SV650 or GSR600

**AllanB** · 3rd October 2006, 17:36

Also consider the Kawasaki W650 if you like the retro look. Second hand they are pretty cheap and would be a great 'learner'. Learners should be allowed something like this. Also they look good in cafe - a couple of good English web sites have plenty of pictures of modified ones.

**Suzi Q** · 3rd October 2006, 18:20

I love my GSR600. If you are after a good natured bike that is very easy to ride then this is the one. It would be a good bike to start with when getting back on the roafter after a long absence. It ahs a low seat height so if you are very tall it may not be suitable. Definitely try all the bikes that you can before you buy.

**sinned** · 3rd October 2006, 19:28

When I started this thread I was sure my choice was SV650 or GSR600. Now I have read many posts, great feedback and articles on the internet the list of possible bikes has changed. More so I am thinking naked or fairing and more ccs. I watched the weekend event in Wellington, posted some great photos and viewed a great selection of bikes. What I did notice is most riders had bikes with farings and the exception being a swarm of Hornets. My riding will be mostly open road for pleasure rather than commuting in town so a fairing seems to make sense. But I do love the look of the 900 Hornet. So my short list has now moved to 900 Hornet (good price) etc or SV1000S (naked is too expensive) or similar. Lots of choice - in a week or two I will have a bike but who knows what it will be.

Should I start a new thread on naked or fairing? Probably been done before but I couldn't find a recent thread on this topic.

**Suzi Q** · 3rd October 2006, 19:46

check out this UK site for customising the GSR600

http://www.gsr600.co.uk/

**sinned** · 3rd October 2006, 19:58

Yes some great ideas here. Have you seen the GSR600S

**AllanB** · 3rd October 2006, 21:29

Hornet goodies and loads of pictures

http://www.hondahornet.co.uk/

You can get a nice Honda screen for the Hornet plus there is the aftermarket - best of both worlds really - remove the screen=naked, add it back when touring.

The Hornet is under rated often called 'boring' as it does everything extremely well and in usual Honda fashion is utterly reliable. Add a pipe and belly pan and they look very cool.

Ride each.

**MVnut** · 3rd October 2006, 21:35

Also look at a Cagiva 650 Raptor, same engine as the SV650, Brembo brakes & at the moment they are giving 1200 bucks worth of riding gear free.

**The_Dover** · 3rd October 2006, 21:45

no offence but cagiva's are a bit girly.

I dont know why but they just stink of oestrogen.

**Suzi Q** · 4th October 2006, 19:06

Originally Posted by The_Dover

no offence but cagiva's are a bit girly.

I dont know why but they just stink of oestrogen.

What about the Xtra Raptor?
http://www.granbymotors.co.uk/motorcycle.php?vn=759

**Hillbilly** · 4th October 2006, 22:20

Here's a few more angles to the Xtra Raptor. A dealer I know says that they sell a lot more bikes with fairings than naked. To add to this, there's also the new Yammy FZ-1S.

**sinned** · 7th October 2006, 16:53

Originally Posted by dennisr

When I started this thread I was sure my choice was SV650 or GSR600. Now I have read many posts, great feedback and articles on the internet the list of possible bikes has changed. More so I am thinking naked or fairing and more ccs. I watched the weekend event in Wellington, posted some great photos and viewed a great selection of bikes. What I did notice is most riders had bikes with farings and the exception being a swarm of Hornets. My riding will be mostly open road for pleasure rather than commuting in town so a fairing seems to make sense. But I do love the look of the 900 Hornet. So my short list has now moved to 900 Hornet (good price) etc or SV1000S (naked is too expensive) or similar. Lots of choice - in a week or two I will have a bike but who knows what it will be.

Should I start a new thread on naked or fairing? Probably been done before but I couldn't find a recent thread on this topic.

Had a test ride on 900Hornet, GSR600 and SV650S. Hornet a great bike with a nice power band making it easy to ride. GSR600 very smooth through gears, and more so than Hornet but didn't have the low down torque of course 600 versus 900 and the GSR600 needed more revs. Hell I reckon the GSR600 will perform. I then took the SV650S for another run to get another feel for the V2 versus inline 4s. No doubt the V2 is easier power to use and feels great. However, I only rode this again to decide on the motor as was considering the naked SV1000 if the price was negotiable. Well, during the ride I changed my mind about the riding position - it is okay. I must have had a bad day on my first test ride. Good thing anyway as the price wasn't going to be able to be negotiated down.

So I am buying the SV1000S in Metallic Oort Gray and Black. Haven't had a ride on one but guess it will be similar to SV650S but with more grunt. See pic for what is looks like and the colour. Pick it up in a week.

Thanks again for all the help on this and the other tread I posted. I am to start a blog diary of this born again biker.

**Pussy** · 7th October 2006, 18:55

Great bikes, Dennis, you won't be disappointed

**Clivoris** · 7th October 2006, 19:46

+1. I had an SV1000s for 2yrs and 50,000k. Great bike that did it all, but the resale sucked big time. Be warned tho, while they aren't a sprots bike, they can go much quicker than it feels. For the first few months I was always arriving at corners going faster than I intended. You will love it.