Suzuki sv650 a good starter bike?

The GS500 is a good starter bike, even two up. I weigh 275lbs and am 5'11" tall, and the GS500 I ride still gets up and goes...I'm not in anybodys way...0-60 is around 6 seconds with me on it, that's Mustang GT territory. The Kawasaki EX500 (Ninja 500) would be another choice in the same bracket, except the Ninja is a little faster. If you get an older GS500E, they are naked and look similar to the SV650 without having that much power...I beleive the SV650 does 0-60 in under 4 seconds. That's pretty quick for a beginner bike.

Just remember, a used bike will hold it's value pretty good so having to upgrade next year isn't as big of a deal as you may think. You will probably be able to re-sell your learner bike for what you pay, or very close to it.

PS I wouldn't recommend going two up until atleast your second riding season...get used to riding the bike and learn the skills required, then add to the difficulty...

Good Luck!

I started riding on a 1999 BMW F650, I'm 5'10" w/32" inseam, I didn't flatfoot while standing over the bike, I also managed never dropping the bike on pavement.. only while riding in the dirt.

IMO, SV650 is a great bike to start, especially in SoCal where highway speed on a bike is somewhat important. I'd avoid the 600 class sportbikes for beginners.

650 twins should be the most aggressive options you consider! Like others have said, forget about the gixxer or the cbr. Seriously, they won't offer you anything! You will be able to ride faster, harder, and have more fun on a powerful bike you can actually control. :)

Some folks recommend staying away from an sv650 as a first bike. I would say, this is your call, but realize that sv650 or ninja650r should be treated as your "I'm going balls out!" options, and drop anything more powerful off your list. That said, I'm glad I started on a ninja 650, and very glad I didn't get a 250 or 500. It's all about an honest assessment about your own habits and control. A 650 will have more power than you can use - at least for a while. Can you respect that? When you start to lose control or make a mistake, will you be able to stay calm and recover?

I had ridden a powerful stick shift car for years, and I know that I'm able to stay calm in panic situations, like sudden loss of control on snow/ice. I also have a ton of friends who ride who gave me basically a private MSF class before I went on the road. On top of that, I live next door to a dmv that had the skills test painted in the parking lot, and spent hours and hours practicing. When I got my license, I got a perfect score. This is after hearing from lots of folks with years of riding experience that they didn't think they could even pass the test on a 650. In addition, I watched hours of safety/skills videos on youtube, and I'm about halfway through reading Proficient Motorcycling.

All that said, I still made the following mistakes when I was learning:

1.) first lesson on the ninja: target fixation in a turn. rode straight off the parking lot onto the grass. stayed calm, and rode it back onto the pavement.
2.) parking lot cone weave + U-turn practice. Stopped the bike in the middle of a slow turn on a hill, and couldn't get it back up. Had to let it down on the frame sliders and then pick it back up
3.) first or second street ride with a friend. started too soon behind him at an intersection taking a left turn at a light. in trying to recover, accidentally did a BIG clutch wheelie. I had already watched vids about how to handle wheelies so I gently rolled off the throttle, set the wheel back down, and took my turn.

You won't know the crazy shit that you will do until you do it. When it happens, what protective gear will you be wearing? What will your emergency responses be? Will you be calm enough at all or will you freak out and lock up the rear brake, then release it and high-side? It's hard to answer those questions about yourself at age 20, imo. But if you can, then 650 may be for you! Good luck :)

You can do all the preparation for riding a motorcycle that you want. I'm like you, Overtime, in that, especially during the first few months I was riding, had my brained locked on motorcycles the whole time. I watched every internet video I could find, read every book, browsed all the forums. I "knew" what to do if the front wheel of my bike got light, or if the rear wheel started to spin. If you managed to tame a surprise wheelie with throttle control on your first go, you're a lucky man, but most people aren't. Knowing what needs to be done and being able to do it perfectly as a reflex reaction are two completely different things.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do all those things and read all those books. That's great! It gives you a great idea of the ins and outs of riding before you even start. But it's no guarantee of immediate success, and as you said, Overtime, tons of practice is still required. Don't think that you'll necessarily be a better rider than somebody else because of any reading or video watching you've done prior to starting to ride.

And one more thing, and I promise I'm not trying to pick on ya (^_^). I hear this all the time, and it drives me nuts, so I just have to point it out: daily commuting in a "powerful" car gives you NO benefit when you start trying to ride. None. If you raced cars, that might help you understand certain things about traction and smoothness, but the 2-wheel vs. 4-wheel thing would throw you for a loop anyway. You can spin the wheels on a car without worrying about anything happening. A momentary slide is usually easily recoverable, depending on the car. On a bike, especially when you're new, slide ==> crash. Cars don't lean. Motorcycles do. It's a completely different ball game. It's like saying you should skip basic training with the Marines because you have an AR-15 at home.