Hmmmm.... modern 450's and old 500 class?

NQ1965

NQ1965

PR Elite
Reading the thread on How to make Motocross safer got me thinking a little. ( I didn't want to hijack the thread though). I know that we've had some discussion around this but it still makes me wonder.

Back in the day, you had the 125 class, 250 class, and the 500 class. Wasn't the Big Bore class a little more exlusive in the people that rode those bikes?

How would you guys compare the 500 class, and the bikes, back then, to the 450 class today? In both amateur and pro levels?

I do realize that the 450 is more like a 250 on serious steroids, but there's always the quest for more power, more torque, and better powerband management. Why didn't the 500 class have the extremism that the 450 class has today? How would todays A class, and pro class 450 riders do if they were all gated up on 500 2-strokes?
 
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Great question and my personal favorite subject.
By far the biggest different is the user friendliness of the power. The 450 have torque but it hits very mellow and is easy to control. The 500 would rip your arms out of the sockets then beat you to death with them. But it also had a "right" way of doing it. If you were aggressive and rode it like a powerful 125 it was wonderful. To do that you really needs two things. Huge balls and a big ass. You had to bully it and ginger it at the same time.
 
So could a 500 be tuned down to make it more manageable and competitive ?
No shortage of horsepower! How bout bike weight, any advantage?
 
A 500 for sure can be competitive with a 450. Just watch the video of the guy that rode one this past year in Florida in 25+ against Ferry. Did not win but ran in the top 5. On a 25 year old POS. With better suspension and chassis to help handling a 500 would whip a 450 on some tracks. There is a vid on YouTube that Dusty Rabbit compares both bikes.
 
Why, no... I didn't watch that video. I was in that race so why would I watch his video:D:D:D.

Watching the vid amazes me how much the Honda's all sound the same. He does well on it though. I've got the itchy temptation to try one but my common sense side reminds me that my 250's are always plenty enough for my riding abilities.
It would be cool to see a pro on a modern outdoor track going head to head on one.
 
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