Best of the late sweetish big bores for everyday use ?

Considering getting a big single shocker for general use . Got a silver streak for mx duties .
What's the main differences between the xc and wr 500 ? Which and what your would u desire if given the choice ?
Will prolly fit showa 49mm conventional forks to the front and set the rear shock up to my weight and style .
Be using it for trail rides and general adventures . Might end up with an auto engine to swap in when I feel like it

87-88 with 400 or 430 engine. the 500 is fun but the 400/430 is likely a better everyday engine, and you may be faster with it. less vibes too. i like the 87-88 chassis better than the 85-86, altho some like the skinnier seat/tank on the 85/86.

id go the 400 430 mainly due to sweeter power delivery for everyday usage.

Ditto on the 400/430. I'll bet after being on the 500cr you will push the 400/430 wr's with ease.

Yea actually it seems pretty obvious now you guys said it .
Ive got a vague idea of the differences between the xc and wr but if someone could chuck it up in simplied form that'd be great . Don't need lights and I'll be putting mx style guards on it
Cheers

So it sounds like I want an xc . The forks don't matter . Can anyone tell me if the wr rear end can be made to have the same travel as the xc/cr ? Remove a spacer etc or was it a whole different shock ?

Yes just remove the spacer inside the shock.
WR and XC are the same bike, just the travel is less on the WR.

Awesome thand for that

love my 88 430 wr with cr legs. Power everywhere & lots of it. Very easy to ride & very forgiving. Great for lazy fat old guys. The wr is six speed. But then again I had a 87 cr 430 where the previous owner had it rebuilt but left 5th gear out & I didn't miss it. Still plenty of power to gear it up a lil with sprockets.

Does the 510 four stroke count?

It says big bore. I found the air cooled 500 two cycle better than the 430 at least for what I would call general.

Can have 3 big two strokes for the price of a 510

Yes, air cooled 510s are big bucks.
I have 3 water cooled 510s, love them. Spent 6k on them for repairs and buying them.

Wow. Totally jealous here!

I had a twin shock a/c but I sold it...just don't have the strength to run the big girl...400 is way nicer to ride

I also love both of my water cooled 510's. They are somewhat odd, querky and maintenance intensive but it takes at least a week to wipe the stupid grin off my face every time I ride one of them...

400s ,430s and 510s are the best to me

some of us might of noticed.......

I have a hankering for a milk truck 83 125 for some reason.....it will never happen but I love the look of the huuuuge gap btw the tank and the motor.

ol mate just sold a very good 400 84.5

500Xc is a hellbent desert sled with tall ratios. For an excursion into mountain kingdom of Lesotho it proved unsuitable.
It has the same suspension travel and valving as CR.
500WR has much lower gear ratios, more engine inertia because of steel clutch basket, 8plate clutch (84-86), lower compression, longer midrange sustain because of pipe. It starts much easier because of more engine rotation per kick. Suspension is lower with softer rear valving.
On the following Lesotho trip i took the WR and couldnt wipe the smirk off my face. Pure joy and the bomb for tight stuff, riverbeds, evil climbs.