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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มี.ค. 2020
- It was the last in line - the very pinnacle of HRC's factory Honda 500 two-stroke motocross bikes. The 1986 RC500M was HRC's swansong before the production bikes took over, and it's totally different to the stock bikes of the day.
In the first of our series on this legendary bike, Dave Thorpe talks about the evolution of the factory 500s from HRC and what it was like to ride the RC500M - and win the world 500 championship on it.
Now fully restored and running again, we'll bring you a video series on the men who brought the bike back into life, exploring the secrets of what made the RC500M such a special bike. Stay tuned to MotoHead's channel to see and hear the bike fire into action and see it being ridden once more. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Motocross late 80's and early 90's was immense.
Those were great times to be a motocross fan. Hand built factory two strokes, racing castor and BP100 or Avgas. Open face helmets with chin guards. Leather boots. Carrera goggles. “Go The Rat” MX clothing. Camel Supercross. Mx Des Nations. Motocross Action Magazine.
Jumpers for goalposts.
12" of suspension travel. MX frames that turned, single shock, water cooling, disk brakes, sub frames, exhaust power valves, power from about 30hp to about 45hp (early 70's to 85 250's), upside down forks and much improved ergonomics and stellar reliability/quality control. From 1975 to 1985 was a manufacture race for a better bike, and the growth of the bike was much more than the growth of the price. All that work done only raised the cost of a bike about 40%. They were the best days of this sport, because they were the most "free market" days.
@@EarthSurferUSA 💯. Great days. Should be the same now. Development at it's finest.
Sweet Jesus. My favorite bike of all time. He called it “a missile”. He was Awesome on it. To hear Dave talk about his time at HRC is wonderful. More of these vids please guys. Thanks :)
Nice
simon clarkson+ O'mara kicked his ASS on a off the shelf 125. Hahahahahahahahahahahahah LOL................
@@arnoldsanders6878 ...settle down. Firstly, while O'Mara's bike looked production it was still a very very good bike compared toa production or privateers bike. O'Mara teammates noted that O'Mara having his contract renewed was at a different level, and that Thorpe had a technical issue. That's what the Americans said. In any case, Thrope was untouchable at the 85 MXdN. Each race is unique. But a great ride by Johnny nonetheless.
Spot on Simon, you could hear DT's bike from the other side of the track! Just the sound and smell was something else. A top guy, a great bike and fantastic times.
@@arnoldsanders6878 O'mara came 2nd he whooped a lot 500 riders not just Thorpe, sometimes
it happens in motocross in open classes, i have seen it done a lot of times throughout the
years. in that particular race towards the end Thorpe started overriding his bike going wide
on all the corners and looking ragged and making a lot of mistakes, he lost his smoothness
and he paid for it in the end. no shame in losing though. the year before he beat everybody
including all the best Americans. 2,1st and a 2nd he was easily the best rider on the day
Good old Thorpey, what a legend!
AND YET HARDLY ANYONE KNOWS WHO HE IS ALSO A REALLY NICE BLOKE
My 86 cr500 is worlds apart from the factory 500. Still brutal but unrefined and lacking in thousands of pounds of technology and upgrades. The RC500 is the holy grail😊👍 Thanks for the video, brilliant...
Had a 86 cr500 what a monster 😆 miss those days 👍
I still have that sound in my ear.....nothing can beat the Sound and smell of a well- prepared two-stoke 500cc engine.
Marcus Fistarol I love the smell of fully synthetic Castrol TT in the morning it smells like,well..........victory !💨
@@aviationiceman9549 ....so.true
It's a beautiful thing !!!
Yes, I remember the 125 class was for the children, 250 class was for up and comers( and Russians), and the open class was for the big boys.
Still a beauty. If i ever win in a Lottery , i will buy it just to sit in Front of it in the evening and dream and drool....
Stunning..both bike and rider
Thorpe was such a smooth stylish rider..the kit he wore was also stylish and ahead of its time
Travelled to support David Thorpe..he made me proud to be British.
Good days
O'Mara made him look pretty average in 86 when he passed him on the 125 though ....
@@ivanfisher9301 true,although omara was super fired up for be let go by honda,,so he was properly motivated and put on a once in a lifetime ride
@@ivanfisher9301 True but Thorpe made the American team look average in 85,
i want more. MORE 80's Factory Bikes please and longer videos. Thanks for posting
Loved watching him ride this beast when I was a kid! These guys were iron men!
Saw Dave Thorpe a few times at Hawkstone and Farleigh, great to see him in his prime.
Dave Thorpe my absolute hero.
You have to do more interviews like this. More stories with the riders and what went into developing their bikes.
Dave your a pleasure and of course your Dad. Loved watching you and HRC. At Streatly mx will always remember so quick. Thanks.
Used to love watching this man ride he was very good and came across as a really nice guy.
All those factory works bikes in the mid 80’s were the best bikes ever made.
90s factory bikes where the best
Chances are very good that you will have an argument about that. The late 70s and early to mid 80s had the most exotic Works bikes ever to be produced. No chance they were matched in the 90s.
Maybe relative to the production bikes at the time. Otherwise lol.
J V lol..
@@corinful NOT!!!!
I was pleasantly surprised when this popped up to watch. The works Hondas were truly things of beauty. Subscribed!
never was a Honda guy growing up, but age has made me realise this is the best looking MX bike of all time
Yes the day's when factory bikes looked nothing like production bikes.
The 86 factory bikes look are the same as the 87 production bikes in certain aspects like the dual disk breaks and engine
@@alexvanstelle5880 We never got that cool gas tank though. :(
@@EarthSurferUSA Yes, the petrol tank alone cost approx £15,000!
Loved this bike brings back memories. I used to have a big poster on my bedroom wall when I was a youngster👌
I remember watching some epic battles between Thorpe and malherbe at farleigh castle and hawkstone park. The sounds the smells the 45 minute ques for a hot dog the 80's really were an amazing time for motocross before Supercross changed the way tracks were designed. Two strokes just had something about them.
Farleigh 85 & 89, two of the best GP's for atmosphere ever.
Malherbe and Thorpe the 2 knifes that sharpen each other
Remember watching Dave race this bike at hawkstone park me an mates used to camp out for the weekend that bike was an absolute beast lot of good memories 👊😁
What legends! Both Dave and the factory Honda!.......👍😎
Watching Dave T at Hawkstone Park was magical with all the other GP stars. The 2 strokes where so special great days.
Thank you for the video got goosebumps totally sick bike obviously the HRC engineering way ahead of its time this was the pinnacle of a mx race machine hands down! I have the 1987 looks a lot like that one.
This bike is like what a stunning supermodel is. Absolutely oozing great beauty with stunning looks. I'd much prefer to have this bike in my living room to look at, than a supermodel. 😁
I am in heaven. To see him on these bikes at Farleigh Castle, especially the 86 bike blew my mind as a young lad. Something I will never forget
Farleigh 85, my favourite GP of all time. Just hoping @Staffihound can find the other (first) 15mins of Moto 1!
Damn, miss those works bikes! Those bikes were soooo amazing. Instant drool seeing them even to this day!
Thanks for the video. 👍👍
Dave is such a great champion, I got a hand shake at Foxhills he didn't know me from Adam but what a champion, and watching him at Hawkstone park was a thrill, and years later I rode there and it was so rough I snapped the damping internals on my Kawasaki and he was so smooth, Just great. Thankyou Dave Thorpe and Keith on the spanners.
Dave Thorpe is a true gentleman and a bloody hero to me. Honda HRC in the glorious eighties, Dave Thorpe, Steve Saunders and Freddie Spencer.
When imagination wasn't curtailed. The exotic factory bikes may have been unobtainable for all but the 1% ,but seeing what was possible was worth it.
Yaay Thorpey. One of the heroes of my reaching daze. Braaaap.
Got a chance to see Dave up close at the Canadian GP in 86 when I was a marshal at Moto Park that year. It was amazing to see this bike up close!
Myself and some mates went to Hawkstone Park for the British Round of the 500cc MX in 1984 or 86. We got up early to find a decent spot or two to watch. As we walked around, we were joined by Thorpey for about fifteen minutes. He probably wasn't much older than us but what an absolute legend - made my whole Summer. Top bloke
Great video....love the true works bikes.
What an orgasmic looking bike and still looks better than the factory bikes of today,it looks so special which it is 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
And l love those old stories from Mr. Thorpe.
What a humble legend 🤘🏻
Saw Thorpey race that bike at Lyng and Hawkestone park, he was like a god to me back then and seeing this bike bought back a lot of good memories.
I seem to remember that after the 86 season was over some journalists test rode Thorpe's bike and couldn't believe how good it was.
Love it.
Nothing production about this machine except the colors.
What a weapon especially with King Dave onboard
Great video, great rider and bike.
Awesome interview and subject matter. Being a Yank I never heard much about Thorpe or his machine. Thanks for sharing!
You should watch the 86 mx des nation the O show will blow your mind on a 125
George Davis watched it many times and yes Oshow was amazing. His last ride on team Honda did you know?
What a champion, i loved his sound on the 86s bike..
My first ride on an 84' CR 500 ended just after the first round of the track when that beast kicked me off and meniscus was torn out. These CR 500 models of the 80's were really hard to control, in my opinion. But they looked really sexy!
How can a bloke that looks and talks like my old geography teacher be my favourite motocross rider of all time 🤔Probably because he is the living legend,,,DAVE THORPE,,,,,,🙏
The mugan Hondas were pretty badass too.i was riding a highly modified 78rm 125 at the st.pete outdoor race.steve wise had a mugan 125.we practiced some hole shots side by side, and he pulled me a bike length every gear..fast bikes !!
The only time I got to see David Thorpe ride was MXDN when he was riding for England. I read about him in Dirt Bike Magazine or Motocross
action magazine. A Great Motocross rider. A Legend in the Sport.!!!!
There was one other 'last of the' full works two-strokes. The 87/88 YZM500.
I have owned an 83 480r and several xr 500s and currently own an 1981 yz 465, but the bike that really had the biggest balls was a 1986 Cr 500 that had some porting done to it. Upstate NY early 90s riding along the railroad tracks for a test ride, really nailed it 3rd, 4th and 5th couldn’t believe how bad ass it was fighting wheelies at 70mph plus really amazing power and I was fearless just out of the Army Airborne Infantry. The guys like David Thorpe were tough as hell and surgical to ride these monsters and they really were monsters to ride, open class 2 strokes are a beast, I have rode 450s plenty perfect in a lot of ways and fast as hell in a controlled way 500s like riding the dragon I can’t imagine riding a works bike being a mere mortal like myself maybe some day!
Stood chatting in the awning to Keith while he prepped this bike at Hawstone Park. Dave's Porsche parked up out side. Amazing how close you could get to the rider's those day's. Never forget the noise from those thing;s.
That things a monster 🔥
Beautiful bike. I bet it feels lighter than a modern 250 4-stroke MX bike.
Very light, magnesium and titanium everywhere
I'll never forget seeing Thorpey in Hawkstone on that '86 bike, it looked space age back then!
Dream bike😍👍
The good old days of the 80s I was riding ktm 250s remember watching Thorpe race against malherb at hawskston park amazing racing
Legend!!! Dave Thorpe
Freakin awesome video
In the 80’s I raced many CR 500’s and although basically stock they were arm pump inducing missiles. Miss those days badly.
Mr. David Thorpe: Come to the USA one more time, and be a guest on "The Whiskey Throttle Show". Lots of Hero's interviewed on that show, and it will be a huge bucket to draw from for anybody who writes a complete book about this great sport and the people who made it happen. Your MX life can be archived no better than it can on The Whiskey Throttle Show, and we would love to hear it.
Doug in Michigan.
Dave Thorpe briefly rode my 04 kx125 on a training day a few years back. I wonder if my bike made as much of an impression on him as that 86 Honda? haha.
The best outdoor motocross bike ever built.
what a legend! the bike is sweet also.
I raced a 87 CR500 and my buddy raced a 86 CR500 in expert class and I preferred his 86 to my 87 due to my 87 had a wider tank a overall feel to it .the 86 felt similar to my practice bike then which was a 83 CR480 .sure wouldve loved have ridden/raced this full factory 500 👍💪
Beautiful
Bella moto👍👍👍 Era un mostro.
Just watched the video, yes a very special bike by the factory. We at home with time, brain power, connections with American Honda, (don't know if Doug is still there or not, man that was a long time ago)and money would do the same kinda thing make it special, make it ours!
Brilliant .
Miss the 1980’s and 1990’s two stroke races
The 83-86 works Hondas were the best looking bikes on the dirt. From hannah"s 83 250, lechien's 85 125, thorpe's 86 500. America went production in 86 but the last full works bikes were in Europe for another year or two. Still miss the 500cc 2stroke monster bumblebee sound racing to the first turn.
Yeah, the '85 RC250 and RC125 were the best ever.
Europe still gets some works parts to this day. We won the MXofN since 1981, and the FIM puts a production rule on the USA only. In about 3 years, the cost of a dirt bike triples, (and only went up about 40% during the 2 decades before, including all the developments to 1985). If it were not for the production rule, and 4-strokes being forced on the industry, a new bike, like a 2020 YZ250 2-stroke, would probably cost about $4,000.00 today, and the sport would have a lot more end users. Most people have no clue why the sport is struggling today.
Hermosa moto.
Desde el año 1974 que conocí la Honda Elsinore quede enamorado de Honda CR
The only bike that ever scared me.... rode it on wet ground. It wheelies and wheel spun in every gear got around the woods came back got off it.....
I bloody lived never got back on it ....
I just got dave thorpes book called no regrets I have not read enough of it to tell you anything but I did read rob andrews book and that book makes you feel like you raced the 500 gp circuit back in the 80 s .This bike looks so awesome and Im sure it would beat any 450 four suck today.I HATE 4 Strokes.
Honda Engineering team was awesome. Blew everything away.
What you really mean is Hondas check book was awesome, bought everything away.
Hannah and Yamaha killed everyone, too bad he broke his leg in '79 or they would have ruled honda for years to come. And Yamaha was racing on a shoe-string budget compared to honda.
Gleanerman
Yamaha got ahead in the late 70s especially with the monoshock which was no doubt superior to standard twin shocks, but everyone caught up by the early 1980s. Howerton was faster than Hannah BTW.
Rick Becker isn’t it amazing what R&D money can produce in short period of time. Today’s Honda Crf450 (35 years newer), likely wouldn’t be any faster per lap than this cr500. 1980-86 Honda were amazing jump in technology every 12 months.
Kurt, yes Howerton was faster after Hannah broke his leg in multiple places. lol Without that leg Hannah could have won at least 5 more years, even on his '79 Yamaha, even all of Honda's works bikes could not beat him.
One of the most beautiful looking crossers ever, that and the mugan jonny omara 125 Honda for my lottery win house lobby entrance bikes
My mouth is watering
I remember that MONSTER...I was knee high to a beetle at that time when my old man bought the 86 Honda CR500.He was @ the time 6ft.5in - 250 lbs and in excellent physical condition but Just to kick start that Beast you needed to have the stamina of a person competing in the Iron man lol..
That bike was truely terrifying to ride...You coulda slapped that engine in one of the old 500 2-stroke era motogp bikes & won races with it, IF you could survive the standing start. Their was no safe space anywhere in the power ban of that bike.
I think of the movie King Aurther Legend of the Sword (Guy Ritchie) the bike being the Sword. lol
The most beautiful cr 500 I’ve ever seen and I have a near mint 86 model I would love to have that in my living room and I know how rare it is is still ride the bleep outta it 😂
Had a 1979 Honda 250 Red Rocket , had a sticker on it saying John Banks racing ,still looking for my arms it pulled off,
I feel sad for most of today's biker's who never had the chance to ride a 2- stroke bike, guys You miss something real special 😁
they still make 2 stroke dirtbikes... just saying
@@WhiteGravey
I think he means the times when that's all there was in the race world.
I had a air cooled 450 and 480, But now just keep my 96 CR 500 fresh.
I'm not familiar with an RC500 but i remember when the 1 guy was using CR250 frames and 500 engines for around 10k dollars. Don't know his name and we don't have access to magazines, i miss Super Hunky from dirtbike. Anyway CR/RC whatever we get a machine and with help from reputable people and companies turn it into our own special monster. So to me it's a modified CR500 . Absolutely love it though. Peace brother keep the rubber down.🏍
I wish I could have seen O'Mara pass him on his 125 in person.
In italy this lad was called Re David (King David). A calm giant.
Never forget, sounds Like a roaring Lion. Stand one's one pace beside this Bike at the tecnical Inspektion by mesuring volume, the engine was so balanced, so that the Clutch Lever doesn't swing
Honestly my favourite HRC bike is RC250 definitely the first water cooled ones
Honda should reproduce the 1985 RC250 as a tribute to works bikes. I mean exactly like David Bailey's works bike and suspension, (Offer a different optional head to run pump gas). I bet they would sell for up to $15,000.00. I think I would have to buy one.
Hey Dave I am 41 years old now .. every weekend age 6-7 I went out ripping i use to try be you on my kx80. .Baaaaaaabaaaa!!!
Luker mc who didn’t 👍😂
Yea, well we were not a real fan unless we put a pro's number on our bike with electrical tape. :)
when you can ride this then you can ride everything :)
I still want 2 stroke motorcycles built with current technology to make a comeback. A 500 built new today, a 3 cylinder 2 stroke Kawasaki. They would be insane.
Remember them leading link girder forks.looked the biz but to complicated I think.ah eric Thorpe malherb jobe..the epic days .great to watch at hawkstone. And the castle. The works two strokes.
The glory days of hrc mx.
tank goes down to the carter below the carb, that's weird, cos the switch is above and you couldn't use a lot of fuel, or maybe the switch had and inner tube going to the bottom of tank and fuel was pushed up to carb. by the stored fuel pressure? really would like to know
Love Factory Bikes A look at what's coming our way Like an early Christmas present( Factory )Good job pirverters knowing This is going to be hard And always thinking There's a win or a top 3 5 10 in me Just never know
Best bikes ever
Dave looks so normal. I expected him to be a monster robot
Haha Dave seems annoyed at the pesky four strokes going past.
They were his own team bikes, ridden by Tommy Searle and Jake Nicholls - so he probably wasn't too unhappy!
I was just taking the piss lol I know all about Daves team , just fancied a giggle the way he paused made me come up with the joke.
Did you say 4 stroke or fart stroke lol
anyone know title and artist of the song in the beginning?!
I almost wish all the pros run two champs a stock class then a unlimited run whatever u can slap together jus reg the frames and motor size it would deff b interesting
and now whe have a brc 500 running at the track
and the balance shaft is so nice
i like the old ones but eh