valvesrule, on 15 December 2011 - 09:53 PM, said:

I don't know the diff hp numbers of the xr's, honda doesn't seem to say I did read the NX650 supposedly put out 44hp stock....pretty sure the article meant at the crank. My big bore high comp cammed and ported xr500r was a rocketship for an old school 4 stroke......I raced a bud who was about 30lbs lighter on his 82 piped yz490 and we were dead even through the gears. He was def spinning more than me, but the 500's torque hooking up well combined with the extra top end kept me right in the hunt with that big ole 2 stroke

Torque builds very deceiving speed, my hayabusa is a torque monster for a street bike, but it makes brutal acceleration and high speeds seem slow, because the torque starts pulling from so low you don't get any big spikes in power, just very smooth, very deceptive acceleration.

And its the same in the sportbike world, alot of guys don't understand why a bike thats a third bigger doesn't make a third more hp. Its because smaller motors can rev higher, and higher revs gain more power. If you could wind a bigger motor up as tight as a smaller one you would double the power, but bigger motors rev up less because the metals can't handle the same high piston speeds as a smaller motor and pistons. But a bigger motor will make up in torque what it lacks in hp gain over a smaller motor every time......and in real world riding, especially dirt trailing and pleasure riding, torque is King What you want is a torquey motor that still winds up quicker without weighing a ton........a hard compromise to reach sometimes. My xr650l derestricted with Daves mods and a straight though exhaust does a pretty good job now of having crazy torque and still being very snappy......but its tall and heavy, especially with the 4.8 gallon tank full.

The yz426f I test rode was a screamer if you kept it wound up, but I was shocked at how little low end it had.....my 83 yz490 had more low end, and still had more top end as well. I kinda miss that big ole 2 stroke sometimes
Overall tho my 650l is by far the best dual-sport I've ever owned.......honda designed it to do what it does very well

One thing I can say is my stock geared 650l will destroy my brothers watercooled, high tech, modern engined DRZ 400 dual sport in ANY kind of acceleration test. And his feels very weak everywhere in comparison. And his will run away from an xr400 equally geared.....so I'm not understanding how an xr400 could hang with an equally dirt geared xr600 either. But I have to admit I've never ridden an xr600, I figured they would be close to my 650l in the power department if both were derestricted, piped and jetted properly

Edited by Sierra Thumper, 18 August 2012 - 08:43 PM.

brianhare, on 18 August 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

I think he still must have some sand stuck way up somewhere.

A comma is just a minor pause.  He must have been in a semicolon.  

this is awesome !cant wait for next month´s intsallment!