well motorrad I guess not useles at all if your running those kind of speeds. Out here in wyoming its pretty rough terrain, I just cant use those tall of gears. If your going up the side of a mountain, narrow road, and sink holes around alot of corners, and big rocks jetting out, I like low gears. If your pounding up a pretty steep hill full of sage brush as tall as I am sitting on top of the bike, I just dont need tall gears. If your climbing hills with rock ledges sticking out at the top, and I'm talking hills that some of the top pros in hill climbing, climb on I dont need tall gearing. I guess it depends on what your doing with a 500. If your rideing on dirt roads I can see tall gearing open country. Thats not what I ride at all. And yes last pro hillclimb I went to I took 5th place in the 40 pro masters class. I'm 53.