Maybe a dumb question but how different is the riding experience of the 400 and 650 since they aren't that far apart price wise?
Is the 650 more of a cruiser or similar to the 400 with a bit more oompf?
Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk
The 400 would be more suitable for new riders who have completed a riding course. I don't see riding schools jumping to equip a ~45 HP bike for absolute first time riders but once riders have had experience with 8 to 25 HP bikes in the parking lot, a 45 HP bike should feel good. A ~70 HP bike is significantly more power and would be akin to giving a new driver a Focus ST, GTI, etc. as a beginner car. A 100 HP+ bike like a 600cc or 1000cc super sport is like giving a new driver a Hellcat, Lambo, etc. Some riders will justify this by saying "just learn to control the throttle and you'll be fine.
The 400 is also super light weight and is forgiving, make it a great bike to learn to track, yet has limits few riders ever reach before they think they're ready to go up a bike size. mlin32 is one of the few, see his posts.
The 650 bike is kind of a do all bike, good enough at all things. If one could afford a 400 AND a 1000, that'd be ideal, but if not, a 650 is good. Good enough for track days, good enough for long distance riding, good enough for day to day riding. Let's say it's the Honda Accord of motorcycles. Parallel to to the 650 are the 600s which are damn good at track days, and well, that's about it. It's a dying class with people preferring the 1000s. Let's call these the STI/Type R/RS of riding, if those cars could do 0-60 in 3 seconds.
Now with 1000s, there are two types of 1000s. 1000 sports which produce maybe 140 HP but gobs of torque, is more designed for day to day comfort than out right speed, then 1000 super sports which produce north of 200 HP and are track beasts. 0-60 is still just under 3 seconds so that's not where they excel against the 600s, where they excel is having that raw power to hit north of 300 km/h.
I'm sure some of that information could be better but in a nut shell.
Though some (me) prefer the lighter weight and handling of the smaller bikes....
This.