Am I the wrong shape for a SV650?

Agree with everyone else - forget the cb500 - they are that cheap for a reason and you'll get really bored very very quickly.

I'm 6 foot 1 and broad shouldered but the 650s (2000 curvy) is great. The only thing uncomfortable is teh seat which can be helped out with a gel

I had a break from biking and it's such a good starter/re-starter bike. The twin characteristics are cool too - engine braking...

I had a cbr600 when i first passed my test and I actually find the sv650s more fun to flick about - and you are also less likely to lose your licence

rock
duff

I did my DAS whilst my SV650S was on order I finished the DAS, had the SV delivered, sat on it and thought OMG, how do people ride with their bum in the air?

Funny thing now, is that I did a couple of days extra training on a CBF500 a year later and hated it. My arms hurt from the upright position and when trying to go up a slight hill against the wind the bike was absolutely gutless.

Jumping from a 125 to a SV650S is a huge jump, even a change from the upright position to a sporty position is a big transition. Some people prefer the upright position and others the sporty. Personally, I love the sporty position and find the upright position uncomfortable.

[johnnyrod]

As Jabba says, and as I always say, if you don't know which bike you want then GO AND GET SOME TEST RIDES. You don't buy them to look at. One man's meat is another's two veg, or summat.

Did my DAS at belvedre, in sleet.

Went ok, but there are a few things to watch out for. All in all it's an ok place to ride.


I went straight to an SVS. I'm fairly broad over the shoulders and I have no idea what your instructor is on about. If it's the mirrors then you can get extenders for cheap anyway.

Basically, don't let people put you off. I found that you had to take everything people in dealers said with a large handful of salt. I wasn't going to buy anything without test riding it first. I took an SV for a ride and found it very uncomfortable. Sounded gorgeous though. In the end I got it based on price and reputation. I haven't been disapointed!

I wouldn't buy a 2nd bike from a dealer. You can get some very good deals private if you know what you want. Take a look in the for sale section!

Good luck for the test!

Im broad in the shoulders too and can't buy one piece leathers etc. It's hassel i know. I have no problems riding the SV though it's totally comfortable. Only thing i get is pins and needles every now and then in the hands which is a common thing

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

Over lunch, we got taking about bikes, and he expressed a concern over whether I would fit an SV650 very well due to being "quite broad across the shoulders" and that maybe a Bandit would be a better fit.

my cousin just sold his bandit 6 k5 and has had a new sv650sk6 he said it fits him well and hes 6"2 and very broad.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by muffles

belvedere! i'm pretty sure that's where i did my test (x3 ), is it the one with the test centre on a slight incline and is set away a bit from the road - parallel to it, but there is a little road/parking and a grass verge between it and the road?

i chatted to one of the instructors about buying from metropolis, he said that new, metropolis aren't bad (they're an official suzuki dealer so don't know if that affects it) but second hand they aren't really that competitive.

oh one other thing - if belvedere is the one above (i'm 99% sure it is) then the other thing to watch out for (or maybe it's just me!) is speed limits - there are a couple of places where it changed on me and i missed it, which resulted in 2 failed tests lol! one example that you will probably be able to remember is the bridge bit with the bus stop/station on it - it's 30 but the roads approaching it are 40, and even though on the 2nd time coming up to it i was looking out for the sign i never saw it! and i wasn't bad on the observation, at least not according to the instructor!

a tip i got from someone else for that was to look at the side roads - if you can see signs (speed limit changes) it can give you a hint...

Yep you got the right place, Belvedere is where you were

On chatting to a few people I cant see any reason for buying at a dealer for a second hand bike. I could get 2 curveys from here for the price of one from Metropolis. But more realistically I can get one from here and have a grand in my pocket to put aside for repairs/servicing, which is probably peace of mind in itself.

Only thing I am likely to have much problem with is my indicators - keep leaving them on, but shouldn't be a problem, as the bike I will be testing on has annoying buzzers hooked up the indicators, so..........

Anyway, back to the fitting onto an SV bit......

Tried a curvy, felt a little more upright than the pointy, contact point with the tank being lower. Unfortunatly the curvey was second in in a pretty close rank, so not a lot of room to get it upright, more impressed than I was with the pointy the day before.

Hopped back onto the pointy to allow comparison. Now either someone at Metropolis heard my comments the night befor and adjusted the position/seat/whatever overnight (unlikely) or I am more comfortable with bigger bikes having been on the CBF500 for a day, it seemed more comfortable than night before, and while the tank came further up my body, I think I liked that.......

So I have now cleared with my boss for him to cover part of Saturday for me so I can go for some test-rides, not sure whether to go for the pointy or curvy to test (if I have to make a choice). Also going to try out a Fazer 600 and maybe (from curiosity) a CBR600F they have there that the salesman got me to sit on which to be honest felt really good.

As for the size thing, the instructor just felt that a different bike may be more comfortable - he suggested a faired Bandit 600 or 1200 (but I think he may be a little biased - I think he is a bandit fan from way back........ :P )

Thanks again for the advice folks, still not sure I will join the ranks of owners in the near future, but more likely this morning than I was yesterday morning.

Only that test in 9.5 hours to get out the way....

David

that comment about the tank just reminded me what it felt like when i moved from the tw125's which they used then (surprised they have moved off them, they had loads!) to the cb500f - the tank seemed so huge and bulky in front of me! you get used to it quickly though, and it wasn't so bad when i went to the sv. i wouldn't have it any other way now though, need something to lie on when i'm cruising on the motorway

If your just passing your test now and this is you first big bike then it might be worth mentioning that the sv is cheaper to insure.