... And to respond to the original question - the 600R and 650R are very similar bikes from a performance or functional perspective. They're both designed to do the exact same thing: go really fast off-road on open trails, reliably.
As for the technical differences: again, the new one has an aluminum frame and watercooling, And as it's a newer design, it performs a little better all around.
But as for an adventure bike, it has one big new advantage and one count against it. The advantage of this bike in my eyes is that you can get a 40L fuel carrying capacity from an easily available and well-tested source - Acerbis makes this setup for rally riders. The downside of this bike is that it's watercooled and it's not difficult to damage the radiators. You could probably make some decent radiator guards to prevent damage.
Aside from that, it's not particularly comfy and not the most fuel efficient bike around, but keeping it stock (but adjusting the jetting to correct the lean state it's in from teh factory) can help prevent too much fuel usage, and one can always have a windscreen and custom seat made for comfort.
Wright
[This message has been edited by wbagwell (edited 18 January 2004).]
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