Stihl® Motor Saw 462 vs. 461 vs. 500i All Stock Comparison

Filmed in March of 2020, not long after the “unboxing” session that we saw in an earlier video.
As I mentioned, only started the 500i a few times at this point. Minimal saw testing also. Had not seen the IPL yet either. So, the guess on the bore was calculated. Based on what I knew of the 462 in essence. Ended up getting lucky there in a way.
Stihl motor saw 500i is the world’s first “electronically” fuel injected saw but not the world’s first fuel injected saw. That was Jonsered back in the ‘50s.
Bore is the 54mm stated. Stroke has to be, according to the math, a miniscule 34.6mm for the 500i if the factory published displacement is truly 79.2(4)cc. I initially thought it came in at 34mm even.
North American version is claimed to have 6.7 hp. Not the 6.8 as seen in the European saw. Ironically it is the same as a Husqvarna 2100. Just for kicks, put a 42”er on both and see the differential in the timed runs. Because, HP rating isn’t everything…
The 462 comes in at 72.20cc. 52mm bore by 34mm stroke.
The 461 also has a 52mm bore. It has a longer stroke, at 36mm. This would be responsible for the ability to add extra pressure to the handle bars without losing much in the way of time. Displacement is 76.45cc which also helps a little in the lowend department.
I had guessed, based on the ~ 80cc displacement number that was circulating in the beginning of the year, that the 462 was giving up 8cc. Turns out it is 7cc.
The weights are a funny thing. Factory numbers are always lighter than anything I can ever get. There is a .9 pound differential between the 462 and 500i based on what is published. 13.0 vs 13.9 respectively. The “old school” 461 comes in at 14.8. All numbers are for the ½ wrap version saw since that is how the 500i arrived.
Looking at the "West Coast" version, or warp handle configured saws we see 13.9lbs., 14.8lbs., and 15.7lbs. for the 462, 500i and 461 respectively.
Looking at the high idle and run numbers:
motor saw 462 h.i. at 13,380 went 12.50 down running 10,300 and 11.70 up at 10,200.
motor saw 461 h.i. at 13,560 went 12.67 down showing 11,520 and 12.67 up at 10.320.
motor saw 500i h.i. at 13,470 went 10.17 down running 11,520 and 9.40 up at 10,320.
Caveat – we checked the 500i high idle off camera during the warm up session.
In the end, the 500i is a couple of seconds faster than either “sibling”. Let us hope so, as it comes in quite a bit more in displacement than either of the “little kids”. Weight has the 500i in the middle. The 500i has good potential for modding as does the 461. The 462, well, it comes around pretty nicely.
I’m currently available for custom saw modification. Please shoot me an email if you are interested.
[email protected]
Thanks for watching.