Honestly, how much of a diff is there between the 500 n 600cc bikes?

 

well, other than size and looks. Are they really THAT much faster?

 

um yeah...my 600 will do the top speed of a 500 in 3rd gear and i can b there in about 10 seconds(estimated guess on the seconds)
but i get around 30 mpg vs the 500 i got a constant 45 mpg

 

i get about 45 with my 600 (95 zx6r, basicly same as zzr600)

the 500 is similar in power to the 650 - both lower reving parallel twins. the 600's are high revving inline 4's making 2-3 times as much HP as the 500.

the 500's have similar torque for just tooling around town, but when it comes to performance they are very different machines

 

So the 650 has less torque or Hp than the 600's? I was wondering why the 650 wasn't in the supersport section of kawi's website. I just figured it was the riding position

 

500R = 60 hp @ 9800 rpm, 46 Nm @ 8500 rpm

650R = 71 hp @ 7000 rpm , 65.7 Nm @ 7000 rpm

ZX6R = 130 hp @ 14000 rpm, 71 Nm @ 11500 rpm

 

100cc isn't much of a difference, but a ZX6R is MUCH, MUCH faster than our 500 and even the 650R. The main reason the two engines are the 500 and 650 are twin cylinder engines, while the 600 is an inline four-cylinder. Inline-fours are more efficient.
The only way to achieve a balanced firing order with a twin engine is to have a 360-degree firing order (both pistons rising and falling side-by-side), which unfortunately kills the high-rpm efficiency.
The 500 and 650 have a 180-degree firing order (while one piston is on the way up, the other is on the way down), which gives it a wonky-sounding idle, but terrific high-rpm efficiency. If you've ever ridden a 500R, notice how the engine smooths out so nicely at 3000rpm.
Inline-four engines 'cheat' because they have the both the balance of the 360 firing order AND the constant crankcase pressure of our 180.
More efficiency = more power. IMO, the best illustration of this is to listen to our 500 idle next to a 600 idling.

But the 500 has some advantages over the 600, like ease of maintenance, cost of insurance, fuel economy and perceived weight.
Other than the power differences, which aspects were you looking at?
Peace!
-CCinC

 

Where is the Ninja 250r on that list.....lol

But yea between the Ninja 500r and 650r the 650r problably gets the same mileage do to a newer engine design and Fuel Injection. The 500r is still carborated. but around town riding the parrallel twin is more fun with more down low grunt than an inline 4.
But for hitting those triple digit speeds the Inline 4 wins hands down.

 

Cool. In response to Chris, Im just tryin to get a feel for what is out there. I have a 500R now, and for a newb it seems REALLY fast. I haven't been on any other bikesso I just wanted to get an idea of how much faster a ZX or any of those high performance bikes really are, cause a buddy of mine is thinkin bout getting a bike. He want's a CBR600, I guess cause they look nice. haha wanna no if ill be able to keep up!


IMO the gas milage isgreat on the 500 though, and since thats one of the main reasonsI have the bike, I doubtI will be upgrading any time soon

 

as long as you like it thats all that matters - i'd like to pick up one of the 08 250's to ride daily. to actually be able to wind out the gears on the street would be so much fun. as it is with my zx6r 1st gear exceeds most speed limits.