2020 HONDA CRF500AF PROJECT BY NIK GUBERT: TWO-STROKE TUESDAY

On this week’s Two-Stroke Tuesday brought to you by Decal Works we give you the first look at the latest CR500AF to fall out of the sky and into our studio. This CR500 was built by Nik Gubert and features all kinds of goodies. In our 2-Stroke Behind The Build section this week we keep the Honda CR500 theme going but give you at look at a rebuild project from 1995.

Nik Gubert moved to the United States from Italy to live out his American dream a few years back and originally started building this CR500 for Red Bull Straight Rhythm. Well, in steps Covid-19 and his plans changed drastically. His goal with this build was to produce something that could possibly roll of the Honda assembly line today as an OEM unit.

The clutch side case had to be replaced and finding parts for Honda CR500 two-strokes is not easy. Up close you can see the clean frame modifications don by Andrea Rapaccioli or ilrappa as he is known on Instagram. Boyesen

Like we mentioned before all the frame modifications were performed by Andrea Rapaccioli (@ilrappa on Instagram) who is based out of Italy . This is the first bike that we have seen in person with modifications performed by Rapaccioli and the look very well done.

The engine is out of a 1989 CR500 that was completely rebuilt using as many OEM parts as Nik could get his hands on. Boyesen is one of only a handful of companies making aftermarket engine covers for these older Honda two-stroke engines and they are still affordable . The exhaust is a modified FMF Gnarly expansion chamber.

Gubert is owner of NLAB Studios a local graphics company located in SoCal and wanted the bike to have a clean but stock look to it. We dig the gold Honda wing on the shrouds.

The silencer is a modified FMF unit that looks almost stock.

A couple years after the intended deadline but it’s finally done. Don’t worry there will be a full story on this machine in an upcoming issue of the printed magazine and keep an eye out on our YouTube channel for a full Travis fant edit of Nik Gubert’s CR500.

2-STROKE BEHIND THE BUILD

The Honda CR500R has been out of production since the mid 2000s, and since the day Honda stopped production, the two-stroke masses have been begging for the two-stroke’s return. After our buddy Austin Perkins found a fairly complete but well-used 1995 CR500R buried in the back of a Southern California garage, we decided to give the masses what they have been asking for—the return of Honda’s mighty CR500R!

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE STORY