Any SV650S owners?

Dogbreath

Dogbreath

Dogbreath

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
16,660
Location
Devon
After a fair while without a bike, I want to get myself something for the occasional commute to work in decent weather (30 mile mix of fast A dual carriage way and twisty B roads and some busy town roads). I don't really want a sports bike, but I'd like something with a fairing.

I've been looking at the typical entry level middleweight bikes such as Bandit, ER6, SV650 etc and the SV650S really appeals to me, and it seems I can get a pretty decent and fairly late one for my budget (2-3k). However the riding position looks quite 'sporty' compared to the naked version. I really need to try one for size, but can anyone comment on how comfortable these are when riding through traffic?
 
Had one for about a year. You are right, they are somewhere in between a sports and touring bike but they are ideal for commuting. I would take the fairing off for commuting though.. Stick them on for best :)

bike.jpg
 
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I had a pointy. I didn't do much town riding though. They're light, so easy to move through traffic I suppose.

It probably depends on your height quite a bit as to how comfortable it'd be. I found it fine, though I'm 5'8. I've not tried the naked version, but I should imagine the higher bars and posture can only help with manoeuvrability.
 
My friend got an SV650S which i'm pretty sure he enjoyed until the engine siezed up (in process of getting a replacement engine fitted) They do make a lovely noise though.

Might be worth considering a Hornet if you havent already. Well within that price range and does all the same stuff as a SV (touring, bit of track, commuting) and reliable as.. gravity (i dunno lol)
 
Have you thought of what you could get for £1k then stick the dosh in the bank for repairs or a holiday or spend some money customising, the only reason I suggest is I read an article in fast bike about bikes for a grand, some real bargains and so much for your money also easily modded if there is anything you really don't like etc, you could end up with something rather special than another SV / Bandit / Hornet on your drive.
 
maccapacca said:
Have you thought of what you could get for £1k then stick the dosh in the bank for repairs or a holiday or spend some money customising
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I know where you are coming from, and 10 years ago this would almost certainly have been my preferred route. Something like a ZZR600 or an older Fazer would offer better VFM, but it will almost certainly be old and thrashed. Several of my previous bikes have been sheds that I completely rebuilt from the frame up as I used to enjoy doing it, I was skint and I had the time. These days the money and time priorities have switched places - not that I am loaded by a very long stretch, but I can at least afford to buy something newer that I don't need to spend lots of time playing with. Being an old b'stard I also value comfort rather more than I used to :D

I'm not after anything particularly amazing at the moment, something reliable with decent handling and enough grunt to keep up with fast A road traffic without wringing it's neck. I prefer twins to fours (hence also looked at the ER, Versys, V-Strom etc.). If I get really keen then I'll think about upgrading to something more capable.
 
maccapacca said:
Have you thought of what you could get for £1k then stick the dosh in the bank for repairs or a holiday
Click to expand...


Agreed or buy one of these <£1k then spend the rest on proper training, most people don't use 50% of their bike potential, yet spend £s on trick bits and bobs when a decent training course would see better results in riding safety, style & speed.

zzr 600
dominator
zr 750
pegaso
kle 500

You can't say all of are above are old and therefore thrashed
 
mazda 6 said:
Agreed or buy one of these <£1k then spend the rest on proper training, most people don't use 50% of their bike potential, yet spend £s on trick bits and bobs when a decent training course would see better results in riding safety, style & speed.
Click to expand...

What if you do both? :p . I'm considering some power mods for my bike (N/A engine, so you don't get huge gains no matter how much you spend) and I've just done Level 1 California Superbike School :) . I would agree the training was worth more than any mod I've ever paid for on a bike though, I made my (so far) nearly stock bike go WAYYY faster than ever before just by learning some good technique!
 
See bike pics in sig

Some updated pics here

Love the bike :)

Edit: Now I've a bit of time here's some more info.

I'm 6' and find the position fine for everything I've done - normally weekend blasts and the short B-road commute to work, but I have spent time in traffic queues and twisty town traffic.
I've got very long arms so I can sit back a bit more and get the weight off my wrists. A friend who owns a 650S says he can only last ~2hours before needing a rest.
I find the seat comfy enough but I don't have anything else to compare it to, this is my first bike.

Before I bought mine I went to a couple of local bike shops and sat on a load, I also had a test ride on an ER-6n. ER-6 did feel a little more compact, but that's probably just me.
 
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mazda 6 said:
Agreed or buy one of these <£1k then spend the rest on proper training, most people don't use 50% of their bike potential, yet spend £s on trick bits and bobs when a decent training course would see better results in riding safety, style & speed.

zzr 600
dominator
zr 750
pegaso
kle 500

You can't say all of are above are old and therefore thrashed
Click to expand...


The ZR750 is quite appealing, I like naked bikes but really I want a fairing of some description.

The ZZR is something I have already looked at, they are excellent VFM and are well regarded, but that is a 14 year old, 30k mile bike that is almost guaranteed to be have be thrashed. Insurance seems to be surprisingly higher than e.g. the SV for me.

The KLE - well the MCN review is not good "The standout feature of the Kawasaki KLE500’s handling is the seat. The Kawasaki KLE500 is so thin and so uncomfortable that it’s as if man had suddenly reverted to stone as his principle furniture. "

The Pegasso is interesting, quite like this but of course very little in the way of wind protection and the fuel injection seems to be pretty poor on these engines. Still, I'll bear this in mind.

Not so keen on the looks of the Dominator, at least the one in the ad you linked to, though I'm sure it's a worthy bike.

I have already budgeted for a refresher course BTW.
 
Dogbreath said:
The ZZR is something I have already looked at, they are excellent VFM and are well regarded, but that is a 14 year old, 30k mile bike that is almost guaranteed to be have be thrashed. Insurance seems to be surprisingly higher than e.g. the SV for me..
Click to expand...

I really like that ZZR, there are loads on Autotrader, a lot of instructors had them, they are not real hooligan bike so some should have been looked after well, a set of clear indicators new plate and some de-decal updating that or another would be a great bike
 
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