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MikeC
11-12-06, 09:50 PM
What are the SV650S's direct competitors, and why did you choose the SV over them? Just a general wondering really! :)

Sideshow#36
11-12-06, 09:54 PM
Suppose the new ER-6 is the best competetor. But at the time i think it was the fazer, bandit hornet etc. And i chose the sv cos im not a fan of il4's, no character and i love the styling. U?

northwind
11-12-06, 10:17 PM
ER6 and Hornet are the 2 big ones I think. The ER6 is a direct attack, and a very good one too- though the build quality is typically variable, kwak style, and they do seem to have a habit of snapping their frames. You have to include the Hyosang GT650 as well, it's basically an SV only slightly worse in every way... But also cheaper.

And the Hornet... Well, what's to say? It's a fantastic bike, as close to an IL4 SV as there is. They're very different to ride, of course, but massively more than the sum of their parts. Very nearly got one of these...

Ducati 695 Monster? Cagiva Raptor 650, of course, if they still make them. BMW 650s, I suppose.

I don't personally see the Fazer and Bandit as direct competition- sure, they're all in the "beginner bike" and "middleweight" brackets, but that's a huge market section, and also includes things like Africa Twins, GS500Es, etc. You've really got to narrow it down from there.

I chose the SV because I couldn't afford a tidy VFR400. It came down to Hornet or Fazer, and as a result I got the SV ;) While I was looking for a nice Fazer or a cheap Hornet, I was taking the bus every day. On the way to work, a yellow curvy went down the road, and on the way home a bronze pointy went up, every day, and the tail light of the pointy and the exhaust of the curvy got me interested.

The Basket
11-12-06, 10:23 PM
There are very few cheap small v-twins to choose from so the SV has few real competitors.

The Hyosang is the only other cheap v-twin.

northwind
11-12-06, 10:44 PM
Monster and Raptor are both fairly cheap... And the ER, though a parellel, is pretty close.

netsurfer
12-12-06, 12:26 AM
IIRC the raptor uses the same engine as the SV

Pete

northwind
12-12-06, 12:34 AM
Yup, that it does.

gettin2dizzy
12-12-06, 02:27 AM
i was so so tempted by the monster 695, but was wooed in by suzuki finance. Would have fancied a f800s too, but for £2000 more- i think not!

oldjack
12-12-06, 04:30 PM
Always liked the look of SV but was finally swayed by its weight (I am pretty weedy). It is a very light bike. And cheap, especially with 0% finance. Also fancied a Monster but read that a service was £400.

Duck-man
12-12-06, 04:55 PM
I was actually looking at 400cc sportsbike before someone mentioned the SV being a good bike for just passed DAS'ers and also cause everyone was talking about the magic 600 figure.

and the insurance was cheaper!

Caddy2000
12-12-06, 05:51 PM
I was wooed to the SV because of the V twin and what I read about it...
..... that and the insurance was soooo much cheaper than any of the other 600 competition (at the time - 3 yrs ago)

MikeC
12-12-06, 06:02 PM
For me its a combination of good looks (thou not with just the top fairing I'm afraid - find it very "weedy" looking, think a belly pan makes all the difference and I like the fully faired bikes too!), cheap insurance, good value for money and reasonable for pillions/luggage...plus I LOVE the rear lights on the pointy's with a tail tidy! Looks really aggressive! :D

STRAMASHER
12-12-06, 06:51 PM
Came down to a DRZ-SM vs SV650s

DRZ too tall for missus , too slow,too boingy, not quite to budget at the time 2nd hand.

Love V-twins,cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to run, nice to thrash, sounds great, looks good, the complete opposite to my other bike.

Still enjoy it after a year and a half although its mainly used for a 20mile commute everyday.

In city i want the naked one, but out in the sticks I know I got the right one.

Was "looking after" for a friend an early model Hornet. A quality, comfy, docile bike but too thrashy for my lazy taste. ..........and a non hinging fuel-cap :roll: WTF?!

:)

hovis
12-12-06, 07:24 PM
i was looking @ a thundercat (yzf 600) or sv.......insurance group 16 on the cat though

netsurfer
12-12-06, 08:16 PM
At first I was swaying towards a '02(ish) Bandit. However after stumbling on these forums, and doing a LOT of reading it wasn't long before I was converted to twin pot way of thinking :)

I had also for a short while considered the Hornet, however for the year of bike I wanted (post 2000 model due to no fairing on older ones) the cost was just too great for my budget.

Also, there is a bigger selection of secondhand SVs than secondhand Bandits

Pete

Coddy_SV1000Z
12-12-06, 10:00 PM
when i went out looking for a 1st bike i was looking for a 600, r6 cbr6 zx6r or even a blandit. until i walked into a shop and saw the SVZ, got a few quick quotes and decided it was for me. i never went out to buy a thou but ended up with one as all the other 600's i saw were silly money or just poor examples:lol: plus ive always loved the V twin sound :twisted:

MikeC
12-12-06, 11:13 PM
Coddy - was the thou your first bike then? How have you found it?

ejohnh
12-12-06, 11:34 PM
i was looking @ a thundercat (yzf 600) or sv.......insurance group 16 on the cat though

Hey Taff, where are you getting the quotes from? I loved the one about the cabbages.
JohnH

ejohnh
12-12-06, 11:41 PM
I went to the 1999 bike show at the NEC with a friend who had a big Honda. I'd given up bikes about 25 years previously and just went along for the crack. Saw a curvy then and fell for it. Put it out of my mind until this september when I started thinking about getting a Bandit. Then I saw an sv650 curvy going on eBay. I bought it - there was no competition.

Why is everone calling it a light bike anyway? I'm damn sure I couldn't pick it up if it fell over!
When I was riding first, light weight was 125 to 250cc, a middleweight was 350 or 500cc. 650cc was a BIG bike and a Vincent 1000 was a bike for giants! :o)

JohnH

MikeC
13-12-06, 12:05 AM
I think nowadays 250cc or less is a little bike, 250cc up to 600cc is still lightweight just not super-light, 600cc-800cc is mid-weight and 800cc-1200cc is a big bike. Anything bigger than a 1200 is bloody huge...up to the Rocket III, all 2.3 litres (yes 2,300cc!!) of it!

U should be able to pick an SV up no problems. I've picked up a VFR800 alone, thou i didnt drop it and it took some lifting. Also picked up a mates CB500, which i reckon weights a similar amount to an SV, and that was ok too..!

Coddy_SV1000Z
13-12-06, 12:13 AM
Coddy - was the thou your first bike then? How have you found it?

it was my first big bike after a 50cc ped, ive found it very easy to ride from the times ive been out on it. Obviously i havent ridden it anywhere near its limits as im only 'new' to it but so far so good, the torque of it is a beauty :lol:

MikeC
13-12-06, 12:14 AM
Interesting, I had assumed the thou would be too much for a newer rider!

As a rough guide, and I know its a crap one, but whats the 0-60 and top end of a 1000 against that of a 600? I think the 600 is around 4.35s and 130mph, but I stand to be corrected...?!

Coddy_SV1000Z
13-12-06, 12:18 AM
Interesting, I had assumed the thou would be too much for a newer rider!

As a rough guide, and I know its a crap one, but whats the 0-60 and top end of a 1000 against that of a 600? I think the 600 is around 4.35s and 130mph, but I stand to be corrected...?!

Depends how 'throttle happy' you are mate, as its my only big bike i had nothing to compare it with in the past so got on it with an open book if you get me

Speed wise someone on here will have the official figures or will have personal experiences of it

MikeC
13-12-06, 12:24 AM
Well i've ridden a fair few bikes (50RX, RS50, DT125R, race CR125, CB500, VFR800) and the scariest one by far was the CR125....that was mental quick.

I have quite a bit of self control and i'm not a lunatic by any means; I also havent ridden on the road much (other than my DAS stuff on the CB500) so like you. I'd be playing it by ear which may well be the best way.

May have to get some insurance quotes tmrw...just outta interest, has yours sold and whats special about the 'Z'?

Also, I've heard the thou is more vibey as you're not at such high revs at comparable speeds...so what speed is it smooth and comfortable to cruise at? And whats it like on fuel?

Coddy_SV1000Z
13-12-06, 12:29 AM
Well i've ridden a fair few bikes (50RX, RS50, DT125R, race CR125, CB500, VFR800) and the scariest one by far was the CR125....that was mental quick.

I have quite a bit of self control and i'm not a lunatic by any means; I also havent ridden on the road much (other than my DAS stuff on the CB500) so like you. I'd be playing it by ear which may well be the best way.

May have to get some insurance quotes tmrw...just outta interest, has yours sold and whats special about the 'Z'?

Also, I've heard the thou is more vibey as you're not at such high revs at comparable speeds...so what speed is it smooth and comfortable to cruise at? And whats it like on fuel?

mine hasnt sold yet, its tucked away in the garage nice and warm for the winter lol, The SZ was a tribute for the GSXR anniversary. it is a fully faired model and has blue and white pearl paint job and a few other tweaks to the engine, supposedly 125bhp (dont quote me)
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/CoddyyddoC/Suzuki%20SV1000SZk5/th_100_0118.jpg

Fuel wise i havent found it bad but again i have no other previous bike to compare it to. Cruising speed wise it feels happy to plod along at whatever you want to do

MikeC
13-12-06, 12:34 AM
Fuel wise i havent found it bad but again i have no other previous bike to compare it to. Cruising speed wise it feels happy to plod along at whatever you want to do

Not meaning to be rude at all, but thats the vaguest answer ever!

I noticed it hasnt reached its reserve on Ebay etc, whats your target price for the bike? PM me if u like - but may get some insurance quotes tmrw and will need a value!

Cheers,

Mike :)

Coddy_SV1000Z
13-12-06, 12:39 AM
pm'd, try now :wink:

wyrdness
13-12-06, 09:54 AM
Why is everone calling it a light bike anyway? I'm damn sure I couldn't pick it up if it fell over!
JohnH
It's as much about technique as strength. I've picked up a Harley big twin (1340cc of solid iron). There may have been a bit of adrenaline involved there though.