Drennan57
Well-known member
Modern fuel injected bikes only please.
What do you guys think are the top bikes under the 500cc class?
What do you guys think are the top bikes under the 500cc class?
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Best performing/fastest motorcycles under 500cc?
- Thread starter Drennan57
- Start date
Drennan57
Well-known member
So the ktm is in fact the fastest sub 500cc bike in the world today? What would be the next step down then because i can't get past the single cylinder issue on that bike.
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/top-10-brand-new-bikes-under-500cc/27935.html
"Top ten", though not all entries are best performing/fastest...
"Top ten", though not all entries are best performing/fastest...
I assume we're just talking about straight line speed, if you want below the 500cc class, probably the R3.
If you're talking strictly <500cc, the CBR500 is 471cc. Probably the fastest <500cc bike. I think the R3 comes close but the CBR500 edges it out slightly in a straight line.
If you're talking strictly <500cc, the CBR500 is 471cc. Probably the fastest <500cc bike. I think the R3 comes close but the CBR500 edges it out slightly in a straight line.
RC390 seems to out spec anything else that can be imported and licensed in Canada right now, and there are lots of go faster bits coming out if you want a silly fast 390.
Honda did build a 6cyl 250 that reved to 16,000? rpm , but they only made two I think and they are museum pcs in Japan. Benelli made a 4cyl 250, but its not exactly fitting your FI and modern criteria.
Honda did build a 6cyl 250 that reved to 16,000? rpm , but they only made two I think and they are museum pcs in Japan. Benelli made a 4cyl 250, but its not exactly fitting your FI and modern criteria.
I don't think anyone mentioned it because it's not modern nor is it fuel injected which were two of your original requirements.
Drennan57
Well-known member
Oh yeah I forgot the DRZ is carbureted :/
What about the Ninja 400? I know it's just a neutered 650 but how does it compare with the 300 bikes?
For what i heard its heavier and not as nimble.
My vote would go for cbr500r or f...but i love my 500x
catzo
Well-known member
Damn a 6 cylinder 250?? How small are those cylinders?? They must be the size of a pencil
Realistically, all one-offs and uncommon bikes aside, id go for the cbr 500r.
This is a pointless question tho because none of the sub 600cc bikes are built to be track ready. Theyre all built with ease of use, comfort and reliability in mind.
You could probably take a light and nimble ninja 300 around certain tracks faster than you could take the highest powered 500cc around because there isnt a huge power difference between most of these bikes. Whats faster between a 37hp bike and a 47hp bike? Who cares, theyre both slow off the line. Id be more concerned with the ergonomics, the riding position, what bike feels more comfortable to you, etc. The fastest bike is going to be the one you feel the most comfortable and confident riding.
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Drennan57
Well-known member
I think bike manufacturers need to drop the 300's and go hard at a 450 class of sport bikes. It is the pinnacle of off-road performance in dirt bikes so why it hasn't translated to the street is bizzare.
GSX-450R, CBR450R, Ninja450R, Yami R45, RC450 etc
Am I the only one thinks this class of bikes would completely take over?
GSX-450R, CBR450R, Ninja450R, Yami R45, RC450 etc
Am I the only one thinks this class of bikes would completely take over?
The Ninja 400 is out of production and has been for a couple of years. It was an underperforming bike - just as heavy as a Ninja 650 (same bike) but with less power. The main reason to buy one of those was as an insurance-beater in Quebec and wherever else there was a prohibitive insurance rate increase based on displacement. It was discontinued when the (much lighter) Ninja 300 was introduced.
I forgot about the Honda CBR500 series. All of the recent 500cc-and-below bikes are designed to fit into a certain European licensing class which limits them to 47 horsepower and also to a certain power-to-weight ratio. What it means is they all end up about the same (and that was the intent of the licensing regulators in Europe who created these rules). The Honda CBR500 engine is in a very mild state of tune. It will make more torque than the others, simply because it's bigger. But it runs out of breath at higher revs, and this was deliberately built into the design, to stay within the horsepower limit.
The choice between any of these isn't which one is "faster" in a straight line - because, by design, they're all about the same. My own pick would be the RC390 because it has the best chassis (even though I would have to change the rear shock - it's way too soft) and I think it looks the best. The R3 and Ninja 300 are a toss-up; the lack of ABS, even as an option, on the R3 is a knock against it in this day and age. (I consider ABS to be a good thing to have on a street bike.) On the other hand, the long term reliability of the RC390 is an unknown. The Japanese generally make good stuff, even in a first model year. KTM ... not always.
And what's wrong with single cylinder engines?
I forgot about the Honda CBR500 series. All of the recent 500cc-and-below bikes are designed to fit into a certain European licensing class which limits them to 47 horsepower and also to a certain power-to-weight ratio. What it means is they all end up about the same (and that was the intent of the licensing regulators in Europe who created these rules). The Honda CBR500 engine is in a very mild state of tune. It will make more torque than the others, simply because it's bigger. But it runs out of breath at higher revs, and this was deliberately built into the design, to stay within the horsepower limit.
The choice between any of these isn't which one is "faster" in a straight line - because, by design, they're all about the same. My own pick would be the RC390 because it has the best chassis (even though I would have to change the rear shock - it's way too soft) and I think it looks the best. The R3 and Ninja 300 are a toss-up; the lack of ABS, even as an option, on the R3 is a knock against it in this day and age. (I consider ABS to be a good thing to have on a street bike.) On the other hand, the long term reliability of the RC390 is an unknown. The Japanese generally make good stuff, even in a first model year. KTM ... not always.
And what's wrong with single cylinder engines?
European licensing regulations - Way more motorcycles are sold in Europe than here, and they have a power / displacement based graduated licensing system, which means bikes get engineered to fit within that licensing system, and the same bikes are sold worldwide.
A bigger engine (like the Honda 500) would simply have to be de-tuned (which the Honda is). There's really no point making a twin bigger than 300-ish cc or a single bigger than 400-ish. The licensing-class-defined horsepower and weight limits can be reached at those engine displacements so there's really no point making the engine bigger. There's absolutely no point using more than two cylinders - that just costs more.
Suzuki doesn't have a decent entry in this class - yet.
dbworld4k
Well-known member
This.
I love my RC390, granted I only have 350km on it. I've been keeping a keen eye on the KTM forums for issues surrounding this bike and they are rather random. Mostly some shoddy build quality issues (kickstand bolt coming lose, battery cover not staying locked, etc) but nothing that would make you want to run away from it. There are a few outliers of more serious failures occurring as with any brand/model, thankfully almost all owners have factory warranty during this time. I was stuck choosing between the RC or the R3, ultimately I went for the sportier one as 90% of my riding is on back road twistys. It doesn't hurt that it's a very sweet looking bike and rather rare as well
I've no complaints about the thumper motor either. Yeah, it's pretty much a badass lawnmower but still badass
No serious vibrations that I've noticed, and the longest I've ridden on it is for 2.5 hours so far.
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mmmmm. I didn't know you could get the RS250's licensed, I though RS125 was as good as it got. Obviously I was wrong (or your friend is good at creative licensing).
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/sunday-salon-the-kawasaki-2-stroke-triples-a-family-of-four/
A vintage Kawi H1 could maybe turn 12.4 second quarter mile times. Modern 4 strokes can't match that yet. I've heard those bikes didn't corner so well, though...
A vintage Kawi H1 could maybe turn 12.4 second quarter mile times. Modern 4 strokes can't match that yet. I've heard those bikes didn't corner so well, though...
Not modern. Not fuel injected. Not even 4 stroke. That said, I should've bought one when I was debating between importing an RS250 or buying a used RS125 locally. There is a forum member that rides ones and he told me he had problems getting insurance so that scared me off.
I've only heard bad things about RC390 quality and reliability so far, unfortunately. I still want one. And I personally quite like my single cylinder engine. Makes rebuilds cheaper and easier, anyway. This review says the Honda and Yamaha have better chassis, surprisingly: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2015/05/article/2015-ktm-rc390-comparison/
Kawi had the ZX2R which was a 4 cylinder 250cc redlining at 19k.
Honda had the CBR250RR, same as above.
Yamaha had the FZR250, also the same as above but redlines 500 RPM lower.
Honda also had the RVF400 and VFR400R which were 400cc bikes with V4 motors.
None are modern. I don't think any of them are fuel injected, either, but I might be wrong about that. Too lazy to look it up. Found a few articles saying the Honda CBR250RR is supposed to be returning as a 250-350cc parallel twin but I think those were just rumors?
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