Newbie seeking buying advice

Hey guys & girls,

My name is Mark, I'm 27 and I live near Belfast in Northern Ireland.

I'm currently looking to buy my first proper mode of transport. I had a moped for a few years but that doesn't count

After a good few weeks looking around the internerd I have come to the conclusion that the SV650 is for me.

I have a few questions for you all.
I am drawn to a naked 2003+ SV650 but my sensible side of my brain is telling me to look for a 2002 SV650S. For a newbie rider, will I have any problems in controlling a non-faired bike? I have a mate who had a streetfighter Bandit 400 and he said that it handled like a shopping trolley. So, which model do you recommend for my first bike?

Over the next few weeks I'll be buying the following gear:
• Shoei Raid II lid
• Joe Rocket Phoenix 4.0 jacket
• Joe Rocket Alter Ego Trousers

Any thoughts on this kit would be appreciated.

I have a budget of around £3,500 for the bike, if possible I want to get a good'n. I think I'd like to get a nice bike with a decent can & a hugger. Am I being realistic with this budget?

Thanks in advance

Cheers;
Poncho

you can get a brand new one for that sort of money.

oh.......... welcome

Originally Posted by hovis

you can get a brand new one for that sort of money.

oh.......... welcome

Sweet! I've been looking on biketrader trying to find a good bike on the same island as I am but no such luck. I'll probably be seriously looking to buy one in about two weeks. Are there any other websites I should look at for nice bikes for sale?

Thanks again

From past experience of other Irish members, i am pretty sure bikes are more expensive over there....and of course there are less to choose from. Why not buy in England and ride it back yourself?

As for your budget its a little under what a new SV650 costs, so IMO either pay a bit more and buy new(of course you then blag as many extras as possible) or spend £1500 on a good condition curvy...rumour has it yellow ones have proven the fastest!

Thanks for your advice. Yeah, the selection of bikes over here is miserable! Yeah, I was considering buying from the mainland and riding it back... I'll have to see what I can find

Budget-wise, as an Irishman, I am a bit of a pikey so I don't want to pay full whack for a new one. I figure I'd get a really good one for £3,500 which is the limit to my budget.

Hmmm, I actually rather like the black ones. I loved streethawk as a child

i think thunderoad (south wales) are selling brand new 06 for £3500ish?

01656 661131

Yeah, I'd buy one in Liverpool or someplace and ride it back. Got a mint 2005 with 120 miles on the clock for less than your budget, and that was dealer prices

On the faired/no faired thing, I'd expect unfaired to be ever so slightly easier to ride, up to about 30mph, after that they're probably about the same until 80 odd, when you'll be wishing for a fairing. Stress slightly though, you'll get used to it within about 10 miles

I'd question the geometry of your mate's streetfightered bandit - streetfightered could well translate as "bodged". A standard nekkid SV has slightly less weight, slightly lower pegs and more comfortable bars rather than clip ons so in my mind a nekkid should be slightly easier to ride than a faired - major, major stress on slightly though. Get whichever you prefer.

Oh, and on this forum it's probably wise to skirt round the whole "best colour" question - whole big can of worms there. Everyone knows red ones go fastest.

Check out the For Sale section here.

You might of just (I mean JUST) missed out on a K6 (2006) with something daft like 200 miles on the clock for something rediculous like £2800!! (I'm sketchy on the details without double checking). The bike was/is on Anglesey too, so it'd only be about £87 to get a return trip from Dublin - Holyhead. Bargain IMO!! I'm not sure if Bethan has sold her bike or not to be honest.

Any bike less than 2years old will still have Suzuki warranty on it as well.

Happy hunting, and welcome to the mad house!

Good luck on your hunt, if you are going to come across UK side try and book in to see a few SVs to give you an idea for what's out there.

Also perhaps posting in the Pennine Massive if you're planning on going to Liverpool, there may be a few people who can advise on dealers etc.

hows this?

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=90158