Hello i am thinking of buying a BF 650 but i dont know which one i should go with i want to get some oponions on which you guys think is better and why. This will be the first ATV i will have ever owned. Also is one of these more reliabile than the other i am looking to do some riding on it but will use it mostly probably for snow plowing. Also are the 06 and 07's pretty much the same or are the 07 models better?
Thanks guys

 

BF650 (SRA) - for fast trail riding.
BF650i (IRS) - for slower/tougher terrain riding.

BF650 SRA is the basic same machine Kawi has been making since 2002 as P650, more reliable in the suspension/drivetrain/frame area than 650i since less parts (SRA), but the engine/CVT are the same.

 

the engines are not really the same, but i agree with the above post otherwise. your riding style will have more bearing on your choice than any differences between the two. price difference is also a factor.

monty

 

I would say for your riding style, get the 650 sra. Save ya some money, bot are great though

 

The irs also has a little more ground clearance under the rear end.
The irs is has a smoother ride as well.
The engine is a little different, it has larger carbs, and some of the engine parts have been modified to theoretically improve performance. I haven't put mine up against an sra so I can't say for sure.

 

This has been heavily debated on may forums. I recently had to make the same decision. The selling point for the 650 SRA is that it's better for trail riding and rides more like a sport bike. I decided to go with the 650i because I wanted a smoother ride and I was going to be using it for plowing snow.

This past weekend I went out riding with a couple other guys on some power line trails. The guy on the 650 SRA said "i work out 5 days a week and my arms are sore as hell from trying to hang on to this bike on these trails." On the rougher wide open trails I was able to ride a bit faster than him on my 650i because my ride was much smoother. He was actually asking if we could move to the other side of the power lines where the snow was more packed down because he was getting bounced around so much. When we got into the wooded area's he put distance between me because my quad was a little less manuverable.

After the days riding I was definatley happy that I had gone with the 650i because we were out for 4 hours and did a lot of riding. It was nice to have a smother ride. My salesman told me if you've never ridden before then your not going to be able to tell the difference in handling between the 650i and 650 SRA. Also I had no problems throwing the back end of the bike around in the snow and on the frozen pond with my 650i. Just my 2 cents..good luck with your purchase!

 

Hey guys thanks very much to all for all the replys so useful info here, Cyberpete is there any difference in speed between the 2 bikes?
Thanks

 

I'm not really an expert and this was first time out riding for any length of time. His was modded with a CDI and some other stuff. By the end of the day as I got more comfortable in the seat I had no problem keeping up with them but we didn't drag race or anything.

 

The 650i is faster then the 650 SRA...The 650i has 48-49 hp stock and 650 SRA has only 42 hp but more loss of power with a IRS.

TK

 

I am 6-10 days away from getting a 650i with Moose powe module'

any reason not to spend the extra $100.00 in the module??