Thinking about summer 2007 and maybe changing bike...
 

Hi folks, I’d really appreciate your views, here’s the score:
I’ve got an 05 sv650 naked I bought summer 06. I’ve spent about £800/$1500 on the usual streetfigher mods and I think it looks great – the only problem is I’m wanting a bit more performance. I’ll be honest with you, I’m a bit of a fatty 5’9inch & 15.5stone, maybe all that lard isn’t helping? Oh and before you mention the word diet, please don’t bother – it’s a dirty word as far as I’m concerned.

So what do you recommend I go for? I don’t do scratching around corners, I just want something with a bit more poke under acceleration and more top speed. My naked SV feels a bit gutless past 100, I’ve had it up to 130, but it took longer than I’d like & once there, was bloody scary!

1)Do you rate the f800 series?

2)Supersports are a problem – because of my insurance. A 600 is just about OK, but anything bigger just gets silly. I’m worried that a GSX-R600 would feels too thrashy – what with the lack of torque combined with my weight, what do ya reckon?

3)I can’t buy an SV1000 since they no longer make them & I want a new bike, what’s your views on something like a bandit 1200?/ cb1300 etc.

4)Two bikes that seem to fit the bill for someone like me is the vfr800 & the Sprint ST abs. They’re bloody expensive though, and I here neither are cheap to run. Rate either of them?

My budget will be up to £8000. I have local (within 3 miles) BWM, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki & Honda dealers. The nearest Triumph dealer is 45miles away which could be a pain.

Well, what’s your thoughts before I go test ride this summer?

Much appreciated Billy.
http://upload5.postimage.org/152142/edited.jpg

Given your current bike and requirements probably the Z750 is what you want, no more to insure than a GSXR6, 100bhp or so,so should keep you happy with top end and the added cc keep a little more mid-range to.

My brothers just got a f800 and it'll give you no more than the SV and to be honest is a bit tacky build wise for a BMW (well it's not a real BMW anyway) plus the fact any bike you fill with juice under the seat is called a moped :lol:

If you're looking for effortless power with torque to spare then the Triumph new lump is very good, the ST is an excellent bike but not my style and although the new speed triple looks good the feel of the engine is a little "safe" if you know what I mean, this does make it an easy bike to ride though, insurance can be surprisingly cheap on them as well :shock: .

The VFR is a safe bet and a good bike, but not high on the "sets the pulse racing" side of things, but if it floats your boat then go for it.

If you look you can still find the odd SV1000 (DZ) kicking about pre-reg which would also fit, as it's what you already have just a little more power and better brakes and bouncy bits.

There are plenty of other bikes that fit your budget, but as you jump between insurance limitations to plastic wonders to wanting what you've got just with a bit more, it's hard to tell what else to recommend.


Cheers Mark.

Hi Billy - nice looking bike. There is a guy in Ride or Bike or something that rates the F800 - but the rest of the crew their think its rubbish.

Take the sprint for a ride. I found it uninspiring compared to my SV. I didnt feel the edge on it which could be a good thing I guess - I suspect you will understand when you ride it. The VFR I dont know much about but if I ever took up serious touring I would consider both bikes for the job - (also a big Beemer for the aesthetics).

If you look at nakeds I would recommend a Tuono which i got at the start of the year - torque/speed/friendly ergonomics - and when you do do corners it does these very well :wink: Maybe sitting at the height of your insurance. Not heard anything about the new 750 Shiver yet but it also looks good and puts out 90hp. Fazer thou could be an option but needs extra fueling items (PC/Can etc) added on to smooth it out. Easy option would be the Speed Triple or Zthou.

Z750 sounds about right to me too. Really underrated bikes... Fazer thou maybe?

Heh, if you want to go fast but not go round corners- VMAX!

Hmmm, always an emotional subject this one....

Personally, if you like nakeds, Rictus is, as ever, right on the button. The Z750 is a good package for the money, and if you want a little bit more power & style, the Speed Triple is a great piece of kit. However, unlike Mark, my favourite is the last of the 955 models, just because I love the look.

As for the VFR/Sprint ST, I have ridden both quite a few times now. The ST, to me, seems too softly sprung, it wallows in bends and the breaks aren't great. It's certainly comfortable and it sounds glorious (but all 3 pot Trumpets do). The VFR is a wonderful machine, but to get any excitement from it you need to ride it like a 600 supersport. It will entertain you and it can go through the twisties much better than people imagine. However, it's not the cheapest bike to buy or run, but it sounds fantastic with a set of cans :x

At the end of the day it's your choice, and you need to test ride a few bikes to get a good idea of what you want. I regularly take bikes out for tests, even though I have no inclination to change right now, I just want to know what's out there and how they ride. So my advice is make a list of bikes you'd like to try, take them all out, twice if you can, and do some back to back on the same day so you get an idea of the differences. I usually have a mate with me on a test ride and we "swap" bikes at some point, so you also get a 2nd opinion.

Sorry, I've waffled haven't I :oops:

.

I hate to point out that the speed limit in this country is only 70mph ;)

Ok, i'll get my coat

That's alright, my speedo doesn't work so it's currently impossible for me to speed. Right? :)

(I rode past a camera van on an NSL road at about 20mph this morning, got The Fear...)

I went from a naked SV650 to a Z750 (I know its the uglier faired one! :wink: ) and found the performance increase very welcome indeed - it dont 'arf go! Plenty of go up to 6000 and then she takes off up to the 11,500 redline! :twisted:

SV1000! great effortless 2 up riding and low insurance, not thrashy.

The Z750 is quite a nice bike up from the SV. Twas riding my dads teh other week... Only problem with it is the saddle is atrocious after riding any further than a couple of miles, and even worse with pillion on the back. (Faired version).
Just kept the revs up high, to stay in power. Doesn't sound too bad either, even with standard can on!