SV 650 or Bandit?

hi guys im new here and interested in getting an SV 650 or a GSF Bandit. these are the main two of my options due to insurance ( tpft being the cheapest at £660) and im just wondering which would be better for daily commuting in all weathers and frequant rides just for fun. my commute might be dramatically increasing in the summer to cross country so would it be able to handle that? and also what kind of milage can they get up to because i would have to buy second hand.

cheers

Nick

[BigFootIsBlurry]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you and I'm sure they are many people on here that are qualified to give you the pros and cons of both but I've decided on an SV because I think they look better. I havnt actually got it yet so I cant offer any other advice but who are you ringing about insurance? I've only rang one company (Churchill, because they insure my car) and they quoted me £310 tpft on an sv. Thats with about 5 minutes riding experience and no eligible NCB.

it was on confused.com cos when i was going through all this for my 125 in march i found them to be the best at getting a cheap quote. but iv been riding since june 07 on scooters for a while and then 125cc bikes and now im wanting to go up again. but being 17 at the moment doesnt help things...

[BigFootIsBlurry]

Ah, it'll be your age screwing you then I'd imagine. I'm only 22 but it does make a difference. Its $hit but you'll just have to put up with it for a while, its taken 5 years for driving for my car insurance to be anything better than laughable and from what I can see bikes arent much better

yep and if i manage to get my dream job they will screw me even more. apparently if your in the RAF your bike is at risk of being bombed?!?!?!? you would think with it being in a sealed off area with armed guards would make it safer wouldnt you?

hi i'd have to say although it sound's like a crap answer have a go there both good bike's that'll do what you ask of em(though personally i'd say the sv's more fun) both cheap to insure just depends which one suit's you best.

Originally Posted by NickWilde123

it was on confused.com cos when i was going through all this for my 125 in march i found them to be the best at getting a cheap quote. but iv been riding since june 07 on scooters for a while and then 125cc bikes and now im wanting to go up again. but being 17 at the moment doesnt help things...

Hi Nick,
Welcome to the .org
I'm 17 as well. I'm assuming you're going to get it restricted (correct me if I'm wrong here), in which case I'd say get the SV as they take the restriction a lot better as they still keep the torque they have low down in the rev range.

As for insurance, have you got a years no claims from your scooter?
I found that the comparison sites like confused.com were rubbish for finding a decent quote.
Get some quotes from the insurance companies direct, first on the internet and then call them and get them to beat it.
MCE gave me really good quotes that no-one else could compete with. Also try Carol Nash.
Whatever you do, don't settle for the first quote you get. Each insurance company is competing against each other to get your money, so use that to your advantage by getting a quote from someone (for arguements sake say £500). Knock off about £40-50 and tell the other insurance company that so and so offered me this, can you beat it?

Hope that helps,
Josh

Originally Posted by NickWilde123

yep and if i manage to get my dream job they will screw me even more. apparently if your in the RAF your bike is at risk of being bombed?!?!?!? you would think with it being in a sealed off area with armed guards would make it safer wouldnt you?

My insurer of approx 4 years would no longer quote for me because I am an artist (painter), I said WTF! the broker said something along the lines of it's because they think you might hang around with....get this...."certain types of people"???!!!! I LMAO and said yeah right, of course!...Im 49....I sit in a spare room at home painting horses, dogs, and cats from photos, Im tee-total, dont smoke......Im a real WILD CHILD me hahahaha!!!

SV all the way......looks better,more fun factor,more torquey.......does everything the blandit does & most things better.....HTH.

None of us can answer this question for you, only a test ride will determine which bike suits you and your needs best. A bike is a personal preference, what may suit you may not suit me.

From what you have listed in your original post both bikes will fit into that category perfectly. Bear in mind this is an SV forum the majority are bound to say the SV, also bear in mind that not many people have actually ridden both.