your opinion please

if you are going to ride on the street i would say the 650

you can set the 650 up to be a bit more agile by setting the suspension up to suit you .

I've ridden both, liked them both alot. If you're going to use it 90% street then I guess the 650. Although I think the 550 would be plenty for the street and just that much more agile. If I could have only one, I'd go 550 though.

The 650 is not exactly lacking in the "agile" department on a kart track, never mind the street :lol: The midrange whallop makes it worth the extra pound, or whatever, it weighs, IMO. The only thing I would prefer the 550 for is if it was to be 100% supermoto race bike where than .001% lighter weight really comes in handy after ten laps of hangin on.

Could someone explain to me how the 550 is supposed to be more agile please?

Thanks,
Simon

i'm not saying it's right simon but "they" are saying that there is less crankshaft inertia and therefore the bike 'flicks' more easily.

regards

taffy

Taffy said:

i'm not saying it's right simon but "they" are saying that there is less crankshaft inertia and therefore the bike 'flicks' more easily.

regards

taffy

Click to expand...

I know what you mean taffy....

It just depends on "who" and what they mean by "flicks". Most riders won't get close to anywhere where this really comes into it, it's just one of those things journos use to pad out their articles.......or marketing materials.

And that is assuming it is just a crank - the other thing is that if you are running the counterbalancer, this will offset the gyro effect of the crank anyway so even if it is true, what "they" say, it's going to be so slight nobody's really going to care anyway :wink:

As someone once said, there is no substitute for cubic capacity - but some riders get on better with the 550 because in some cases it is easier to ride and get the most out of - that is where the significant difference lies, not some bull about agility, sorry :wink:

Speaking from lots of seat time, the 550 has less vibration, revs quicker and feels...yes, i'm going to say it, more flickable. This may not be the opinion of everybody, but that's my 2 cents. I cannot speak of how these bikes compare on the street due to the fact that I've only ever ridden these bikes on a kart track. It's not that the 650 isn't agile, but it was noticeable to me that the 550 turned into corners quicker...and the 450's were even better. I may not be pro, but I know what "I" like in a supermoto. But street use and track use are different. For the street, the increased engine displacement argument probably holds true but it's not always true on tracks. 450's are just as fast and often faster than unlimited bikes.

When it comes down to it, try and ride both, and get whatever puts a smile on your face Kukusmukus !!! They're all badass!!

Cheers,
JB