Ok guys, I'm ready to take the plunge.

[Ice-Is-Scary]

I'm buying my first motorcycle this week and I want it to be a SuzukiSv650 or 650S.

I sat on the naked in the dealership the other day and the standard model and I have to say the naked was about 50 times more comfortable. I like the look of the faired model better but I don't feel like making love to a gas tank all day.

What are your guys suggestions for cheap ways for me to get the naked riding position on the "S" model. Should I buy the naked and put fairings on it or should I buy the "S" and put handlebars on it? I know very little about motorcycles at this point so any suggestions would be greatly appreicated.

[Viney]

TO change an 's' into flat bars scenario, you need the top yoke, throttle n choke cables, bars, grips, and i think the switch gear from a naked. You sill also have to modify the fairing to allow lock to lock.

Naked to an 's'

You need the clipons, clocks, fairings the above etc.

Also the naked is geared slightly higher than the S.

HTH

[Ice-Is-Scary]

So your saying for a person who doesn't know how to wrench on a motorcycle either way is pretty much going to be expensive and suck? Is there anyway to make the "S" model a pinch more comfortable, someone told me there are things called clip-on risers, is that an option?

[andyaikido]

I like the look of the faired model better but I don't feel like making love to a gas tank all day.

Is making love to the gas tank wrong? :oops:

Seriously, if you're no good with the spanners then it's either a naked with a flyscreen or an S model with a bad back/knees/neck.*

*delete as appropriate

[TSM]

So your saying for a person who doesn't know how to wrench on a motorcycle either way is pretty much going to be expensive and suck? Is there anyway to make the "S" model a pinch more comfortable, someone told me there are things called clip-on risers, is that an option?

You can get some Sunrisers, they need a little cutting though of the existing clipons. You also have the option of 3rd party clipons from helibars/gilles variobars. They will allow more rise on a pointy bike than the curvey ones where it will cause the switchgear to touch the fairing.

Viney: I think that if its a curvey he is looking at, yes it needs cutting for raised bars, but if its a pointy he may just get away with it depending on the size/shape of the bars. Not totaly sure though.

[Bluepete]

I have just done this;

http://upload4.postimage.org/638928/bars.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/638928/photo_hosting.html)

is cost me £200 all in, no new cables needed, braded brake hoses included. Go to

www.streetfighterstore.com

No fairings to cut, about 2 hours to fit, as comfy as the naked and with the protection of the s.

[stewart-250]

As this is your first motorcycle I'd stick to the naked one as you feel more comfortable on. Buy a second hand one and ride it around a lot. Then ride it around some more. If wind is an issue put a flyscreen on it. Once you are totally happy, comfortable and confident with riding the bike you have then go to a dealer and get a long test ride on a faired model. Having gotten used to the unfaired one you will then be in a better position to make an objective decision on which one you prefer. Second hand SV's are cheap but still hold their value reasonably well so six months with an older one wouldn't cost you much. Bear in mind that if you spend money modifying a bike to suit you it is very rare to add any value when you come to sell it on.

cheers

Stewart

[tigerprof]

Blue Pete,

"cost me £200 all in, no new cables needed, braded brake hoses included. Go to

Looks like a good mod, which bars and risers are they?"

[Black Rider]

Go for which ever bike YOU want to get and make the mods to that. Seems like the Swith the modified handle bars seems like a good idea. The naked conversion would cost A LOT more than £200.

Nice idea ICE is Scary but i'll stick with the sore wrists and sportier seating position :lol: 8)

Good lucck with whichever you choose and happy riding (when you get it!) :riding:

[Ice-Is-Scary]

Man, I didn't think it was going to be such a hassle to get a luittle lift out of the"S"'s handlebars, I areally appreciates everyones input, you guys are very helpful. I am too excited to get my first bike, I can barely control myself from going down to the dealer right now and getting ripped off, but I'm waiting for the deal.

[Black Rider]

I bought my bike last month and got it on the 0% finance. It's still on until the end of this month I think :? :?:

I ended up paying full price for the bike but it's a genuine 0% deal over 3 years!

Can't complain with that!! :D :lol:

Weigh up what you want to do and take some time (like you're doing) and you'll get the right bike for the right price!!! You won't be disappointed!!!! :lol: :wink:

[duffbattye]

I'm new to sv's too. I brought the s version a month ago after having a cbr600 a few years back. It is uncomfortable but if you are 6 foot or over and are considering doing any motorway riding i'd go for faired version. It's tough going above 80 even with fairing so can only imagine the naked version would be really tough work at speed

rock
duff

[Tim in Belgium]

Take them out for a spin, and see which you prefer.

Also are you going for new, secondhand pointy or secondhanc curvy, all 4 models will be slightly different to ride.

Think about what you are going to be using it for, mine's a play thing for days out and holidays so went for an S due to the fairing, with a double bubble it is fine sitting at a tad over the ton (only on certain continental roads where this is legea, ahem) and about 85 with throw overs. Also went for the older version as I didn't have a huge amount to spend, but picked up a low mileage one with the equivalent of 4k on the clock.

Personally if it's a toy/hobby you should get one you like the look of, it's then rewarding just popping down to the garage to fiddle with it!

Please ignore any of the above if you wish.

[Ice-Is-Scary]

Well I'd like to go used pointy or new pointy, But I've found that new ones arn't very much more than the used ones so I'll probably just go new and throw some sliders on it. They don't testdrives where I live so I'll just have to guess which will be more fun, I can tell by sitting on them in the dealership the naked is way more comfortable, but I've never rode a streetbike so I might not like handlebars when I', actually moving, who knows, not me.

[Tim in Belgium]

JUst remember once mnoving the wind pressure supports your body a fair bit, I find town a little hard work on the S, but as soon as i'm moving properly it becomes comfy.

I'm sure you'll have fun with which ever one you get.

[carty]

I started off a year ago with a naked pointy. I have just bought a faired curvy. I definitely agree with whats said above about the difference in town riding to country riding. If you're going to be stopped a lot the 'S' can cause wrist and shoulder pain for sure, but once you're on the move and you get a bit of wind in your face it goes away.

I enjoyed riding the naked, the seating position is very good but I actually found that I would fidget on it a lot more becasue you have more weight through your lower back / bottom rather than taking some on your wrists. I don't fidget on the S. I wanted to get an S for the looks really, and I don't regret swapping at all.

I have found the gearing very different as well. The naked seemed to be quite a lot quicker from the lights given the same amount of throttle input. The S seems to pick up quite a bit higher in the rev range. As someone else said, get whichever floats your boat really, both great bikes! In England insurance is slightly higher on the S although I don't think there's much in it.

Enjoy!
Cheers