So....can the new 570 hold its own against the "old school" 650 as a rallye bike ?
well its Yes and No !
The 570 is a fantastic bike, it is so easy to ride, effortless in fact, the steering is amazing and its ablity to turn in is like nothing else, nothing can out turn it, it will go under anything else out there I reckon, the motor is real smooth and the EFI is great
BUT..........it lacks hp and torque
The 650 will pull a good 10kph more on top and get there quicker, also it will work all day on a rallye at lower revs, hence the motor is less stressed, you just short shift it all day and use the grunt. I am sure that is part of its great reliability, you just dont have to work the motor hard.
However the 570 is a real rider saver, it makes you last longer and fatigue much less, you just don't have to muscle the bike around, it handles so easy. The now cliche of it feeling like a 250 to ride is so true.
It's a tough call, I love the 650, such a great motor, I love the grunt, its so much fun to ride...............BUT the 570 makes me a much better rider and makes me able to ride my best for much longer.
The other thing is the 650 is now proven, I KNOW it will do a 7 to 9 day rallye on the same motor no probs, I'd even take one to Dakar and swap in a new motor on the rest day and smile all the way to the finish.
The 570 however is unproven.........its based on the 530 which has known issues. The 570 already has a couple of teething issues, the 530 style hydraulic cam chain tensioner, an injector failed on one of our 570's at the recnt aussie Condo 750 rallye, and also fuel pump's have failed so I hear. How well their big ends, main bearings etc hold up we have to see, but again they are 530 derived and 530's have issues at times. But it also has some great improvements over the 530 like 1.5L oil capacity.
Before Condo I was not sure which I would use at Dakar, the 650 power & top speed, grunt in the sand & dunes etc or the 570.
Now I know for sure if the engine mechanicals are shown to be ok I would with out doubt use the 570, forgo the extra grunt and top speed (160kph vs 170kph) because the 570 will look after me the rider the best by a long way. I am the weak link in the equation, rider fatigue causes as many if not more dnf's at Dakar than mechanical failure. I would again change the motor out at the halfway rest day and have a sweet easy ride for the whole event.
So I guess the bottom line is I want a 2009 Berg sloper with 650cc :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
well its Yes and No !
The 570 is a fantastic bike, it is so easy to ride, effortless in fact, the steering is amazing and its ablity to turn in is like nothing else, nothing can out turn it, it will go under anything else out there I reckon, the motor is real smooth and the EFI is great
BUT..........it lacks hp and torque
The 650 will pull a good 10kph more on top and get there quicker, also it will work all day on a rallye at lower revs, hence the motor is less stressed, you just short shift it all day and use the grunt. I am sure that is part of its great reliability, you just dont have to work the motor hard.
However the 570 is a real rider saver, it makes you last longer and fatigue much less, you just don't have to muscle the bike around, it handles so easy. The now cliche of it feeling like a 250 to ride is so true.
It's a tough call, I love the 650, such a great motor, I love the grunt, its so much fun to ride...............BUT the 570 makes me a much better rider and makes me able to ride my best for much longer.
The other thing is the 650 is now proven, I KNOW it will do a 7 to 9 day rallye on the same motor no probs, I'd even take one to Dakar and swap in a new motor on the rest day and smile all the way to the finish.
The 570 however is unproven.........its based on the 530 which has known issues. The 570 already has a couple of teething issues, the 530 style hydraulic cam chain tensioner, an injector failed on one of our 570's at the recnt aussie Condo 750 rallye, and also fuel pump's have failed so I hear. How well their big ends, main bearings etc hold up we have to see, but again they are 530 derived and 530's have issues at times. But it also has some great improvements over the 530 like 1.5L oil capacity.
Before Condo I was not sure which I would use at Dakar, the 650 power & top speed, grunt in the sand & dunes etc or the 570.
Now I know for sure if the engine mechanicals are shown to be ok I would with out doubt use the 570, forgo the extra grunt and top speed (160kph vs 170kph) because the 570 will look after me the rider the best by a long way. I am the weak link in the equation, rider fatigue causes as many if not more dnf's at Dakar than mechanical failure. I would again change the motor out at the halfway rest day and have a sweet easy ride for the whole event.
So I guess the bottom line is I want a 2009 Berg sloper with 650cc :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
