Newbie needing opinions

I went from GPZ500S to a bandit and found it incredibly smooth and easy to ride and had a great time on it but got a bit bored eventually. Then I got an SV650S and it was a lot lighter, more fun and you get engine braking - fantastic bike If you can test ride both of them and see which you prefer because they are both good bikes

Originally Posted by keithd

i think mr jabba the hut is one such "person"

Not me dude You must be thinking of a different, and far superior, IL4 which I heartily recommend

Originally Posted by keithd

and it better be a blue one - cos they're the quickest!!

True - no matter what the make/model of bike.

[Big Bad Al]

Welcome to the site. I test rode 3 bikes in an afternoon. A bandit, a ZX750
and a S650s K3. I preferred the bandit cos it felt comy and easy to ride and I think that's the problem. It would become boring so quickly. I actually went to the dealer to put the deposit on a bandit but couldn't go thru with it and did a deal on the SV650s which is more bike than I'll ever want and I doubt I'll get bored with it or reach it's limits.

Test ride is the best thing to do, but make sure you give it a good long test ride andfthen decide.
Al.

[Spiderman]

After 15 yrs of not beeing on a bike i wasnt sure what bike to get.
The guys at the school advised on an SV cos its very new rider friendly. But i wasnt sure.
Went to Rex Judd (a bike shop near me) and told em my dillema. Explained how i wasnt sure if it was the SV, Hornet or Fazer for me. The guy was really helpfull cos he could see i wasnt just trying to blag a bike for a quick blast.
Made an appointment to go back and test ride all three. It help that i toldhim the cash is in the bank and i dont want finance.
Funnily enogh the SVs ran out of fuel on the test ride so i was absolutely ages but i knew what i wanted when i was done.

Curvy shape is sexier btw... all the chicks will agree. Oh and what they said about blue... Its all true :lol.:

hth and welcome to the site.

[northwind]

I've nothing against the Bandit really, but it's the more budget option yet usually costs almost as much as the SV new It's a trick I tells you!

600 bandits should be even cheaper than usual now used, since the bored-out version's come along, but unless you're buying a really cheap one I reckon the SV's better in basically every way. Rode a Bandit for approximately 15 minutes and... No. All the shortcomings of the SV with none of the advantages. lightly easier riding position and that's about it.

If you want a naked 600 then the Hornet's a good bike... Fazer for that matter too. All in a different bracket from the Bandit I reckon (same one as the SV)

[jambo]

Hi!
Had my bandit 600 for 2 and a half years and have ridden SVs on occasion. Main points are thus:

Bandit is fairly tall making it fairly comfey for tall people compared to the SV and has a "sit up and beg" type riding position with good wide bars to get some leverage on. The SV feels more compact and sporty, making it easier to climb out of the saddle during corneringand putting more weight on your wrists.

The Bandit makes more power but higher up, if you want to make progress you really do need to keep the engine spinning more than the SV (but this is part of the fun)

Both are very reliable and can be picked up cheaply.

People will tell you bandits don't handle, but they say the same about SVs. Both suffer from basic components that respond well to some cheap mods such as changing front springs and oil to suit your weight. I did a great trach day at brands last year on the Bandit and supprised quite a few GSXR riders (not that the bikes anywhere near as able as a GSXR on the track, but you won't be left too far behind)

I would suggest riding both, you will find they feel very different and one will work better for you than the other.

On an unrelated note I'm planning to sell my bandit over the next few weeks, as I plan to spend this summer doing more track time and want a screen to keep the wind off!

i owned a bandit 600s about 2 years ago. it was an x reg and i loved it. i think the styleing is ok and it handles well but can be a tad top heavy. i did notice that it needed a bit of hard revving at times when your going up hill and you had to use the gears more than the sv. to be quite honest the bandit has ten more hp than the sv but you wouldnt notice and there seems to be alot more punch and pull in the sv and i personalally would say the sv is more econmomical plus the sv weighs apout 35kg less than the bandit. i personally have not liked v twin machines rideing a harley or as i call it a tractor and a 748 ducatti. i didnt go much on them and decided to stick to my in line fours. But when i finally had a go on an sv i was impressed. the sv is probably one of the best bikes i have ever riden. hope this helps. jamie

I think Carsick has ridden both the SVS and the Bandit. His views would
be valuable.

I rode a GS500 during my endless DAS (passed on third attempt) and
I can testify that an SVS is a substantial step up. But it is far less comfy
than a GS500 or a Bandit (never ridden one but sat on one in a shop).

Originally Posted by Professor

I think Carsick has ridden both the SVS and the Bandit. His views would
be valuable.

Not so sure about valuable but I have ridden both.
I'd agree with what's been said so far about the bandit (especially Jambo, since he has one)

I have to say, I didn't get on with the bandit at all. It felt hugely top heavy and seemed determined to drop me off in every corner. In comparison the SV is stable and I find the seat position more natural.
On the seating position aspect, while the SV is more natural for me, it's not that it's necessarily a more comfortable position, it just felt more right.

I suppose if you actually wanted an I4 naked, the hornet would probably be a better option than a bandit.