Yes worlds apart but both fun and rewarding to ride just in very different ways. Thought it made for an interesting prospective on where bikes have gone. They are soooo different in design and thought.
Boy oh boy, they certainly are different. Purpose remains the same, but the methodology is like aliens vs. earthlings. I recall my first Honda CR250, a 1974 Elsinore. My buddy's older brother had a Husky, think it was a 1978 whatever. Dirt bike. It was trick. A real mean machine at the time, defining dirt bikes for us kids. My Honda was pretty cool, but nothing compared to that Husky. I got to ride his in the desert, just kind of putted around the camp (Glamis dunes, someplace off Titsworth road). Didn't dare open it up. That thing probably flew. Thanks for posting the photo. Very cool beans.
They are worlds apart when you put them up for comparison. It's funny because when I rode those bikes from the 70's and 80's they were the latest and greatest in those days. Looking at them today, they almost look primitive compared to the new bikes we ride. Even the gear we wore is totally different then the protection we use today. I can keep it in perspective by saying we would not have what we have today, had it not been for the bikes of yesterday. I'm just glad after I had stopped riding for a lot of years, that I started again and I can appreciate what a modern 2 Smoker or 4 Stroke has evolved into. Cool post Kelly !
What's cool is that even if it's not the latest and greatest, you can still go out and have a blast riding an older scoot! You just have to realize it's limitations and ride within those; they can still take you to pretty much all the same places. That era 500 has the same travel, disc brake, etc.
'83 TE510 and your TE511 would be a most interesting comparison... The actual progenitor of the modern dirt bike 4T vs the ultimate complex iteration. It's too bad you don't still have your TE570 to throw in the mix. Did you have the 400WR and TE570 at the same time? I'm always amazed when I put my 350WXC 4T (or my old TE400, when I had it) next to my '82 250WR 2T... same bottom end! Every time I ride or race my '82 250WR, I feel what we've gained and somewhat the things we've lost in 30+ years. I'm glad to be in both worlds and wouldn't want to give either up......
This 83 XC500 actually had a drum front end. Thats the front end off my 88 KX500 because I had to have the disk.
Well said. The 511 feels and is far more refined as you would guess. But as configured I think I might be faster through the woods on the XC500. In the dez I greatly prefer the 511. The 511 does good int he woods but is tall and a 4 stroke so it needs a lot of clutch work to keep from flaming out as most big bore 4 strokes do int he woods. The XC500 will lug to 4 rpm and keep pulling. I;m not sure you can stall it. That and the low seat height make it actually work very well in the woods. I know this all seems the opposite of what you would expect but the XC is a nice woods bike and not that great int he faster stuff mostly due to the big smooth yummy power of the 511 combined with 30 years of suspension and brake tech. Fun stuff.
