Any ER6 owners in here?

I remember reading some of your posts when I was looking for a successor to the SV, in my case it wasn't a choice of SV or ER6, rather ER6 or alternative (possibly the Yamaha MT07). All good info, thanks.

[Kenzie]

Don't really pay attention, but at least 7-8000rpm

[Sid Squid]

Here's some more ER6 positivity:

ER6 comparisons with the SV are an inevitability - they sit in the same spot in the market. The engine is a parallel twin rather than a V, so will feel somewhat different, but that doesn't mean one is better than the other. There really are minimal differences functionally, so personal preference will thus be more important.
I love the SV but there's no getting away from the fact that the ER6 is a newer, better bike than the SV650.
It's also no coincidence that ER6s are doing very well at the track. In the relevant classes the SV was the bike to have for some time - it's no longer the only choice.

[Red Herring]

I know the "build quality" of the SV isn't the best, but from what I have seen the ER6 is even worse. There are quite a few out there that look as if they have been through a fair few more winters than they could have.... It's good practice to hose a bike down after riding on winter roads anyhow, but if you don't want to, or can't, then expect some serious corrosion.

[Kenzie]

Only issue I can see witht the ER is the manky downpipes!

After twelve years of year-round riding, I think my curvy SV looked pretty good. The fork legs were pretty motheaten, and the engine black was tatty, but all in all, the frame and paintwork were in great nick. Washing and polishing was a doddle.

I'm told that the build and finish of the new ER6's is better than in previous years, but only time will tell. Certainly there is a ton of plastic, infills, and hard to get to nooks and crannies that are going to make it a nightmare to look after through the winter (though I understand that AFC50 is my friend).

Had a cracking ride on it today however, so I'll worry about that when the time comes!

I was always told the er6 was quite a training school bike...quite safe and boring. Not sure if thats a general opinion though..

[Kenzie]

Safe yes. Boring? Not really. I find it quite flickable, stable and easy to ride.

I'll tell you the real story of why you see manky looking ER6s... they get used more all year round because they are essentially easier to ride than SVs and the faired ones are a damn sight more comfortable on the wrists than an SV650S. Any trip of over 50 miles has to be broken down into stages on an SV to give your wrists a break, whereas on an ER you just keep going until you need to fill up again. Typical mileage of an SV of the same age is usually around half that of an ER6 - this comes from someone who ran a Kawasaki and Suzuki dealership for a couple of years.

I've owned two SVs, neither of which really floated my boat, then I bought a Versys, which is basically the same engine and frame as an ER6 but with a touch taller suspension and with slightly less power. I would never go back to owning an SV. I had my SVs for a total of 2 years, I've owned the Versys for 5 1/2 and would only replace it with another Versys if it got wrecked or nicked.