Help us choose which model to buy.....round or pointy

Hoping to get some advice on which is the best sv, mainly in terms of seat height but also performance, reliability etc.

The bike is going to be for my girlfriend, it'll be the unfaired model but we can't decide if the older round frame or newer pointy frame model would be best.

She's had a sit on the new model and can reach the ground not too badly although her feet aren't flat on the deck they're not far off it. We haven't been able to find an older unfaired model to get a sit on yet but I've read the specs and it's seat is slightly higher. Are there any shorties out there that have ridden both models that could give us a comparison?

Whichever one we go for i'll probably fit the lowering links to the rear suspension so she can get her fet flat on the ground.

We both perfer the looks of the older round frame model but would go for the newer one if it was a better fit or a significantly better bike.

Also are there any benifits or pitfalls in terms of reliability, servicing costs etc between the older carby model and the newer fool injection one.

Sorry for all the pain in the butt newbie questions, I appreciate your time in helping us out. Being from north of the border the choice of bikes up here is limited so it's difficult to find older ones to try out. Particularly difficult to find unfaired bikes, about 8 out of 10 that we see advertised have a fairing.

Thanks in advance for your help

cheers

Stewart

It's been a while since I've ridden one, but I remember the curvey actualy feeling slightly lower.

The K3 pointy is the highest of the lot, though, and K4 onwards are slightly lower.

Performance - very little in it, you won't notice the difference.

Reliability - in good weather, both bikes are good. If it's to be used all year round then carb icing can be an issue for the curvey. You'll need a fender extender for either model if you plan on wet weather riding.

I have a naked curvy and a faired pointy and i find the naked is lower. I've even had longer dog bones put on the pointy to lower it but the naked still feels smaller.

As the squirell says not much difference other than that, which ever you choose you'll be happy with.

Speaking aesthetically, and as the owner of a Hornet (so my taste in bikes is unquestionable ), I prefer the naked curvy to the naked pointy, but prefer the pointy "S" to the curvy "S".

Also, and just a small point, the "feet on floor" bit is influenced as much by seat width as it is by seat height for many bikes. All you can do is try 'em for size

I'll get back to Idle Banter now.............

[jambo]

As jabba mentioned width and height are both important, I have a feeling the curvey's may be slightly thinner at the seat point so this may help. Either way lowering the bike is possible to a fairly scary degree, Samnooshka is 5ft nothing and we've got Her SV working rather well now (K5 650S)

As squirrel mentioned the K3s were a bit higher than everything before and after so probably best avoided.

[BillyC]

Originally Posted by jambo

As squirrel mentioned the K3s were a bit higher than everything before and after so probably best avoided.

Poppycock!

I've a K3.. and I've got the shortest legs in the world.

It's worth noting that a new bike will sag with time - it doesn't take long.

That said, the seat on the K4 and onwards isn't just marginally lower, and marginally narrower (slightly better contours), but my impression is that it's a bit more confortable overall when compared with the K3.

Anyway... any pointy is better than a curvy (hides)

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Jabba-the-Hutt

as the owner of a Hornet (so my taste in bikes is unquestionably bad )

Just corrected that for you Jabba...

[jambo]

Originally Posted by BillyC

I've a K3.. and I've got the shortest legs in the world.

Clearly you haven't unless they've worn away of late

The subframe was different on the K3 IIRC which made the seat a bit higher, not hugely so but if hight is of concern this may not be the perfect model to start with.

Originally Posted by BillyC

I've a K3.. and I've got the shortest legs in the world.

ha! wanna bet?

Ok, so I managed to end up with a K3 but it ended up the lowest SV in London!! (well, until it was written off anyway)

[BillyC]

Originally Posted by jambo

The subframe was different on the K3 IIRC which made the seat a bit higher, not hugely so but if hight is of concern this may not be the perfect model to start with.

Exactly that... the K4 650's and later shared their subframe with the naked SV1000's (Faired K3 SV1000's had the straighter frame of the K3 650).

This meant that it was slightly higher, and the seat was rather flat and wide. The K4, being slightly lower, also had a more tapered seat - much better for those of us with challenging inside-leg measurements.