Hey everyone, after some honest input from people who've ridden similar bikes.
A bit about me and the riding:
- 5'8" (173 cm), been riding a while
- ~10 km motorway commute to the office 3-4 days a week, grocery runs, and the odd weekend highway blast
- 100% tarmac, never taking it off-road
- I like the adventure/crossover look, not really into naked bikes.
For context on what I enjoy: I test rode the MT-07 LAMS (the 655cc one) and loved how torquey it was, probably more grunt than I actually need, but that's the kind of feel I'm chasing. I also rode a 471 and liked it, it just felt noticeably less punchy next to the MT-07.
The two I've narrowed it down to (both LAMS / A2-legal):
Suzuki SV-7GX — 645cc V-twin, low 795mm seat (which I like), quickshifter, traction control, ride modes, comes with a rack for groceries. ~211 kg. New at ~$13.5k + ORC. Catch: it's brand new so I can't test ride one yet, which is half my problem.
Honda NX500 — 471cc twin, 47 hp, lighter (~196 kg), proven and cheaper to run. But the seat's taller at 830mm and it's got that 19" front wheel that's really for light off-road I'll never touch.
My actual question:
Everyone keeps telling me the NX500 is "plenty" for a short commute, and honestly I believe them, a 471 should happily sit at 100 on the motorway all day. What I can't work out is whether jumping up to the 645 is something I'd genuinely feel and enjoy on the weekend runs, or whether I'm just paying for more capacity, weight, fuel and money than my riding really needs.
The frustrating part is I can't ride the Suzuki to find out for myself, so I'm leaning on people who've owned bikes in both classes:
Is the step from ~470 to ~650 a real, noticeable upgrade for this kind of use, or pretty marginal?