CB500 Sand racer

this looks a blast, remember and get a ton of pics and video.

best of luck!!

this should be an interesting bike!

i have a cb500 98 vintage and tuned it up n all extra tooth on the front sprocket and high flow exhaust had to also put bigger jets as i burnt one engine out running it too lean with the performance exhaust!

i did read the tail end of last year that some guy did a race on his Suzi SV650 on some off road course and came i think 5th over all and i think 3rd in group and they only thing that broke was his rear plastics arround the seat!

but good luck to you and the 180ish kg of cb500

I demand pics of the damage (either to you or the bike lol) Come on Will.....

Sand racing rules it's official.

Camped Saturday night in the back of the transit at what can only be described as a traveler site with an on site pub. At a fiver a night for 2 of us with entertainment from the locals thrown in for free it was supurb.
The heavy headed awakening on Sunday quickly became excitement as we made or way to the beach where I beached the van in time honored Transit style to be greeted by the race organizer coming over and observing that it was our first meeting and pointing me to the van route as opposed to the 4x4 route I had plumed for. Good start, many hands made light work, for me sitting in the drivers seat anyway:)

Both me and my pal Neil were riding in the same class so not many pics of us racing plus the weather was shocking and the camera was on loan. A fantastic time was had by all. Even the icy winds and driving rain could not damped our enthusiasm for what is a completely bonkers sport.

Wet wet wet


Signed on then hung about waiting for scrutineering and nothing much happen for half hour or so until a kid ran past shouting to his dad that bikes where been 'inspected' and from then on it was all action. The troublesome lanyard kill switch were not inspected after all the grief and expense with mine and the drunken sorting of Neils not that many hours previously Got pulled up on having a side stand fitted so put a rock under said stand whilst fetching the toolkit (cable ties) from the van, predictably came back to a bike on it's side but done the deed and got my sticker to say the machine was 'safe'.
As soon as people got there bikes checked they tore of down to the track, a speedway style oval with big big big sweeping bends. The format seemed to be a quick practice for all classes then races in quick succession for after that.
We joined in with bikes that looked like ours and raced along side a old Kawasaki 750ish looking machine a cbr 400 a Armstrong rocking a Triumph 955i lump and a heap of other suitably inappropriate machines.
There was classes for kids, motox machines, proper sppedway cycles, 125 trailbikes, road bikes (unlimited cc)

All I can say is do it. Check the web link, sort a machine and get stuck in. Gonna be back for the next one for sure which is the last of the season as donkeys and ice cream takes over as the weather warms

Have some pics and please excuse any rain/sand/dirty finger prints on the lense.

Neils Cagiva aka Mabel


Quad class too, check out there lows dude, Side cars can compete too but none in there this time.


Motox class out the gate, these guys were full bore. Long travel suspension had them fighting to save the dreaded highside.


Couple of other race bikes, xl250/500 seems a popular choice.




My trusty and now even more rusty steed






You know when you stand in wet sand and your feet slowly sink, my van did that too Many thanks to the lad with the 4x4 and note to self, take random bits of ply next time for parking on.



More pics as soon as they load up.

Mabel sunk too




No expense spared on the race numbers ;D

looks like good fun. driven cars and quads on beaches but somehow never managed to get around to bikes

Awesome bang for your buck racing.

Now tuesday and I'm still aching, not as much of a workout as enduro racing but pretty physical as with any bike sport. Track was so much better in the dryer conditions but bike, and more importantly technique need perfecting .

Looking at sorting out my spare cb so I can have a proper designated sand racer, i.e stripped down, low slung right footpeg, loose the back brake too Current bike is pretty compromised as it is needed on the road and being lazy did not want to strip bits that would need refitting.
Air cooled Hondas seem to be the way to got in the smaller cc road bike class and most look way cool.

Will get more pics up soon.

One of my fellow road bike unlimited competetors



Whooped him ;D shouldn't gloat, but I'm gonna 'cos he was the only one of the 2 I managed to beat that I've a pic of.

Check this out



UUUUMMMMMMMMMMMM For sale too, don't know how much just know by looking that it's out of my price range i.e not free.