Quote:
Originally Posted by The Mekon
Owning both RZ500 and a RG500 must be like having a Takahashi FS152 and an Astro-Physics 155EDT, or a 20" Obsession and a 20" SDM.
What was the real difference betweeen the two. My favour lies towards the RG500 - but only on specs as I have ridden neither.
|
The RZ 500 was horrible. It had a habit of tank slapping and hooking into every uneven groove in the road. Yamaha never really sorted out the 16" wheel geometry and they were pretty unpredictable. The motor would go well when on full throttle but would foul the plugs easily around the city and had absolutely no power down low which meant screaming every where at 10000RPM in first and second gear or just being bogged down fouling the plugs. The worst thing was the linked antidive/braking system. When the system had a few km under its belt it malfunctioned and this was the last straw for me as it threw me over the bars. Basically when you hit a bump in the road and the antidive activated it would also lock the front brakes.
On the other hand the RG 500 was brilliant. It responded well to changes in direction, was far more composed on choppy roads and fast sweeping bends and generally was just a whole lot better mannered and a lot more fun to ride. The square 4 was a gem with better flexibility down low (not four stroke flexibility but useable) and it was pretty potent when in the power band. I could easily keep up with the big bore 4's of the day and when it got tight they would just disappear in the rear view mirrors. Both bikes would be eaten alive by the current crop of 600cc fours but of the two the RG was the clear winner.
Mark