/axle spacers, etc. I'll be happy with optimized 35mm forks (or the 38mm if I can do it without too much work fitting the front wheel) and some really nice rear shocks. A good fork brace, sticky tires, etc.

Maybe down the line I'll look into a header/exhaust/muffler and a Mikuni carb swap, too.
 
Since the forks are a little too pitted for my liking, I picked up a set of ~'82 XS650 forks. Externally, they're the same as the SR forks. These come with adjuster caps. I fully disassembled them, cleaned everything and installed new oil and seals.
Since I don't plan on pulling the engine, painting the frame/bodywork, etc., I just removed the old clear coat, gave them a light brushed/satin finish, and cleared over them again.
The XS650 is about 50 lbs. heavier than the SR. I kept the XS springs and added 170cc of 15wt fork oil. Hopefully, that will give me a nice, firm ride and be nearly stock (for an XS, anyway).


 
I picked up a Winning brand exhaust for only $75. I'm told that this is essentially a Kerker and his ex-wife hated the name and changed it after she acquired the company in a divorce.




I pulled the baffle and removed the burnt up packing....



...and polished up a lot of the yellowed/blued areas of the exhaust.

Before:




After:



I cleaned up the baffle and wire brushed the end cap. I sprayed it with some high temp semi-gloss black and installed new packing.

 
The pictures lie. The clear coat on the tank is hazy, but it's straight as a pin and like new on the inside. The plastics and seat are excellent.
The frame will probably be touched up with a sponge brush in a few places. The wheels will just get a good cleaning.

The chrome is bad. For way less than receiving, I've already picked up some really nice used pieces; front and rear fenders, shift lever, chain guard.
I'll try to save the grab bar and kicker, unless I can find something nice for cheap.
 
Tried to fit the Winning/Kerker exhaust tonight and the collar won't pull up tight on the head. Or, rather, it will pull up and bottom out before securing the header.
It looks like there was a split collar or ring there, maybe? Similar to Honda exhausts? You can see a bit of discoloration there, and it's about the same size as the ring on the stock header.
What am I missing? Is there a collar or ring available to make this fit?


 
Super Bike bars and 714 grips installed.



MotoLanna headlight ears (picked up CHEAP from eBay), stainless turn signal relocation brackets and smaller signals.



Non-rusty front fender swapped over. FZR rotor and R6 caliper. Just need a new hose made up.

 
Same with the rear fender and chain guard. New Shinko tires. YSS shocks. I'll touch up the frame soon, too.

 
scott s said:
Tried to fit the Winning/Kerker exhaust tonight and the collar won't pull up tight on the head. Or, rather, it will pull up and bottom out before securing the header.
It looks like there was a split collar or ring there, maybe? Similar to Honda exhausts? You can see a bit of discoloration there, and it's about the same size as the ring on the stock header.
What am I missing? Is there a collar or ring available to make this fit?



Made my own. I had this piece of muffler piping in the garage from a leftover project. It fit perfectly.



I made two collars 19mm wide, same as the ring on the stock header.



Tightened up perfectly! Since I only have two hands, I had to use a little grease on the gasket and collars, and a rubber band that I later cut off.
I'm really happy with the look and fit. I hope it sounds and performs just as well!






I also replaced the hose clamp at the muffler/header junction with a T-bolt clamp.

 
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