SV650s the right bike for me?

[Ric-]

Hi there, been reading these forums for a while so i though i may as well join


Right, my current bike (Yammie SRX250) is on its last legs. I love it to bits but i need a more reliable bike with a bit more ooomph.

I join the army in a few months so will need something that can easily handle motorway speeds, aswell as tedious things like nipping to the shops since i dont have a car licence!

Not looking to break the bank >2k
Must be reliable
Fun, but doesnt have to go warp 9
Good at filtering, (my SRX must be the narrowest bike ever)
Fairly comfortable
Able to carry a pillion properly

I know as this is an SV forum you guys will be biased, so i would like to know why i would buy the SV over say a CBR600F or a Hornet.

[dtr125]

Hi, I bought an SV650S 2 weeks ago. I mainly bought it coz i like the look and sound of them.

Being a V-twin it's narrow :smt023, and has plenty of grunt from 2000 revs all the way upto 10000 revs (i've only took mine upto about 7500 revs so far).
It feels quite light.
The engine is pretty smooth, (90 degree "V" engine doesn't need a balancer shaft).

It rides effortlessly at 70mph at about 6 to 6500 revs with plenty of grunt left. :smt023
And so far mine is doing 56mpg.
Being a "semi-sports" bike it has a biggish turning circle and "lowish" hand-grips.

There's some articles and reviews scanned from magazines on the main website: http://www.sv650.org/sv650_articles.htm

You should be able to get a good "curvy frame" model for about 1800 quid.

[MiniMatt]

Yes it's fine :D

I've never ridden a Honda Hairnet, and they're not really my cup of tea, but I get the impression that they're actually bloody good bikes; but anyway, lack of personal experience means I can't comment.

600F versus SV650 then. First things first, Honda 600s are good. Very good. And they last forever. The downside to this is that their second hand prices are *stupid*. You can probably get an SV that's 10 years younger than a CBR for the same price. In fact for 2K you're probably looking at the v. old jelly mold CBR6's. Still fine bikes but objectively you're going to find dogs around now.

So, big-upping the SV:
Certainly won't break the bank. 2K will probably get you an early pointy or a late and well looked after curvy.
Reliability. Is fine. It'll rust quicker than a Honda if left out in all weathers, that is all. If you clean it, then rust ain't a problem. In terms of "will it start in the morning" I've never had a problem (personal experience is with an FI pointy, the curvy's might have the odd cold weather carb icing problem). Regardless of model, you're going to need to take preventative measures if you don't want to do 50 miles in the pee pouring rain on only the back cylinder (ie. the front gets wet and cuts out). I learnt my lesson. I've only just dryed out.
Fun - cue Waynes World voice - schwing! Oh god yes. Warp 9, no, but it'll get you to licence busting territory more than quick enough.
Filtering - oh yes. It's only one cylinder wide remember.
Comfortable - hmm, subjective, personally only kinda 5'5" means a bit of a stretch to the bars, which in turns means my manly nether regions kinda get a bit too familiar with the tank.
Pillion - comfort for the pillion or the rider? Me and the missus are both featherweights - that means our combined weight is fine for the suspension and ride quality. Em, being 4 foot something, means she tends to slip forward onto the rider seat a bit (further adding to my crushed man-marbles syndrome....). I dunno, technically perfectly able to take a pillion assuming the pillion is "girlie weight", height of pillion I think largely determines their comfort.

EDIT:
Just thought, for the sake of objectiveness, I should add a negative. Note that this is largely coloured by the fact that I'm a short-****, but I would say that the SV is not the ideal town bike. It's a bit lurchy in town compared to (even bigger CC) 4 cylinder bikes, and it's fractionally tall & top heavy *for my build*. This really is a function of your build, height, strength etc. At 5'5" or so I've found supersports 600s easier to handle around town, that is, at sub 20mph speeds - anything above that and the SV is ace, below 20mph I personally find it a bit tiring to man-handle around. Bear in mind that this is from a 5'5" wimp with chronic medical problems. If you're about to join the forces, assuming you've passed the medical, if you're not fine now you certainly will be after basic training :D

[SoulKiss]

The SV IS a cracking bike.

I pretty much agree with what has been said above, and loved my SV for the 18 months (ish) I had it.

Did over 12k in that time - about 30% of that with a pillion, ans a good mix of riding, and a fair bit of falling off it (12 weeks off the thing due to injuries :P)

Some of the factors mentioned can be written out of the equation if you go for an SVN - it has a more upright position for example.

I have never ridden a naked SV, so only guessing at that based on only having ridden 3 naked bikes before, a CB500F on my DAS course, about a week on an 07 Hornet and now a month (and 940 miles) on a Z750.

[mister c]

Ridden loads of bikes in my lifetime. I bought an SV last March & commented that it was the best bike I had ever ridden. I did about 14000miles on it & It does everything you want from a bike, slow work, filtering, it's light, making progress and good for pillions. I crashed mine in January, but I was so impressed I bought another one.
The only thing i would say is shop around, don't just look at the 1st one & buy it, as with anything, there is some real cr@p out there.

Oh & welcome to the Forum :)

[sam_p2000]

Had my SV for 3 weeks now and its great for me....pillion position is not bad though the grab rail is behind so dont pull away too quick! They are an average width for a bike of this type. I wouldnt get the CBR as thats what i had last and while its a hoot to ride the SV is much more refined being a v twin. Im actually having more fun on the sv than i did my old cbr mainly because fun isnt just about speed. The SV will cruise at motorway speeds all day long if you invest in a good aftermarket screen to keep wind down. As for the Fazer i have heard they are also cracking bikes but cant comment as have not had one.

[petevtwin650]

Cheaper insurance.

[wyrdness]

I own a Speed Triple, so I'm not really biased towards the SV.

Having said that, I do think that it meets your requirements pretty well. I used mine as a town bike without problems. It's certainly very nippy around town and I personally prefer the low-end torque of twins in town.

They're cheap to buy and insure. There are often well looked after bikes for sale by members of this site at very reasonable prices.

They're good fun with sufficient power for normal road use and are a good 'all round' bike. Bike Magazine seems to think very highly of them.

My other half didn't really like the pillion seat, as she felt too high up on it. Other pillion opinions may differ.

I didn't have mine long enough to have reliability issues, but I think that they're generally pretty good. I don't see too many people moaning about reliability on here.

If I had your list of requirements, then I'd definitely consider another SV.

[DanAbnormal]

I know as this is an SV forum you guys will be biased, so i would like to know why i would buy the SV over say a CBR600F or a Hornet.

My opinion.....buy a Hornet.

HTH

[philbut]

i love mine. I also have a Kawk 600 which does feel better quality, but it's more to insure and run. My girlfriend is quite happy going pillion (apparently the V-twin vibrations make every trip enjoyable ;-) ) and I have done 180 miles non stop Leeds - Oxford on the motorway in reasonable comfort - just fit a double bouble screen if you go for the faired verso (I don't like nakeds myself and havent tried one).

To be honest, anythign will feel amazing in comparisun to your current bike, but i think as a cheap, do it all bike, the SV is really hard to beat. you can get better bikes, but for the dosh its a cracker.

[neio79]

The SV os a cracking bike for anyone.

I had mine for just over 2 years and loved every min i was out on it. I now have the ZX6-R , but if i could afford two bike i WOULD have an SV again. They are more than capable and quick enough to get you to over aton but tend to really tail off on speed and power over 120. I realy cant wait the SV highley enugh , and in fuly faired mode it stil looks very nice and modern to me.

Infact on NW3 just gone i actually made the comment to Pete that in the rain and wind i wish iwas on the SV as the Kwack was a bit to focused for confidence in the really bad weather, but that could have been down to the tyres more than anything.

but you realy cant go wrong by having an SV for a mode of transport. I loved them and would have an other if it was affordable.

[Toypop]

SV is a good bike for that.

Or a faired Bandit.

Bandit is far more comfortable in terms of legs, back, seat and no right hand pain from the vibes. It is also less snatchy on the throttle which you will notice when negotiating tight junctions or mini roundabouts.

SVS is more sporty, lighter and modern.

Test ride both.

[DanAbnormal]

Hornet.

Get a test ride. :cool:

[Ric-]

To be honest, anythign will feel amazing in comparisun to your current bike

That made me laugh, so you know the SRX250 then? I have the feeling what ever i buy i will think the power and handling are superb. Any idea how much insurance will be for an 18 year old with 2 years no claims?

Thanks for your opinions,

whats the SV like to work on?

[ASM-Forever]

You have 2 years NCB, but for how long have you held your license? With 2 years it shouldn't be terrible, but at the end of the day you're 18 so a massive risk in insurance terms.

Get some quotes as there are so many variables......

[Ric-]

Held it for a year, so will have to go through the song and dance of getting that certificate to say its restricted, if you catch my drift.

Carole Nash..... £1160 :-l thats not even funny

[ASM-Forever]

For FC i would think you would be somewhere around £750 maybe. That's a semi-educated guess. :)

[Lozzo]

600F versus SV650 then. First things first, Honda 600s are good. Very good. And they last forever. The downside to this is that their second hand prices are *stupid*. You can probably get an SV that's 10 years younger than a CBR for the same price. In fact for 2K you're probably looking at the v. old jelly mold CBR6's. Still fine bikes but objectively you're going to find dogs around now.


Not exactly true.

I love the SV and think it's a great first bike, but your comments about CBR6s are wide of the mark.

You can get a nice 1997/98 CBR6 steelie for a few hundred quid less than 2 grand, and I mean a really nice one. Early jelly mould ones are considerably cheaper because they aren't as well loved by those who know. The FV/FW model is considered to be the best of the CBR600s, certainly better than the alloy framed FX/FY. Mine wasn't the best looking, but mechanically sound and it cost me just 400 quid, all it really needed was a set of fork seals and a service. Pound for pound the CBR is hard to beat and the performance knocks the SV into a cocked hat. CBRs also hold their value extremely well, much better than SVs.

The SV is a better choice for a newish rider because the CBR can be expensive if you drop it, they also feel a lot heavier than the SV. You'll find SV insurance is cheaper too.

[Lozzo]

I wouldnt get the CBR as thats what i had last and while its a hoot to ride the SV is much more refined being a v twin.

Compared to a decent CBR600 a good SV is rough as guts. The CBR is easily the more refined of the two. You must have had a rough CBR to say that, there's not a V-twin out there that feels as refined as a decent 4 cylinder bike.

Don't get me wrong, it's the raw and slightly unrefined feel of the SV that gives it character, and I love mine to bits.

[ASM-Forever]

Compared to a decent CBR600 a good SV is rough as guts. The CBR is easily the more refined of the two. You must have had a rough CBR to say that, there's not a V-twin out there that feels as refined as a decent 4 cylinder bike.

I was going to post similar to what you just have, but there is little point now. :)

IL4 are more refined/smoother and the Hondas are probably the slickest of the lot in that department.

[MiniMatt]

Lozzo :notworthy: better info :D

Wot he sed :D

I suspect both of us will agree that you'll get a newer SV for your money than a CBR. But CBR, still top bike.

[mister c]

All in line 4s will be smooth there is no doubting that, but Vee Twins just seem to have character.
Jump on any IL4 & it sounds like your revving the nuts off it at about 5000 rpm, you have got about another 10000 to go. Smooth, yes, but no soul in them. Ride one - youve ridden them all.
Plus the sound of a twin with a can on is just awesome :cool::cool::cool:

[DanAbnormal]

All in line 4s will be smooth there is no doubting that, but Vee Twins just seem to have character.
Jump on any IL4 & it sounds like your revving the nuts off it at about 5000 rpm, you have got about another 10000 to go. Smooth, yes, but no soul in them. Ride one - youve ridden them all.
Plus the sound of a twin with a can on is just awesome :cool::cool::cool:

Heh, this tickled me. It's all too easy to say the SV has something that is totally unquantifiable. IL4's and Veetwins are just differnt. Has sod all to do with 'soul'. Well, I'll tell you what it has and hasn't got:

Has:
Decent motor
Lots of adoring fans
Fairlygood styling
Great sound

Hasn't:
Good suspension
Good brakes
Good build quality

If you can forsake or fix the 'hasn'ts' then it can be one of the best bikes out there for the money. But if you are just starting out it's perfect tbh.

[ThEGr33k]

I love my SV. I think I might end up putting it back on the road for next winter... Ill have to see.

I think itll suit what you want and need. A Hairnet is fine as long as you dont do too many motorway miles... Nakeds arnt the best bikes for commuting at high speeds imo.

[yorkie_chris]

It is also less snatchy on the throttle which you will notice when negotiating tight junctions or mini roundabouts.

They're not snatchy when serviced properly and operated by someone who can control their right hand :-P

Nakeds arnt the best bikes for commuting at high speeds imo.

Good for the neck muscles :-P

[ThEGr33k]

Good for the neck muscles :-P

Well yes there is that :jocolor:

[sv-robo]

Hi, I bought an SV650S 2 weeks ago. I mainly bought it coz i like the look and sound of them.


It rides effortlessly at 70mph at about 6 to 6500 revs with plenty of grunt left. :smt023

.
Ithink at 6/6500 you should be doing a bit more than 70mph(as standard around 80ish)mine (not standard)at 6500rpm is blinking away at 88/89 mph.

[yorkie_chris]

You sure you're in top there?

[orose]

I'm with Chris here - 75mph is 5.5k in top on mine