The horsepower of the SXV550 in de-restricted form sounds appealing, but I'd sure be interested in hearing from anyone who's ridden both.
My mate has the 06 SVX550, and the bikes living here while he's away overseas, and I'm swapping between my berg 04FS650. He got the thing de-restricted but was told by derestricting or making any modification the warranty was voided. He put the race exhaust system, which was so tight to fit it burnt through the injector line and made for a real interesting moment coming into a corner. You have to totally remove this exhaust to get to the heads. As for the ride he's came way too soft in the front and really hard in the rear. It will not tip naturally into a corner, nothing like my berg, I have fully adjustable front clamps but I never remember the old girl being like this, as you go int the corner and lean into it, it actaully works against you trying to pull you up straight. It does have power all the way through the range. Horrible to start, over here you are warned not to push the button longer than 3 seconds as it burns the starter motor out. I know of a guy who has already burnt out 3 starters. Doesn't start well at all when cold or been sitting still for a while, fine when it's hot. Horn factor well what more can I say it does turn heads, but give me the Berg any day. Oh it's way heavier too. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, I too was looking at getting one but was really disappointed after riding it. My mate didn't get a chance for atest ride and bought it sight unseen as they would only order it in on placemant of an order. Definitely ride it first. I have heard a rumour that you may have to strip them down after 50hours or so, this part I can't confirm as he was trying to get confirmation on this before he left.
Hey, thanks a lot, Wilson. That's exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.
I understand that the SXV has done well in international competition, but...
I checked out an SXV450 in a parking lot. I found it to be somewhat hard to start. It feels somewhat heavier than the KTM 560 SMR. I have my concerns about how quick it would be from side to side with that 180 rear tire. The suspension is an unknown quantity to me at this point. So is the engine overhaul interval (and cost). You are correct about the warranty being voided by de-restricting the bike.
But suspension can be re-sprung and re-valved, and the other concerns may not be such a big deal when you've got 70 horsepower.
I would expect the FS650E to be plenty light. The fact that it is carbureted, combined with the simplicity of the bike, would make me more comfortable trying to own one in the relative absence of (local) dealer support. The OEM spring rates look about right for my weight, and I suspect that the OEM valving would probably work for me too. But the asking prices that I have seen for the FS650E seem unrealistic when compared to the SXV550.
At the least, it should make for some interesting marketing dynamics for both bikes.
I understand that the SXV has done well in international competition, but...
I checked out an SXV450 in a parking lot. I found it to be somewhat hard to start. It feels somewhat heavier than the KTM 560 SMR. I have my concerns about how quick it would be from side to side with that 180 rear tire. The suspension is an unknown quantity to me at this point. So is the engine overhaul interval (and cost). You are correct about the warranty being voided by de-restricting the bike.
But suspension can be re-sprung and re-valved, and the other concerns may not be such a big deal when you've got 70 horsepower.
I would expect the FS650E to be plenty light. The fact that it is carbureted, combined with the simplicity of the bike, would make me more comfortable trying to own one in the relative absence of (local) dealer support. The OEM spring rates look about right for my weight, and I suspect that the OEM valving would probably work for me too. But the asking prices that I have seen for the FS650E seem unrealistic when compared to the SXV550.
At the least, it should make for some interesting marketing dynamics for both bikes.
For me a true supermoto bike will always be a simple single cylinder, lightweight, easy to work on motorcycle.
The SXV is a twin cylinder, medium weight, not so easy to work on motorcycle. Yes the SXV is pretty, powerful and guaranteed to be an exciting ride (after proper setup) but it suffers from added complexity. Current reliability issues can probably be attributed to first model year problems. That being said I wouldn't kick an SXV out of my garage.
The SXV is a twin cylinder, medium weight, not so easy to work on motorcycle. Yes the SXV is pretty, powerful and guaranteed to be an exciting ride (after proper setup) but it suffers from added complexity. Current reliability issues can probably be attributed to first model year problems. That being said I wouldn't kick an SXV out of my garage.
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