137 I have found with Cat and Doo a better ride than a 129 and have never noticed a handling difference, you may have to adjust your set up , nothing beat a lightweight 2 stroke in the twistys !
I'm so thankful we had Ford during the past couple years. I dont know how our sport would have gone with any other lefty representative. Something to be thankful for
It amazes me that so many riders will pay that extra to get an 850 up front and two years later the 600/650 is worth more in trade. Have you ever tried to buy a decent 2 or 3 year old 600 class machine? They are worth their weight in gold. At the performance end, yup, 800 class is faster, but not much faster than a 650 Poo. Spidi, you have had good value out of your 800 Cat, but that is not everyone's experience. I know that you will do what is right for you. You correctly came around to the 137 chassis, and I don't think that you would be disappointed with a 650 Poo. Speed wise, you will have harder time excepting a 600 Cat, but the balanced package is still great bang for the buck. Just from your posts here over a few years, I am sure that we don't have to worry about you making a bad decision. Enjoy the new sled.... or the old one.
Emissions….
the 600 and 650 are pushing the same power these days, are they not.
but those 700 were a thing of beauty for top speed with that narrow track, but they lacked the lower end grunt that today’s engines have!