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How to make a 650r fast

49K views 64 replies 25 participants last post by  earlthepearl 
#1 ·
Just wondering if anyone has modded there 650r to run 11's. If so what mods do you have. Im looking for more power out of mine but dont really wanna upgrade to zx6r. I already have a slip on arrow muffler. Ive heard some people do the power commander but most people say it isnt worth the money. Isnt there anything I can do to make run 11's?
 
#2 ·
I ran mid sevens in the 1/8th at the drag strip on mine when I took it, which should be good enough for a high 11 in the 1/4.

That said, its a big waste of money to try to get it to go much faster, you would be a lot better off trying to drag race a faster bike.
 
#3 ·
drop it out of an airplane at 10,000 ft...
 
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#5 ·
Sure, you could spend 4K dollars turbocharging it, but it still only be as fast as a stock 600, and still slower than a liter bike.

If you want to race in a straight line, get a more powerful bike.
 
#8 ·
Good word there.

And if you are bracket racing, like around here,
it dont matter what you are riding.
Just be consistent and don't beat your dial in.

And I'd argue on the PCv AND AutoTune...
but I dont want to wast my breath.

Good luck. Hope you find what you are looking for.
 
#10 ·
I'm pretty sure you can do it with an extended swingarm and an extra wide rear tire. Go try this and let us know how it turns out.

Or just realize that what you're suggesting is a waste of time and money. You can get a ZXR6 used from a few years back for cheaper than you can get a new 650R. If you wanted fast, you should have bought fast in the first place.
 
#12 ·
I'm pretty sure you can do it with an extended swingarm and an extra wide rear tire. Go try this and let us know how it turns out.
Why would you need a wider rear tire? Do you have traction issues with a 160 on your bike? A wider tire just means a heavier tires and wheel, which means more mass you have to accelerate. Wide tires are for poseur bikes, real race bikes don't run anything wider than they need.
 
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#15 ·
if you wanna spend the money, i have a turbo kit with your name on it.

you you have to lend me your bike for a week while i build it.
hope you have $3500 and a week to lend your bike.

i promise you 11's
 
#16 ·
Theres not much you can do to the bike to make it go faster. You can replace ferrings with carbon fiber to make it lighter, replace the exhaust system, put NOS or super charging it, put a BMC or K&N air filter in it, PC Racing FLO Spin On Stainless Steel Oil Filter (wont increase speed though). But if you were to do all this or even some, its going to cost the amount for a new and faster bike.
 
#17 ·
don't dump money into a 650, buy a 1000 or 1400 if you like the size of your 650, buy a new or used 636 or 600 and put money into something worth the while.
 
#19 ·
There is a lot you CAN do but its going to cost money. A power commander is a few hundred and a dyno tune is also a couple hundred. That will generally give anywhere from 2-10 HP. An aftermarket exhaust will drop a couple pounds but that's also a few hundred.

Really though if your goal is 11s practice will be the best way to get there. Nothing on a bike gives huge gains because they are so optimized to begin with.
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#25 ·
Changing the muffler does almost nothing, and a Power Commander only has a little effect on a stock bike.

For real extra power you need to overbore the throttle bodies along with some re-working of the ports and work on the airbox to improve the motor's ability to breath. You need to replace the cams with something a bit more agressive and advance the ignition curve. Some tuners have used aVersys exhaiust cam as an ER-6 inlet, but I'm not sure if this really works. Skimming a fraction off the head face will increase the compression - high compression pistons might be better but I don't think that are any available.

You'll need to run premium fuel and use your Power Commander to re-map to suit the rest of the engine mods. I believe that a really good tuner can get up to around 80 bhp at the wheel, perhaps a little more. That will give you the times you're looking for.

Rob
 
#26 ·
Like some other people have said , unless it is one of those projects were you have a lot of money and would like to see what some 5 grand can do to a standard-sport bike then it may be worth seeing , hell I work on an investment bank and see people lose 200k dollars on a bad investment some times, 5 grand is really not a lot to invest if you are curious .

But like other people have suggested , buying a faster bike from the get go it is the best bet, I ride my bike because the insurance rates , chances of for the bike getting stolen and gas millage are ridicously low, a good mix of economy with some grunt when you need it and head turning awesome looking design.

Upgrading a 650 into a super sport although nice it, would be a travesty of what the bike was originally designed for, however in the case of someone that owns a 650 on a place that has heavy tax penalties on faster bikes or in my case were the insurance rates on sport bikes are ridiculous I would consider it , hell the difference in insurance rates between a new 636 and a 650 for me (because of were I live) is about 2 grand , so if you think about it , if you invest 4 grand on a 650 you would get your money back in insurance savings alone.

Best bet on my case would be to buy an older 636 sadly..
 
#27 ·
Would a heavily modified 650 really cost that much less than a stock 636..... I'm of course talking about someone who declare ALL modifications to the bike.
I know back home in the UK such a bike would be nearly the same, perhaps a bit more than a stock 636 to insure.
If said person didn't declare the mods, he/she may as well save the money and ride around with no insurance, that way they'll have an extra $2000 to spare when the insurance company refuses to pay out due to all the undeclared modifications.

I'm of course speaking hypothetically and wouldn't wish for anyone to ride with no insurance...
 
#28 ·
Stock 636 or 600 has around 120 - 130 bhp.

The best that you get out of a modified 650 is around 80 bhp in any sort od street rideable form. There was a project to get 90 bhp out of one, but I don't think it succeeded, and if it did the 600 still has over 30% more power and about 30 lbs less weight.

If you want to go faster, get a faster bike, but if you want to see how fast a 650 can be made to go, which is very different thing, then good luck.

Rob
 
#33 ·
Guys in Europe regularly get over 90 HP out of them, but that's a heavily reworked motor with aftermarket rods and pistons, polished knife edged crank, lots of head work, etc. Of course that's a race fuel only motor that is only good for about one season before a rebuild. In race trim a 650 and a 600 weigh about the same, the EX650 has a lot of heavy parts and other useless crap that can be replaced or removed.
 
#32 ·
My friend who totalled his bike had full coverage including add on coverage. He had like 3000 dollars in add on coverage so when he wrecked he showed the adjuster his gear and a list of aftermarket stuff. So he got the money for his full coverage plus money to replace his gear and exhaust and stuff.

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#34 · (Edited)
Why do people keep saying "dont mod the 650"

650 is not a bad platform and you can get decent power from it for what you would lose in selling it + the added cost and transaction fees of another bike. And most bikes that people are talking about have insurance that is like 2-3x what you pay for a 650. So really the whole "youre wasting money" thing is bogus. 2 years worth of a ZX14R's added insurance costs over a 650's, you could probably have a motor built by Spears Enterprises depending on where you live (I know I could)

Plus a faster bike = a heavier bike (if we are talking about ZX14s) which the OP might not want.

OP, best bet, contact an expert like Spears Enterprises and tell them what you want. Thats prob the most straightforward path.

http://www.spearsenterprises.com
 
#35 ·
So you spend $2,500 to have a motor built for your 650 that makes 80 hp and burns VP MR4.4 at $65 for a 5 gallon pail and has to be rebuilt every year? Sounds practical.

Nothing wrong with putting better suspension and brakes on a 650, as that doesn't compromise its usefulness or what you can do with it. Chasing big horsepower out of a 650 twin street bike is a silly endeavor, though. It still won't be as fast as a stock 600 and will now be less reliable to boot.
 
#36 ·
I agree , if you want a bike for the track then get a 600 and you can go as fast you want , and you don't need insurance.

The 650 strength is it's fuel economy , low end torque , low insurance cost and good looks , instead of ruining the strengths by making the fuel efficiency go down to achieve another 10-15 mph on the top end and half a second on the quarter mile , instead work on making the strengths better, like invest on its looks , suspension and brakes.

The 650 does a solid 130 mph on a straight lane with low wind , you really don't need to be going any faster than that , and it does the quarter on mile on low 12s which is enviable by most cars on the street ,all of this while doing an impressive hybrid-car comparable 50-55 mpg.

I have many people pointing in awe as I ride by and no passenger that has been on my bike has complained about the bike being too slow.

So why mess with a good thing?

Everything I consider getting a faster bike I think about the added fuel costs , added insurance costs , and more money to buy to begin with for the 1% of riding I do once in a while since I have not been to track.

One day I plan on taking my baby to the track to see how it does and maybe there it will be outshined but I keep up with other 600s super sports on group rides anyhow and I pass all of them on the turns since most of these guys only know how to go fast on a straight road and have no experience going around turns or are too scared to lean the bike.
 
#38 ·
No, you will need race gas because you will need a fuckton of compression to make that kind of power out of a 650. Race gas isn't for making more power on a stock motor, it's because a superbike motor will not run on anything else. You could do some mild head work and swap cams on an EX650 and make a bit more power, but it's still going to get stomped by an old F2 or FZR600 that already makes 90 hp stock. So in reality you would have spent a ton of money to make a reliable bike less reliable and only slightly not as slow.


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#39 · (Edited)
But would he hit the 11's? Because that was his question, not which bike is faster.

Bunch of negative nancys in here, and 2 years ago too.

I would think with just a lowering link and strapping the front would get him a good bit of time in the quarter. but I'm thinking he probably doesn't even post here anymore.
 
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