A long time ago Yamaha had the bright idea of producing a big single. Why they had this idea no one really knows but it led to the re-introduction of the big single as a choice for the discerning motorcyclist.

The XT 500 was produced back in the late 70's and very quickly became a bit of a cult bike. In the US it was very popular out in the backwoods amongst 6 finger banjo players, hence the long clutch lever.

The SR500 came out some years later in response to people using the strong XT Engine for racing and in road-going bikes in an effort to re-capture the sound of the 60's. I recall seeing a number of artists impressions in Motorycle Monthly (now Performance Bikes) of what an XT may look like in Café Racer and Flat Tracker trim both of which looked terrific, to a small boy with big ears, which I had at the time.

For its day the SR500 didn't perform too badly, you have to remember that as a single it had limited competition. The British bike industry was in terminal decline and the JAP bikes it was likely to hang around with were probably, RD250's, Z650's, X7's and GT250's - usually ridden by Chris Jordan who kept falling off anyway. Actually bit of a fib here, these were the bikes I hung around, but I was in the slow group at that time.

I bought a T reg SR 500 as my 3rd bike. It goes: Yamaha FS1E, 55 mph flat on tank downhill, RD250 85-90 mph, SR500 95 mph with strange weaving motion due to wide handlebars.

It came with a Dunstall Megaphone exhaust which made your ears bleed and if flat bars were fitted, an open face helmet and leather motorcycle boots, white socks and jeans, you could look a right prat with no effort at all.

The other thing it came with was difficulty in starting that had to be experienced to be believed. Vegan, big cheese at Frontiers, owned one when he lived in France and told me he sold it coz he was fed up looking a right twat when he couldn't start his bike in front of trendy bars. "Oh", said I, "As long as you use the Hot Start Button there is rarely a problem" ..... "What hot start button?", says the right twat.

Much to my embarrassment I recall sitting outside the Plough in Rusper observing a couple of lads, wiv birds, starting their bikes prior to speeding off in to the distance. Well one bike started, the other was kicked and kicked to no avail. Eventually the whole pub was watching this poor lad trying to get his SR started. "Go on", says a mate, "Go and give 'im a hand". So I go over, quietly mention that I used to have an SR and if he ignored the little TDC indicator and stopped wacking the throttle open it would start without a problem. Did I bollocks! I went straight over and said "'Ere, let me have a go", lined it up gave it a boot and started it first time - and then I shagged his bird. I cringe whenever I recall that incident. If you ever read this mate I am really, really sorry. But she was a bit rough.

Where was I? Oh yes, I sold the bike after a year and stupidly bought a Triumph Tiger grrrr ! Which was a pile of shit and very hard to sell once I had done it all up and concluded it was still a pile of shit. But now I have another SR500, in fact I have two, one as a spare. According to Gaz Moore it is Funky, and that it is.