confused newbie.

Hello everyone,
quick intro. The name is tommy and i'm from the north of ireland- Belfast to be more precise and after several years of threatening to go out and pass my bike test, finally, last monday i did just that- hooray me. I'm quite pleased with myself to be fair. So much infact, that i thought i'd go out and buy a nice shiney new bike. Well! That was plan. Everyone had convinced me that a bandit would be best, as i'm pretty tall and they have a nice riding position, they're a smooth ride and to fair, i thought they look quite well plus they're quite easy to sell again.
So i took my money, went into suzuki and thats when it all went pear shaped- the bandit now looks pretty sh*t compared to the sv650sport that it was sitting beside and who really cares about comfort and all that stuff- this is what leads me to my question(s).
firstly- i'm going to book a test drive later in the week but would like to know, as i'm like 6ft 3, how comfortable is the sv and would it be suitable for me? as i read last night it is a little cramped if you are over six foot tall
secondly, If i do indeed like it when i test it should i go new or try and source a second hand one, as i've read various opinions about different yeared models.

your adviced in these matters would be greatly recieved because at the minute I just want one and i'll go to this test drive with the blinkers on and just had over the money without thinking. I'm aware from reading your posts that you all seem to love the sv, so the third question is- are they really that enjoyable to ride cos they just seem to be too good to be true

thank you for your time and cos i'm new, plaese go easy on me .cheers


sorry i've just noticed eddies post so the height thing seems to be sorted out thankyou

Hi & welcome . I believe it is obligatory for someone to say 'welcome to the madhouse' at this point!

I had a curvy (the older style) S model, I'm 6'3" ish and I found it absolutely fine and comfy.

You'd probably be better off getting 2nd hand as obviously it'll be cheaper (and the older curvy cheaper than the later pointy). They're pretty similar (the later pointy version has fuel injection), have a look at the photos section and see which one floats your boat. Having said that, if I could have afforded a new one I would have got one. Although I have now moved on to a supersports 600 albeit an older and less extreme version.

Hi fergie, if you're the real fergie I like your daughter Eugenie although Beatrice is a bit of a slag

It's a while (4 years) since I had a SV - and I'm not 6'3 so dunno as to Q1. As to Q2, dunno either. But in answer to your third question, a SV is mahoosive fun. Really great bike. I had a blue K3 (pointy). You'll struggle to find as enjoyable a bike at the price.

You'll be fine at 6'3". I'm 6'2". You can meke it more comfortable with a very minor mod of sticking particular Buell pegs on and a longer Honda CBR600F gear linkage rod. I done it and it helped a lot. I found my knees didn't fit inside the sculptures of the tank.

Other than that I'd get an SV. The Blandit isn't called so for nowt!

Welcome to the pleasuredome!

welcome fergie you wont regret buying an sv vtwins rule

You won't have any problem on the SV being over 6ft, check out this current thread on other peoples comments....

WRT getting a second hand bike, its probably not a bad idea as a first bike. You can pick up some really nice examples for silly money, and chances are that at some point it will take a tumble off the side stand or similar whilst you're gettin used to it. Best save your cash for when you have a bit of experience under your belt.

The SV is a wicked first bike and cheap to run too - sportier than a bandit and lighter too!

A Bandit is a fine first bike - its what I got after I passed my test - however after a while you'll find them a little overweight and under powered, and not especially agile. Fine if you are just taking to to work and back, but they can get a bit boring on the twisties after a while - fortunately for me I bought a bonkers bike at the same time to keep me entertained (I was rich in those days )

also bear in mind that a bandit and an SV in similar condition and similar age will sell for about the same money (ish) - you get a lot more for your money in the SV in my opinion

Originally Posted by mototech

welcome fergie you wont regret buying an sv vtwins rule

What that man said.

Hello and welcome. I considered a bandit as my first bike but settled for the SV (pointy). I agree with you, It does look a hell of a lot better than a bandit. The SV is my first big bike and I've NO regrets. 1- It looks better 2- It sounds better 3- From what I've heard from previous bandit owners, getting bored sets in quite fast. 4- My insurance quote was cheaper with an SV 5- SO MUCH GOOD BANTER!!
SV ITS GOTTA BE!