hey, just wanted to ask ya what you thought about racing a 1976 kh500, i can get one pretty cheap with low miles. i talked to a guy from c a n a d a (read slow)aye, he races an s2. i have an s2 that i just got done restoring,but i dont want to wreck it. i also noticed that wera doesnt race that many races(vintage that is) that are close to me. i got the schedule and theres only 4 that are close enough for me to drive to. 2 in ohio and 2 in wv (summit point)if i race id like to race more than 4 times. when and where are the big final races of the year. i might wait till then an try and buy a bike someones selling . one guy told me its like a used bike lot instead of a big race. where can i get my license on the east coast for the vintage class? or do they run all classes when they have a class at the track for you license? thanks for the help lance [email protected]
the good thing about wera vintage that there is a class for just about every bike.and is a good way to start racing. the people are great. and when they do the school you do it all together.I recommend ed bargy. I 'm not sure if he does any up north. you can go to links page and go to his web site. as for the kh500 I'm not sure what kind of bike. is it two stroke? I don't recommend a old two stroke for first year racing. I raced a rd350 last year and trust me when i say I worked on the bike more that I raced. don't get me wrong it the funnest bike I had on the track. I just think that your first year you need to be on the track more.my first year racing I raced a 4cyl cb500 after i got it race ready all I had to do was get to the race track. for the whole year I raced it with out a problem. as for the big race at they end of the year it is called the g-n-f it is at road atlanta. 15 minutes from my house.as for a bike you might want to check wera vintage.classifieds its is all the way at the top right. got to go to work. if you have any more questions.just ask. I'll try to answer them. hope this helps
First off, don't race any bike you just restored, it will get abused. Secondly, the KH500s were fast but handled like crap even by standards of 25 years ago. Another point worth considering is that they ran hot. I rode with a few guys, when I lived in Boston, whos S2's and S3's almost hit meltdown temps after some spirited riding during mild New England summers. Hate to see what would happen during a race. As CB500 mentioned, consider a 4-stroker for your first year of racing. There are a lot of cheap bikes out there to get started on that won't keep breaking down... hey, the name of the game is lotsa track time, right? Consider getting a Honda 175, 200, or 350 twin... or a Yamaha XS650. These bikes are cheap, parts are available in almost all salvage yards, are very reliable starter bikes and have a great deal of hop-up parts available to make them a great deal faster. As far as schools... Ed Bargy is great but I don't think he goes North. I think Nelson Ledges has a race school (or is it Fastrax?). Let me check and I'll get back to you on this.
The track school at Nelson Ledges is run by Bob Stanley and FASTTRAX. They have some good instructors and you can find more info at www.fastone.com As far as the old Kawis go, I know a guy who owns one and calls it a "hinge on wheels"
