Newbie needing opinions

[rob13]

Hi all,
Having just registered, i thought id introduce myself. Im 23, been riding 18months and live in the North East UK. Ive just sold a GS500 ive had since passing my DAS and im after some opinions and advice

Since i passed my test, ive always fancied the SV650s for its looks but back when i first passed, i couldnt afford one so i bought the GS. Ive actually ran up only 2000 miles on the GS in the time i had it for one reason or another but having given me an initial introduction into riding i feel its time for a step up.

The 2 bikes im considering are the SV650s and the Bandit 600s. Now you may say, why ask which is better on an SV forum however im wondering if there are people who have ridden or tested both who can give their opinions.

Having ridden a GS, im quite used to a twin bike, blipping the throttle, keeping it high in the rev ranges, but i was sick of having to wring the GS' neck to get past cars quickly on single carriageways. Im not sure for this reason, whether the SV will be a big step up in terms of power.

Has anyone moved up from a GS? What are your thoughts?

Im looking to do mainly decent weather riding, possibly some 2 day trips to Scotland etc but at the end of the day, i want useable power, good handling for the twisties and good looks.

Im looking for the newer Shape SV - K3 i believe (I cant afford any higher) so im interested if anyone has one for sale in the North of England


Your opinions appreciated
Rob

[goldengraemes]

more than enough power for overtakes in any gear handles well.dont get a bandit there dated now and sluggish and ugly

[keithd]

howdy newbie!

i cannot give advice on the bandit, however i can tell you that soon you will get people replying that have ridden both. i think mr jabba the hut is one such "person". as you say its an SV forum but i promise that will not deflect people from giving their honest candid opinions on both bikes. i've been given lots of advice on how to hone my skills, what i'm doing wrong etc on here, all of it invaluable

whatever you chose you'll have many years of great riding.

that said if you chose the bandit you're wrong, its SV all the way :lol:

and it better be a blue one - cos they're the quickest!! :wink:

[rob13]

can this be moved to SV talk forum?

Ive got 30 days to find a bike, otherwise they're looking to cancel my insurance which expires in July leaving me out of pocket (about 70 quid)

[bluebell]

Welcome to the site, i use to ride a gs500 and changed to the sv, i also looked at the bandit but found it felt to top heavey for me. I think i made the right choice,the riding postion took a bit of getting use to but i find its o.k now.

I see you are from the northeast to, why don't you pop into the pennine massive section.

[Mr Toad]

blipping the throttle, keeping it high in the rev ranges


You only need blip the throttle when changing down in a hurry, otherwise the rear will lock up

As for keeping it high in the rev ranges - why :?:
That sounds more like an IL4 than a V-twin - the SV has more grunt than a field full of pigs :D



but i was sick of having to wring the GS' neck to get past cars quickly on single carriageways. Im not sure for this reason, whether the SV will be a big step up in terms of power.




Overtake in any gear you like (more or less) - best to drop down a cog if in a hurry though

70 bhp as standard, and a lot of torque - gets most of us around at a decent lick :D

[PeterM]

GS500 has about 40hp vs SV650 with just shy of 70hp.

The SV has plenty of go and it's more useable than the Bandit which, as has been said is getting a bit dated now.

[GC-SV]

Welcome.

I am also new to biking and chose the SV due to a number of good write ups in the bike mags. Also due to the forum and the good reports on here. I don't think I've ever read a bad comment about it, apart from the usual.... suspension and uncomfortable seat.

A couple of other things that swung it for me for the SV was the lower insurance group and the cost of the bike to begin with. Not to mention the actual looks.

Sorry I can't be technical in my answer, but I think it is benificial to hear feedback from all sides i.e. experienced, inexperienced.

[Junior]

I think the excessive revs may be due to the GS being a parallel twin as opposed to a V-twin. Anyway, the SV is a better bike for all around riding. The Bandit is a more touring oriented bike (not to mention it is heavier, a bit dated, and generally not at nice as the SV) If you get the SV you'll see you don't need to rev it much past 8000 (unless you really want to). I had a GS550ESD (the IL4 version) before my SV, and I found the SV way lighter,more powerful, and easier to ride. HTH

PS Welcome to the site :D

[Anonymous]

Splke has a lovely K3 for sale, fully kitted out and nearly as nice as my one was :wink: :lol:

Look in the For Sale section.

[Amanda M]

I went from GPZ500S to a bandit and found it incredibly smooth and easy to ride and had a great time on it but got a bit bored eventually. Then I got an SV650S and it was a lot lighter, more fun and you get engine braking - fantastic bike :D If you can test ride both of them and see which you prefer because they are both good bikes 8)

[Jabba]

i think mr jabba the hut is one such "person"

Not me dude :? You must be thinking of a different, and far superior, IL4 which I heartily recommend :wink:

and it better be a blue one - cos they're the quickest!! :wink:

True - no matter what the make/model of bike.

[Big Bad Al]

Welcome to the site. I test rode 3 bikes in an afternoon. A bandit, a ZX750
and a S650s K3. I preferred the bandit cos it felt comy and easy to ride and I think that's the problem. It would become boring so quickly. I actually went to the dealer to put the deposit on a bandit but couldn't go thru with it and did a deal on the SV650s which is more bike than I'll ever want and I doubt I'll get bored with it or reach it's limits.

Test ride is the best thing to do, but make sure you give it a good long test ride andfthen decide.
Al.

[Spiderman]

After 15 yrs of not beeing on a bike i wasnt sure what bike to get.
The guys at the school advised on an SV cos its very new rider friendly. But i wasnt sure.
Went to Rex Judd (a bike shop near me) and told em my dillema. Explained how i wasnt sure if it was the SV, Hornet or Fazer for me. The guy was really helpfull cos he could see i wasnt just trying to blag a bike for a quick blast.
Made an appointment to go back and test ride all three. It help that i toldhim the cash is in the bank and i dont want finance.
Funnily enogh the SVs ran out of fuel on the test ride so i was absolutely ages but i knew what i wanted when i was done.

Curvy shape is sexier btw... all the chicks will agree. Oh and what they said about blue... Its all true ;) :lol.:

hth and welcome to the site.

[northwind]

I've nothing against the Bandit really, but it's the more budget option yet usually costs almost as much as the SV new :? It's a trick I tells you!

600 bandits should be even cheaper than usual now used, since the bored-out version's come along, but unless you're buying a really cheap one I reckon the SV's better in basically every way. Rode a Bandit for approximately 15 minutes and... No. All the shortcomings of the SV with none of the advantages. lightly easier riding position and that's about it.

If you want a naked 600 then the Hornet's a good bike... Fazer for that matter too. All in a different bracket from the Bandit I reckon (same one as the SV)

[jambo]

Hi!
Had my bandit 600 for 2 and a half years and have ridden SVs on occasion. Main points are thus:

Bandit is fairly tall making it fairly comfey for tall people compared to the SV and has a "sit up and beg" type riding position with good wide bars to get some leverage on. The SV feels more compact and sporty, making it easier to climb out of the saddle during corneringand putting more weight on your wrists.

The Bandit makes more power but higher up, if you want to make progress you really do need to keep the engine spinning more than the SV (but this is part of the fun)

Both are very reliable and can be picked up cheaply.

People will tell you bandits don't handle, but they say the same about SVs. Both suffer from basic components that respond well to some cheap mods such as changing front springs and oil to suit your weight. I did a great trach day at brands last year on the Bandit and supprised quite a few GSXR riders (not that the bikes anywhere near as able as a GSXR on the track, but you won't be left too far behind)

I would suggest riding both, you will find they feel very different and one will work better for you than the other.

On an unrelated note I'm planning to sell my bandit over the next few weeks, as I plan to spend this summer doing more track time and want a screen to keep the wind off!

[jamieclayton9]

i owned a bandit 600s about 2 years ago. it was an x reg and i loved it. i think the styleing is ok and it handles well but can be a tad top heavy. i did notice that it needed a bit of hard revving at times when your going up hill and you had to use the gears more than the sv. to be quite honest the bandit has ten more hp than the sv but you wouldnt notice and there seems to be alot more punch and pull in the sv and i personalally would say the sv is more econmomical plus the sv weighs apout 35kg less than the bandit. i personally have not liked v twin machines rideing a harley or as i call it a tractor and a 748 ducatti. i didnt go much on them and decided to stick to my in line fours. But when i finally had a go on an sv i was impressed. the sv is probably one of the best bikes i have ever riden. hope this helps. jamie

[Professor]

I think Carsick has ridden both the SVS and the Bandit. His views would
be valuable.

I rode a GS500 during my endless DAS (passed on third attempt) and
I can testify that an SVS is a substantial step up. But it is far less comfy
than a GS500 or a Bandit (never ridden one but sat on one in a shop).

[Carsick]

I think Carsick has ridden both the SVS and the Bandit. His views would
be valuable.
Not so sure about valuable but I have ridden both.
I'd agree with what's been said so far about the bandit (especially Jambo, since he has one)

I have to say, I didn't get on with the bandit at all. It felt hugely top heavy and seemed determined to drop me off in every corner. In comparison the SV is stable and I find the seat position more natural.
On the seating position aspect, while the SV is more natural for me, it's not that it's necessarily a more comfortable position, it just felt more right.

I suppose if you actually wanted an I4 naked, the hornet would probably be a better option than a bandit.