Buying a new SV650S...advice/opinions please!

[MikeC]

Hi all,

Right, I went motorbike shopping this wknd but sadly it was all cut a bit short. Firstly I went to a Triumph dealer to look at a TT600 they had but they were closing early for their Xmas party so got a quick sit on it but not much more. Very comfy bike thou, great pillion seat too IMO and generally impressed thou this one was a bit battered I reckon...anyway, good bike.

I then went to a Suzuki dealer. Sadly they had no 2nd hand bikes or demo's available so I couldn't test ride anything, but they did have 4 x SV650S's in the window, all new - 3 unfaired and one fully faired (Sport?) model. They were £4,199 and £4,299 respectively. Is this a good price? It's fully faired, rear seat cowl plus pillion seat and grab rail and a years free insurance fully comp (I'm 22 so I assume I'm eligible - would 3 points mean I'm not thou?)?

Is £4,299 a good price or can anyone better it? Is there some haggle room there?

Also, after sitting on the bike my first thought was the seat is really rather firm - however, this was a new bike and the TT i'd just sat on had 14,000 miles on it. After sitting on it for 5 mins or so it did appear to be a bit comfier but that could be a trick of the mind! So, does the seat 'give' and become softer after some riding? The same could be said for the pillion perch, which also seemed notably higher and harder than the TT's - does anyone carry a pillion, and how does it fair?

Thanks in advance... :)

[fizzwheel]

Sounds like a good price IMHO, I think they are supposed to retail for £4699 so £4299 is a £400 discount which on a new bike is pretty good. But I bet if you haggle you'll get the price down a bit. Especially at this time of year as its a slow month for bike dealers.

The seat is hard to start with, but after a few thousand miles it will get softer and more comfy.

I dont know about insurance, best thing you can do is to ask the dealer if your elligable or not.

Pillion comfort is reasonable, but not brilliant IMHO its better than a sportsbike like a GSXR-600 is going to be.

HTH

[kwak zzr]

£4299 sound good, my cousin just paid £4800 for a sk6 without the lowers and seat cowel.

[MikeC]

Thats fizz :)

I was thinking, although not "my thing" a top box would be really useful for work so could try and negotiate one of them into the price.

I can afford to buy now, so as its December would it be worth it as they prob don't sell many, or wait til the New Year? Are they likely to have a sale on new bikes in the New Year? Is the SV due to be discontinued any time soon, or replaced?

Glad to hear the seat softens up a bit! :D

[MikeC]

£4299 sound good, my cousin just paid £4800 for a sk6 without the lowers and seat cowel.

WTF??? Don't tell him this then!!

[fizzwheel]

TBH if you have the money then buy it and buy it now. Liz purchased a new to her bike yesterday, just by asking what the best price they would do meant she got another £300 knocked off the screen price of the bike. The dealer we were in including Liz's bike had sold 5 this month. Its near the end of the month and if sales are down and they have a sales target to meet you are more likely to get a better deal. So haggle haggle haggle, especially if you are a cash buyer and are not trading anything in.

I dont believe we are due for a SV replacement this year and the K7 2007 models have been annouced now. All its looks like to me is the usual colour changes.

If its what you want snap it up.

[kwak zzr]

£4299 sound good, my cousin just paid £4800 for a sk6 without the lowers and seat cowel.

WTF??? Don't tell him this then!!

from my experience streetbike in dudley dont do deals :?

[The Basket]

Don't forget the Bandit 650 either.

Top bike for the cash.

If you have to pay more than £4,000 then shop around.

[MikeC]

Thanks fizz. I take it these will be 2006 bikes then, not the Honda trick of releasing 2007 bikes mid-2006?

Also, there's two colours - a nice dark blue and a girly purple which is apparently silver? Now the dark blue ones with teh fairing lowers and seat cowl - are they Sport models or just SV650S' with extras? What makes a Sport a Sport? Cos the one in teh showroom did have a "Sport" sticker under where the grab rail would be...but is it a real one? Were there any suspension/engine/brake mod's to the Sport?

Suzuki's website is remarkably poor for information on it!

[MikeC]

Think I prefer the Sv to the Bandit, but whats the difference between them? Which is the better bike?

If anyone fancies giving me a brief overview/comparison of the two bikes, that'd be great! :D

[on yer bike]

The bandit is an inline four, the sv is a v twin. - bandit slightly quicker acceleration
The bandit has a couple bhp more (I think). - bandit slightly more powerful
The bandit is insurance group 11, the sv is group 10, - sv cheaper to insure

The sv looks hotter, thats what swung my decision.

The sport model is the standard model with fairing lowers and a seat cowl stuck on, apart from that, the models are identical in every way (stickers, the lot)

[mattSV]

Thanks fizz. I take it these will be 2006 bikes then, not the Honda trick of releasing 2007 bikes mid-2006?

Also, there's two colours - a nice dark blue and a girly purple which is apparently silver? Now the dark blue ones with teh fairing lowers and seat cowl - are they Sport models or just SV650S' with extras? What makes a Sport a Sport? Cos the one in teh showroom did have a "Sport" sticker under where the grab rail would be...but is it a real one? Were there any suspension/engine/brake mod's to the Sport?
Suzuki's website is remarkably poor for information on it!

Only mods on the 'sport' are the lowers and seat cowl IIRC - there are no mods to suspension / engine / brakes.

TBH, the suspension, engine & brakes are not really that bad out of the crate - it just depends what you are used to.

[Biker Biggles]

Bandit is also a bit of a barge compared to the SV.
Before parting with wads of hard earned,bear in mind that you could get a two year old one for little more than half that money,or an old curvy(the nice looking one)for £1200.If this is your first proper bike I'd suggest an old one first so any "mistakes" don't cause too much heartache.You learn so much from it,including basic maintenance,which all comes in handy when you get a newer one.

[The Basket]

Bit unfair on the Bandit there!

Get a test ride and see which you like. The unfaired and faired SV are two different bikes with totally different riding positions.

The SVN is high bars and straight back and the SVS is head down, racing crouch.

The Bandit is more your tourer and the SV is a bit more sporty. but the Bandit is a super motorcycle...just not fashionable or stylish.

[Stig]

Thanks fizz. I take it these will be 2006 bikes then, not the Honda trick of releasing 2007 bikes mid-2006?

Also, there's two colours - a nice dark blue and a girly purple which is apparently silver? Now the dark blue ones with teh fairing lowers and seat cowl - are they Sport models or just SV650S' with extras? What makes a Sport a Sport? Cos the one in teh showroom did have a "Sport" sticker under where the grab rail would be...but is it a real one? Were there any suspension/engine/brake mod's to the Sport?

Suzuki's website is remarkably poor for information on it!

The S is the sport model. Fared, smaller rear sprocket. Pegs slightly further back than the naked. Obviously clipons instead of handlebars. I would have thought that it's a 2006 bike that they are selling or even 2005. I would make sure that the bargain that it seems, really is just that. It would not be the first time that I have seen a new bike being sold for what seems like a great deal only to find that it's actually a two year old bike that they could not sell.

[on yer bike]

If this is your first proper bike I'd suggest an old one first so any "mistakes" don't cause too much heartache.You learn so much from it,including basic maintenance,which all comes in handy when you get a newer one.

He's right, the week after I bought mine, I dropped it trying to wheel it round when polishing the thing... I'm not ashamed to say that the place was flooded in tears!


The S is the sport model. Fared, smaller rear sprocket. Pegs slightly further back than the naked. Obviously clipons instead of handlebars.

SV650S ISN'T the sport model, the s is the half faired model, the sport model is the exact same, only it was released in 2006 to try and get rid of all those unbought fairing lowers that suzuki had stocked up on

[fizzwheel]

Think I prefer the Sv to the Bandit, but whats the difference between them? Which is the better bike?

Depends what you want to do with it. TBH theres only so much we can tell you, the only way YOU and YOU alone are going to find out which one YOU like best, is for YOU to go and test ride both and then make your own mind up.

They are both very different bikes and ride, handle and perform in a very different way. The Bandit is a bit heavier than the SV, it has a more upright riding position and IMHO has a more comfortable seat. Also its probably better for two up work than the SV is. If you have a big commute or lots of motorway miles to cover, then don't rule out the faired Bandit.

Its a bit slower to steer than the SV and when you push it hard it wallow's about on the suspension more than the SV does. Its not a bad bike, its alot of fun to ride, just like the SV can be.

Oh and the "Dark Blue" of the Suzuki SV650S Sport, isnt as dark in the flesh, Its almost Turqoise.

If its got sport stuck on the front fairing above one of the headlights, then its definately what it says it is. Bigape is right though make sure what you are actually buying is what you think you are buying and not oldstock that has been hanging about in the showroom, though saying that a 2005 bike should be priced to reflect this i.e it'll be cheaper.

[MikeC]

OK, well it's a black framed SV650S in a deep blue colour that has a greeny tint to it in the lights...is that an '06 bike?

Also, I think the Bandit riding position sounds a bit more to my liking but I really like the looks of the fully faired SV!

It will be my first big bike but the way I look at it is I'll spending say £2,500 on a 2nd hand model with 10k on the clock, unknown history and then +£500 TPFT insurance or £1,000 FC = £3,000 - £3,500 for a 2nd hand bike, insured. New bike is £4,299 (less and haggling) including a years' free insurance! So an extra £800 for a brand new bike...seems to make sense to me!

Guaranteed thou, if I drop it i'll be gutted :( May take the fairing lowers off for a bit and put some dirty great crash bungs on! :D

[on yer bike]

yeah, if its got a hint of green in the blue then its the 06 model, (the green looks stonger in some light and in some photos than in others. I personally prefered the 05 blue, so went for the 06 silver, which isn't really silver either)

[MikeC]

Yeah, it def had some green coming through in the bright lights of the shop, almost oily looking - really cool! I really liked the old silver but not so much the new one - looked a bit purple under the shop lights, but that could be the lights!

So, lets get this straight. £4,299 is a good price for a fully faired bike but may be able to haggle more given the month. It is a Sport model(?). And I should get an SV? ;)

Oh, going back to my original questions - anyone carry a pillion and how do they and the pillion find it? There'll be two pillions (not at the same time); 1st is the missus, 5'4" and all of 7 stone in weight. 2nd is a mate, 6ft tall and nearer 10-11 stone I guess. Will they both actually fit, and will either be comfortable?

Thanks :)

[on yer bike]

And I should get an SV? ;)

you're asking a slightly biased forum that question, but yes, defo the sv..

I got the SV650s a few weeks before they released the sport with fairings... but I went out and got the fairings anyway for cheap of ebay so wasn't that bothered...

yeah it is a good price, the cheapest I got the sv650s was £4000, but then there is the fairings which are £384-ish and there is the the cowl at £66 so yeah, its a good deal for £4299

I hope u get the standard rear seat with the sport model too, as sitting on a seat cowl for your pillion would be very uncomfy.

I've had people on the back, a few of them heavier than me (11st) never any problems except one guy who was the same weight but quite a bit taller and must of been leaning a bit back, as I felt a lack of grip in the front wheel. but had no complaint about comfort.

[MikeC]

Thanks for the replies :D

Trouble is, I'm finding it hard to find any test rides this time of year as no dealers have demo's it seems, and very few have much 2nd hand stock either! Seem to be running them low over the period so its not sitting around?

It's good to know its not bad on pillions too - I dont intend on too much 2-up work but the missus parents ride (VFR800 VTEC) and would be good if we could tag along with them now and then! I'm 6ft tall, athletic build and around 13.5 stone so should help keep the weight at the front a bit. I hear that being a V-twin helps it perform when 2-up better than an IL-4; is this correct?

Oh, and yes it comes with a pillion seat, grab rail etc plus the lower fairings and rear seat cowl fitted!

I'm really rather excited - may have to get a nice blue SV650S Sport! :D :D :D Cant wait!!!!

[on yer bike]

I'm not sure where you're from, cupar (fife, scotland) have a demo pointy... not sure what year, but after 2004 they are very much similar models (even 2003 is similar, apart from a higher tail) so its good for an idea. Just phone up your local dealers and find out what they have.

as for the 2 up, I don't know the answer to if a v twin is any better than an in-line 4, but someone here will hopefully, lol

[Dysparunia]

I bought one from Alford Bros in Folkestone (K6 sport model) for £4100 new, and good price on a part ex.

If you do buy the sport, make sure you get the pillion seat (esp if you want to be able to take pillions!), if nothing else you could flog it for a few quid on e-bay.

If you do want to take pillions you might want to ask them not to install the rear seat (or at least the grab rail bits). The actual cover & the seat are easily interchangeable, but the bits which go over where the grab rails secure require a few minutes with a spanner.

Sorry I haven't described that very well, but if it's not clear let me know & I can take some pics & things to demonstrate what I mean.

Andy