Motocross isn’t your average race. Although, nothing is average about speeding on a two-wheeler prone to skidding or spilling in split seconds at speeds even the ordinary car driver would balk at. That said; motocross is still, a whole different ballgame.

Call it an off-road motorcycle race with every kind of speed impediment put in place, like gravel, dirt, mud or grass, and the craziest inclines and declines with bends that defy the definition of a hairpin. You have to have gumption, for lack of a coarser word, to be able to participate in motocross, let alone win one.

The official AMA Motocross began in 1972 and ran in two classes, the 250cc, and the 500cc, with the 125cc class introduced in 1974.

With the advent of technology, bikes began to get more and more powerful with even the 125cc and 250cc motorcycles giving the riders and their audience plenty of thrills and spills. In 1993, Motocross killed its original 500cc engine displacement class, much to the disappointment of many.

Here are the real reasons behind why 500cc Motocross and 500cc open class ended.

The Rise Of The Far East

The Official AMA Motocross Began In 1972 And Ran In Two Classes, The 250cc, And The 500cc
via RacerX

Before Motocross became an actual sporting event in 1972, offhand dirt track races were common all over the USA and Europe. And at the time, the bikes used were often modified versions of AJS, Triumph, Norton, Matchless, and even BSA along with Husqvarna, KTM, and other European brands.

American motorcycle makers did not pay much heed when Japanese motorcycles began to first trickle in with Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki leading the pack. But a match had been struck and the big Four from Japan soon roared into motocross with vengeance and decimated any competition with their four-stroke motorcycles that seemed to be built for racing around on any terrain and yet adapted to roads just as well.

From 1972 to now, there have been only a few times when an AMA Motocross has been won by a rider using a European motorcycle, as in the Husqvarna or the KTM. All other wins have been on the Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, or Kawasaki, never has a Motocross been won on an American motorcycle.

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The Rise & Fall Of The 500cc Motorcycle

The Very First AMA Motocross Was Won By Brad Lackey, Riding A Kawasaki 500cc Motocross Bike
via MotorcrossActionMag

In 1973, Honda introduced the CR250R with Yamaha counteroffering the YZ250 the next year. European motorcycle makers stopped their erstwhile sniggering and tried to outthink the Japanese but it was too little, too late. Suzuki decimated the marked with its RMs in 125, 250, and 360cc engine displacement so Yamaha upped its game with a new YZ400.

It's important to note that the very first AMA Motocross was won by Brad Lackey, riding a Kawasaki 500cc motocross bike. Clearly, at the time, 500cc motorcycles ruled the roost. But soon after, four-stroke engines began to give way to two-stroke ones, making a two-stroke 250cc motorcycle more powerful than a four-stroke 500cc motorcycle.

As 125cc and 250cc engine displacement motorcycles began to get more powerful and more popular, 500cc motorcycles began to gain a ton in power as well. Suspensions began to get beefed up, and both the front and rear wheels of motorcycles began to get disc brakes. This changed the 500cc motorcycle into a horsepower monster that could go so fast, it got difficult to control. Plus with additional suspension, 500cc motocross bikes began to get heavy.

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Did The Japanese Big Four Influence The End Of 500cc?

The Japanese Motocross Makers Began To Put Pressure On The AMA To Stop The 500cc Class
via MotocrossActionMag

The 500cc open class basically let in motorcycles of 360cc onwards race in the same category as say, a 470cc one. But factory-built motorcycles took advantage of the 500cc-ceiling limit and put in their biggest displacement motorcycles in the open class, decimating the competition.

When these motorcycles raced, the public wanted a slice of the pie too, without realizing how cumbersome and expensive these large machines could get. Handling a full-fledged 500cc began to get pretty tough for the general public and they realized they could be as amateurishly fast as they could truly handle on smaller displacement bikes, namely, the 250cc. Some were even happy with what the 125cc did.

As a result, the demand for 500cc motorcycles began to drop. Sales spiraled down and companies, especially from Japan, got the message that they were concentrating on the wrong product. Initially, they stopped bringing out the new models of the 50cc bikes, letting the older ones linger on in the market.

Soon, they stopped production of 500cc motocross motorcycles itself, making the 250cc version more powerful by the day. Considering the 500cc bikes were now outdated, it is said that the Japanese motocross makers began to put pressure on the AMA to stop the 500cc class, which happened post the 1993-season.

It was the Japanese-made motorcycles that made motocross possible so the end of the 500cc class was literally dictated by their market needs and conditions.

Of course, the Europeans still have their versions of 500cc on, considering they kept on making and wanting 500cc motocross motorcycles. Plus remember, four-stroke motorcycles are kinder to the environment than two-stroke ones.

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