Honda CB 500 X adventure bike conversion

To turn the CB500X into a "rally" bike, making it actually dirt-worthy, it needs longer travel suspension, more ground clearance and to be way lighter.
Haven't read all the threads - is this being addressed?
Knobby tires may help a bit but anybody can spoon on some, the engine and had guards add a nice touch, but I'd say that the most important fact is that realistic suspension travel expectations are limited and a 18/21" wheel conversion and USD forks are technically and financially unrealistic.
Concerning weight reduction: "Rest assured we will do what we can to minimise any weight gain - and indeed our goal (with a replacement exhaust) would be basically to offer the Adventure specification bike at the pretty much the same weight (or a little less) than the stock machine."
Don't want to be a nay-sayer and rain on your parade, but if you look realistically at this project, it seems to me that minor changes would improve handling on fire roads and on packed dirt but turning the X into a "rally" bike that would have a chance at winning a race like the Baja 1000 it would need major upgrades that are simply too expensive.
 
It was addressed when Jenny said the project goal was not to turn it into a dirt bike. The design goal is a more capable adventure bike. Apples and oranges.
 
Garzan said:
It was addressed when Jenny said the project goal was not to turn it into a dirt bike. The design goal is a more capable adventure bike. Apples and oranges.
Click to expand...

Yes, as per the chosen name of the final kit, the title of this thread and the apparent needs of 99% of 'adventure riders': this is an adventure conversion, not a Thai style rally conversion.

A 200kg wet, 450-500cc, with quality suspension, whilst not being too tall, adventure bike appears to be what the current market is missing and what riders want; this is the gap trying to be addressed by RRP.

I see both the Honda CRF 250L and the CB 500X as two real bargain bikes in Thailand, where their price is comparable to other countries and the price of too many other bikes, as we are all too aware of, is much higher. Testimony to the value and appeal of these two models is the amount of riders here, both Thai and foreign who own at least one (Thais especially seem to have taken to the CB 500X).

I'm not saying that either the CRF 250L or the CB 500X are outstanding bikes in their respective classes but by buying the pair new (135K + 215K) and spending around 150K on both the 'Stage 1' mods for the CRF and the RRP Adventure Kit for the CB, that's only around 500K on a pair of great value bikes that, if we are honest, would cover most of the needs of most of the riders here.

I'm looking forward to reading rider reviews of the kit in the next few months to get a better idea of just how capable the bike is off-road. Until then I'll keep an open mind, but here's hoping!
:jumper:
 
Yes. For myself, I have zero interest in a stump jumping dirt bike. I am interested in the more capable and comfortable Rally Raid suspension mods for a stock height 500x. To me, their offerings are perfect for the riding I expect to do in Isaan. :-)
 
With the few specs of the new Africa Twin we know now, the CB500X Adventure remains a very viable alternative!

CB500_X_Adventure.jpg

Picture borrowed from >http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1012021&page=58
 
Now that this guy's conversion is complete I thought those who are interested in taking CRF parts and swapping them into a CB500X might consider going the other way as this guy has: taking a CB500X engine and putting it into a CRF250L :hmm

Build thread is here: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/crf500l-full-build-thread.1077236/

[video=youtube_share;byqM5j75U7U]http://youtu.be/byqM5j75U7U[/video]
 
dead horse did this guy notice the different frame size between the 250 and 450??...dont need to be particularly advanced or intelligent to understand that this is freaking dangerous!! and yes vibrations it is sure an issue

CraigBKK said:
Now that this guy's conversion is complete I thought those who are interested in taking CRF parts and swapping them into a CB500X might consider going the other way as this guy has: taking a CB500X engine and putting it into a CRF250L :hmm

Build thread is here: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/crf500l-full-build-thread.1077236/

[video=youtube_share;byqM5j75U7U]http://youtu.be/byqM5j75U7U[/video]
Click to expand...
 
CraigBKK said:
Now that this guy's conversion is complete I thought those who are interested in taking CRF parts and swapping them into a CB500X might consider going the other way as this guy has: taking a CB500X engine and putting it into a CRF250L :hmm

Build thread is here: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/crf500l-full-build-thread.1077236/

[video=youtube_share;byqM5j75U7U]http://youtu.be/byqM5j75U7U[/video]
Click to expand...

That sounds interesting. The CRF looks better, as well.

EDIT: having skimmed the thread, he has ruined the simple good looks of the CRF. I hate the fairing.
 
It's become a Frankenstein bike, but other riders on that thread appear to love it.

The Rallye fairing doesn't do it for me either :?
 
CraigBKK said:
It's become a Frankenstein bike, but other riders on that thread appear to love it.

The Rallye fairing doesn't do it for me either :?
Click to expand...


I hate fairings of any description. I can see they're useful in cold countries, but why do riders in Thailand put larger screens on?
 
You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
The CRF is often referred to as the Little Red Piggy (LRP) due to it's weight, relative to it's power, more than it's looks. I also think the CRF is a good looking bike.
 
agree !! u wana a more torquey bike?get one..I think u can beef it up a little,but 500cc on that frame? no please .thats ignorant

bsacbob said:
You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
I waiting for someone to drop the CBR300R engine into the CRF250 straight swap 30.4 HP 27 NM
or see if the Ninja 300 will fit , 39 HP 27.1 NM ? then save a few kg with aftermarket exhaust and a lithium battery and the power to weight ratio will be very close to the CRF with the CB500 engine in ?


crf dyno.jpg

Above the CBR 300 Dyno


ninja dyno.jpg

Above the Ninja 300 Dyno


Stock engine 23 hp @ 8500 rpm 16.23 lb lbf @ 7000 rpm
 
bsacbob said:
You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Sorry my Yorkshire humour must have overtaken me, what i was getting at whilst the CRF or the KLX for that matter a great budget priced entry machines it's easy to get carried away trying to make them what they cannot be.

The heavy frame being the biggest obstacle, the poor quality suspension on the Honda is a relatively easy inexpensive fix, swapping out the engine turning into a hybrid would push it past its realistic resale value as we already see the 2nd hand value plummet. Converting the 500X is maybe the better option but your initial investment is higher and once again when you start switching things out your rapidly approaching the cost of some of the off the shelf models coming available in Thailand, having said all that the CRF at the moment offers the best value for money in the category.
 
CRF 250 and CBR300 share the same engine/piston.only difference the cbr was stroked to 286cc changing a few parts.can do using original parts from honda for about 15ooobht in CM

prince666 said:
I waiting for someone to drop the CBR300R engine into the CRF250 straight swap 30.4 HP 27 NM
or see if the Ninja 300 will fit , 39 HP 27.1 NM ? then save a few kg with aftermarket exhaust and a lithium battery and the power to weight ratio will be very close to the CRF with the CB500 engine in ?


View attachment 38742

Above the CBR 300 Dyno


View attachment 38743

Above the Ninja 300 Dyno


Stock engine 23 hp @ 8500 rpm 16.23 lb lbf @ 7000 rpm
Click to expand...
 
I was sent these photo with info about the CRF250L 'Up Kit' (my direct translation from the Thai) from the standard 250cc to 300cc by MX MOTOSHOP in Chiang Mai. I imagine this is what in English we call a big bore kit??? :hmm

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

Price is 15,000THB if you take the bike into the shop for fitting, 13,000THB for the parts only.

Apologies for taking this thread a little off topic :OT
 
CraigBKK said:
I was sent these photo with info about the CRF250L 'Up Kit' (my direct translation from the Thai) from the standard 250cc to 300cc by MX MOTOSHOP in Chiang Mai. I imagine this is what in English we call a big bore kit??? :hmm

View attachment 38745 View attachment 38746 View attachment 38744

Price is 15,000THB if you take the bike into the shop for fitting, 13,000THB for the parts only.

Apologies for taking this thread a little off topic :OT
Click to expand...

?? "Big bore" , is changing displacement/piston+ widening the cylinder!

In the pics is about shortening the 'stroke' ,changing crank shaft etc...
 
Hi

Change the CRF Crank with the CBR 300 Crank is what i try to do for the last few month . Parts already on the Bench for a long time but i can not find the Time to do it . To busy with other Projekts .

15000 THB for the swap is good , Parts like Crank , balacer shaft and Gaskets cost alone nearly 10000 THB plus like it looks the ECU from the CBR and a good 2 Days Work .

Just read yesterday the Report on ADV , one Member swap the hole Engine with a CBR 500 Engine .
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/crf500l-full-build-thread.1077236/
 
I'd consider that instead of a rebuild after 50,000 km or more but I wouldn't do the operation just because I want a few more horses right now.

There's also the quality issue, I'd only do it with a mechanic I know and trust, and I haven't met many.

But - go ahead, try it out, let us know how it works... It's a better investment than a Yoshimra full system which mat cost almost as much. :)
 
Review of the conversion begins at 1:53.

[video=youtube_share;S_Fju7-6a4Q]http://youtu.be/S_Fju7-6a4Q[/video]

I also saw that one of the original Thai CB500X bikes from the Asian Cross country team is being sold for 250,000THB.
 
Funny that the smaller and lighter 500 is less off-road capable than the bigger and heavier "CRF" 1000!
 
Well..there is people that is definetly willing to pay for it. Yes you can do the conversion yourself but that's extra time/$$ and leftover parts you don't need added to the "junk pile".. Eg. I have one with lots of CRF's parts here in TH
 
Yep, that's my bike. :-)

If anyone wants to take a look, let me know.

Took it for a spin on the Samueng Loop, plus some dirt. While the stock CB500X is great, this brings it to a whole new level. Yes, I got absolutely reamed by customs, but I didn't have anyone able to carry over the suspension for awhile, so decided to go for it. Bonn (and BNS/Burning) is pretty sure he can build the wheels, and of course the bash plate can be built locally. Truth be told, however, with the amount of engineering John and the crew at Rally Raid put into it, I'd probably advise getting the wheels from RR. Bonn is super busy, so not sure when he will be able to get to it. But he's really interested in it.

I've got a few tweaks to make (the bar risers didn't fit initially, so the Barkbusters hit the screen -- need to figure out how to either build or bodge a bracket). But overall, very happy with it.
 
Mark - what was the total cost parts & labour for the conversion?



markinthailand said:
Yep, that's my bike. :-)

If anyone wants to take a look, let me know.

Took it for a spin on the Samueng Loop, plus some dirt. While the stock CB500X is great, this brings it to a whole new level. Yes, I got absolutely reamed by customs, but I didn't have anyone able to carry over the suspension for awhile, so decided to go for it. Bonn (and BNS/Burning) is pretty sure he can build the wheels, and of course the bash plate can be built locally. Truth be told, however, with the amount of engineering John and the crew at Rally Raid put into it, I'd probably advise getting the wheels from RR. Bonn is super busy, so not sure when he will be able to get to it. But he's really interested in it.

I've got a few tweaks to make (the bar risers didn't fit initially, so the Barkbusters hit the screen -- need to figure out how to either build or bodge a bracket). But overall, very happy with it.
Click to expand...
 
Don't the wheels need to be bought as part of the kit? This effectively stops you getting the parts made locally.
 
The cost was about 40% above the prices listed on the Rally Raid site -- that is the taxes, import duties, etc. Not sure yet on labor -- Bonn hasn't figured out the bill yet, but shouldn't be too much.

You can get the Level 2 kit, which is just the higher suspension. Essentially it looks like this:

L1: New fork internals, new rear shock. Stock height.

L2: New fork internals, new rear shock, new triple clamp/dog bone/etc. Higher than stock.

L3: L2 + new wheels (19" front, 17" back).

The skid plate, etc., is all separate from that.

So you can get the L2 and source your own wheels if you want. They don't sell individual wheels or just the wheels if you don't have an L2 from them. If someone were to fit the new wheels with their own home-brewed suspension and have a catastrophic failure, then Rally Raid would be probably share some liability -- so that is my understanding of why they don't do that.

They're also working on stock height spoked wheels -- for the L1 -- so 17" front and back.

The advrider thread -- both then RR vendor and the CB500X -- has a lot more detail.

The big thing they found was when you start raising it a significant amount (e.g. enough to make a difference) then you get into all sorts of issues -- so a new triple clamp, and a new dog bone, etc. It isn't just enough to put in, say, a taller Ohlins or YSS shock and call it good, since the geometry of the rear won't work with that.
 
The way I read it you still can only purchase the low front fender and longer side stand with the RR wheels. Not sure how much of a consideration that is though.

Let us know the final labour charge. Good to have some idea of the cost as I wouldn't want to attempt the conversion myself!
 
Right -- I forgot about those parts.

The side stand is no big deal, actually. When the guys were pulling the bike off the center lift, they pulled it onto the RR side stand and it bent. So they just used my original one, cut and extended it, and off you go. (And I told RR and they offered to replace it.)

Not sure about the low front fender. I wonder where they sourced it. It is REALLY good quality, I have to say. Feels beefier than OEM.

I'll let you know what labor ends up -- but he is giving me a discount since he was really interested in pulling the kit apart and learning about it. So he really wanted to do it.
 
Looks good Mark, I've certainly toyed with the Idea of putting the kit in a suitcase , it's just over 2000 pounds and labour should be very little
 
just wish the front wheel was 21 inch, much better chance of surviving a Dog encounter I find :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
2wheels Honda upgrades CB500 range Honda Motorcycles 0
KTMphil 2016/ 2017 Honda CB 500 F's in Chiang Mai Honda Motorcycles 2
KTMphil New Honda CB 500 X is here !!!! Honda Motorcycles 4
C Recall on Honda CB500F/X/R ? Honda Motorcycles 0
Captain_Slash Honda CB500F Drive Chain Honda Motorcycles 10
Similar threads
Honda upgrades CB500 range
2016/ 2017 Honda CB 500 F's in Chiang Mai
New Honda CB 500 X is here !!!!
Recall on Honda CB500F/X/R ?
Honda CB500F Drive Chain
Back
Top Bottom