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Dual-Sport Motorcycles

1983Armstrong MT500

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16 fields on record

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 is a trail bike powered by a 481.3cc air-cooled four-stroke single making 32 hp. It has 38 Nm of torque, a 5-speed gearbox, a 161 kg dry weight and a 13-litre tank.

Capacity
481.3 ccm
Engine
Single, four-stroke
Gearbox
5-speed
Dry weight
161.0 kg
Seat height
Not on record
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Power
32.0 HP (24.0 kW) @ 6200 RPM
⇄ Compare with another bike + Add to garage All model years
Other years 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested
Speed 24Agility 70Comfort 32Off-road 75Touring 40Road manners 26
Off-road & trail75%
Cornering48%
City riding30%
Daily riding30%
Touring42%
Two-up20%
Track18%
Best for
Dual-sport motorcycle built for its class - off-road and technical terrain.
Built for
A dual-sport motorcycle from Armstrong, built around a 481cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for
Not for highway touring or pillion comfort.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →
55
out of 100Average

The Armstrong MT500 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 85.4% of the time, 1.7 points above expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 55% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

85.4%Passed first time
6.4%Failed outright
8.3%Fixed during test
18,000Typical miles
1,840Tests
Pass rate by miles ridden
0-10k
83.9%
10-20k
85.7%
20-30k
83.8%
30-40k
85.7%
40-50k
91%
50k+
91.1%

All years of this model.

Score by year first registered
198519861987
Against its rivals · ranks 2 of 6
#Model (all years)ScoreTests
1 Honda XL 200R Paris Dakar 56 Average 137
2 Armstrong MT500 55 Average 1,840
3 Suzuki DR 200 Djebel 51 Average 718
4 Yamaha XT250 39 Below average 2,519
5 Yamaha XT 500 34 Below average 1,962
6 Yamaha XT 400 12 Poor 100

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine
Capacity
481.3 ccm
Power
32.0 HP (24.0 kW) @ 6200 RPM
Torque
38.0 Nm (3.9 kgf-m) @ 5500 RPM
Engine type
Single, four-stroke
Power/weight ratio
0.1988 HP/kg (dry)
Cooling system
Air
Valves per cylinder
4
Transmission
Gearbox
5-speed
Transmission type
Manual
Final drive
Chain
Dimensions & weight
Wheelbase
1450 mm
Overall length
2170 mm
Overall width
790 mm
Dry weight
161.0 kg
Fuel capacity
13.00 litres
Seat height
Not on record - add it
Ground clearance
Not on record - add it

Compiled from manufacturer documentation and user contributions, corrected on an ongoing basis. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

What changed, year to year

Differences highlighted
Specification 19831984198519861987
Capacity 481 cc 481 cc 481 cc 481 cc 481 cc
Dry weight 161 kg 161 kg 161 kg 161 kg 161 kg
Fuel capacity 13 L 13 L 13 L 13 L 13 L
Bike Reliability ⓘ Too few tests Too few tests 52 Average 53 Average 59 Average

Illustrative - generated automatically by diffing the year records already on file, not a manufacturer-published changelog.

Rider Reviews

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Common questions

What is the engine size of the Armstrong MT500?

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 has a Capacity of 481.3 ccm (29.37 cubic inches).

What engine power does the Armstrong MT500 have?

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 has a Power of 32.0 HP (24.0 kW) @ 6200 RPM.

How many gears does the Armstrong MT500 have?

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 has a Gearbox of 5-speed.

What is the torque of the Armstrong MT500?

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 has a Torque of 38.0 Nm (3.9 kgf-m or 28.0 ft.lbs) @ 5500 RPM.

How much does the Armstrong MT500 weigh?

The 1983 Armstrong MT500 has a Dry weight of 161.0 kg (354.9 pounds).

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