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You're right, except that the intake on the GS550 is... crippled. If the GS550 had the same intake as the GS650, it would make sixty horsepower instead of fifty.
Cams are an incremental thing. Without more lift, the best you can get from a cam is moving the torque peak around. As it stands they're 9000+rpm motors, the cams that come on the 550's are by no means "mild." (it appears to be the same cam grind on the GS650, and that's a 10,000rpm peak horsepower motor...)
The total cost of a jet kit and pods for a GS550E (which should put you into the low 60's...) is $200. I don't see a camshaft being able to fix the frighteningly bad intake on the GS550.
"just" going from the airbox, to no airbox and pods took my bike from a 110mph to 120mph top speed. You won't see that kind of change with a "mere" cam change. (That being said, once you've got a proper intake on the bike I'm all for swapping cams)
I'm fairly sure the GS550 is a special case. GS1000's have a decent airbox. And you mentioned that the "faster" GS had different carbs. Carbs make all the difference in the world.
Now he IS riding a 78, so he doesn't have the benifit of the 32mm carburators that the 80-82 GS550's get. I've got a motor, a set of VM carbs, and lots of jets so I can see what you can get away with on those. But we won't find that answer untill next summer.
Cams are an incremental thing. Without more lift, the best you can get from a cam is moving the torque peak around. As it stands they're 9000+rpm motors, the cams that come on the 550's are by no means "mild." (it appears to be the same cam grind on the GS650, and that's a 10,000rpm peak horsepower motor...)
The total cost of a jet kit and pods for a GS550E (which should put you into the low 60's...) is $200. I don't see a camshaft being able to fix the frighteningly bad intake on the GS550.
"just" going from the airbox, to no airbox and pods took my bike from a 110mph to 120mph top speed. You won't see that kind of change with a "mere" cam change. (That being said, once you've got a proper intake on the bike I'm all for swapping cams)
I'm fairly sure the GS550 is a special case. GS1000's have a decent airbox. And you mentioned that the "faster" GS had different carbs. Carbs make all the difference in the world.
Now he IS riding a 78, so he doesn't have the benifit of the 32mm carburators that the 80-82 GS550's get. I've got a motor, a set of VM carbs, and lots of jets so I can see what you can get away with on those. But we won't find that answer untill next summer.
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