I didn't see many of these. Wish I could justify buying this one... http://lincoln.craigslist.org/mcy/3077188223.html
Are you sure? From Super Hunky: "No doubt about it, the single worst bike Yamaha ever made was the SC500 Scrambler. This four-speed slug seized with regularity, shook its steering head like a hooked trout, hopped around like a rabbit on diet pills and stalled when the rider least expected it. Some kind of fun machine, eh?"
I have heard the SC500 was a pig but in the hands of a seasoned rider it performed well. I think the trick was to keep the throttle pretty much full on and it was happiest. My 360 is enough of an animal with its limited suspension and poor brakes. Any more power would be be insane. Rumor is that Chuck Norris rode one all the way to Hell , Roosted the devil, Then rode all the way back performing a one handed wheelie.
The ignition advance portion of the CDI always went bad. It translates to difficult starting, who wants a machine that won't start?
Well, it looks like this one is still in pretty good shape. Maybe that's because all of the above is true and it didn't get ridden very much. Still, kinda fun to see something this old still in pretty much its original condition. Even has the thermal flow shocks!
if it where on my coast it would be in the back of my truck right now..plus it has a factory yamaha headlight somebody added..looks like from a TY175..pretty cool and a total killer deal so a relatively clean complete bike
These are seriously bad bikes. Thermal Flow shocks are not an asset, either. I had one kick back while starting and it split the sole of my shoe. In a previous post, I explained it. The CDI had a built-in advance, it was quite the innovation back then, but they ALL failed, resulting in starting/seizure problems. Stay away from the thing.
I love mine there some pictures posted on the mexican 1000 thread i have tons of spares if needed pm me
you are the man...mexican 1000 on an SC500 I am glad to see someone else post something positive about this bike... I think sometimes like the TM400 the bikes faults and or weaknesses where blown out of proportion back in the day...or maybe people where just too scared of this big bore fire breathing beasts
The TM400 Cyclone is another one to stay away from, unless ya just want to wheelie in a stocking cap.
Been "Lurking" on this one... Time to jump in with both feet!!! "Most" of the younger people posting on ADV just know what they have read about the early MX type motorcycles. They were a handful to ride, but that's all we had and didn't know any better. That said, we just got used to what the bikes did and rode accordingly. If you know that if you slap a bull, it's gonna come after you, you kinda know how to get away with it.... Sometimes the Bull surprises us.... I survived the TM400!!
Absolutely! Also some other fun things (common among all makes back in the day) like brakes going away after a creek crossing, fouled plugs, dirty or water intruded points, throwing or breaking chains and my all time favorite, throttle stuck wide open.
One of these for sale in Flatistan as well. I'm not tempted, but perhaps a braver soul than me . . . http://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/3039401843.html
Well I had one of these too. One of my buddys bought one also. I raced on the weekends and he rode during the week. It took both bikes swaping parts to keep us going. Without a doubt the worst bike I've owned. It was a 125 on steroids. When it was running it was wide open and hang on. We called them the turkey back then because it gobbled transmission shafts and pistons like crazy. I was a big boy so I needed a big bike. SC500, TM400,RM400,TT500. The TT 500 was far and away the best bike. Bored it to 534 Powrol kit and it was a wheelie machine. It would I guess suck oil up into the air filter and foul the plug when wheelied over 1/4 mile. smoke would roll everywhere out the exhaust. Pull the compression release when the front wheel dropped and it would clean the plug and restart before it quit rolling. We were trying to climb a really bad hill one day. Muddy,slick and no running room at the bottom. we tried for over and hour to get half way up it. People started lining up at the top watching us knowing no one could make it. No one had made it much over half way and the hardest was at the top. The SC and I caught it right just one time and when I cleared the top I jumped over a buddys of mine's brand new 250 Elsinore. I had people clearing out. Good times. When the SC's power came on it was brutal.:eek1
I have one sitting downstairs with a speed blocked Molly Yamaha jersey draped over the tank. My father bought it and a GT80 for me brand new back in the day. I still have both of them, hell, they're both wearing the stock tires that came on them as well. I think the the SC500 got a bad rap. A good rider could and did win races on them. I still have the original MSO for the 500 and it states " 44 BHP " on it. It's been a number of years since I've ridden it. I need to get it out and ride it. It's pretty entertaining when that thing comes on the pipe.
i've been doing lotsa yamaha mx's recently - i think the piston availability is what's killing the sc500. they aren't terrible and can be ridden - although that motor in stock setup is probably best suited for flat track.. - 73/74 mx250/mx360/sc500 all the same except motor... - just slap a mx360 motor in there, and you'll have a nice bike... the thermaflows aren't terrible but they're just a basic shock - the reservoir just makes them look fancy. they are super easy to rebuild - and i have proper seals for thermaflows if you need them..
