Yamaha’s XT500 was an instant sales success and it led to a full series of XT bikes. Thanks to the big thumper of an engine and the ample ground clearance, it was good for just about anything you could throw at it. This enduro bike was produced for 15 years, eventually leading to an entire range of “XT” bikes of varying displacements and cementing Yamaha’s reputation as a quality dual sport maker in the American and European markets. Sharing its very reliable engine with the SR500, the XT500 was capable of 90 miles per hour, as its 499 cc engine produced 31.5 horsepower and 27 pound feet of torque – more than sufficient considering it weighed just 310 pounds dry.
Immediately after its inception, the XT proved its mettle by winning the Paris-Nice and Paris-Dakar rallies, lending a tremendous amount of credibility to the bike. The only difference between the race bikes and production versions? A larger fuel tank, and a rear rack to carry tools and jerry cans for fuel.
This example has gone through a “ground up restoration,” the seller notes that it’s numbers matching and has 8,723 miles. “Bike has been completely disassembled, frame coated, fork rebuild with new seals, wheels have new spokes,new tubes and tires, hubs powder coated, all new cables, all new rubber grommets, engine has been rebuild with oversized piston and all new gaskets, tank has been repainted and clear coated, new seat cover and foam, rebuild carburetor, original exhaust, reproduction muffler, new plastics, all bolts replated, new OE replica shocks, springs have been shotpeened and powder coated.” Seems promising though the seller says the bike has only been run for five minutes after the rebuild, which always makes me feel like the next owner is going to have some fettling to do.
Find this XT for sale in Tustin, California with a BIN of $7,950 here on eBay.