First ride

The first ride on my XR500 was slow and careful. Right off, I found it very fun — and a wildly different experience from any other motorcycle I have.

Slow and careful

I didn't want to overstress the engine. The break-in procedure I found said it takes hours and hours of run time before the engine is ready. I was very surprised — it sounded like 10 hours or something before it's fully ready.

A fresh rebuild has new parts that haven't worn in against each other yet — the piston rings seating against the cylinder, above all. Going easy while that happens is the point of a break-in.

I was also a little concerned about everything else on the bike, not just the engine.

A big-bore thumper

This is the only big-bore thumper I have, and unlike the two-strokes, this bike has so much torque. It gets going fast and the RPMs stay relatively low.

I didn't push it, however. I just wanted to see how it did.

It gets going fast and the RPMs stay relatively low.

A noisy top end

Almost right off, I started to notice the top end was very noisy. The valves weren't adjusted properly, and now that I was out riding properly, I could hear it.

They turned out to be way out of spec.

Other than that, the bike performed very well.

The big front wheel

The extra-large front wheel was noticeable going over ruts and holes. The extra diameter let it float over depressions with less effect. Even though it's only 2" larger, the difference was noticeable.

A bigger wheel meets the edge of a hole at a shallower angle, so it rolls over instead of dropping in.

The extra-large wheel wasn't all good, though. The front and rear plastics are aftermarket, so the front isn't sized properly for it. On large bumps, where the front wheel travels more and the front plastic moves more, the tire comes into contact with the front plastic.

I wasn't riding hard and it was still an issue from time to time. I imagine if I were riding hard, it would happen more and more.

I have some ideas to fix this, but I'll hold off on sharing them until I give them a try. I'll report back on that.

The one that got away

One thing happened on this ride that I was unable to capture on video. It was really awesome and unfortunate at the same time.

For one, I learned that GoPro batteries don't last super long. I knew the battery was running around halfway on this particular lap, and I didn't change it for a fresh one. Big mistake.

As I was heading back into camp, right as I was pulling onto the dry lake bed, an airplane was coming in for a landing — a small Cessna with oversized wheels. The pilot did a couple of low flybys first, to make sure the lake bed was clear and that anyone around saw him.

I pushed the XR pretty hard — the hardest of the entire ride — and was actually catching up to the plane as it was landing.

None of it was recorded. The battery had just died.

I was actually catching up to a landing airplane — and the battery had just died.

After he landed, he spun what I'd describe as donuts in the dirt, kicking up a massive dust cloud. Then the pilot got out and I chatted with him for around 15 minutes. None of that was on film either, and it really sucks — it would have been an amazing video.

Turns out he lands on the lake bed pretty regularly. It's close to the airport he hangars at, and he likes to land outside airports in the desert — and that's a great place to do it. His friend was with him that day, and he was giving him a tour of his normal flying routine.

When I asked him how fast he lands, he said between 40 and 50. So I wasn't imagining it: I was actually catching up to a landing airplane.

Back home: the valves

After I got home, I adjusted the valves and gave the bike a start-up, and it really made a difference. The motorcycle now starts easier and runs quieter.

Looking back, the valves were set a little on the too-far-open side from the start — part of why the first start was so hard.

Being that far out of spec, I'm wondering if there's an issue with the valve lock nuts. I'll have to keep a close eye on it, and I may order new adjusters and lock nuts.