GS500 or SV650 for first beginner bike?

What kind of good answer are you looking for? Either the gs500 or sv650 would be a fine starter bike. if you don't like the look of the naked sv, get one with fairings. From 2008 on up, you can get the SV650SF. From 2007 and under, you can get OEM side fairings for the SV650S. Either either way, either one of these bikes is a much better choice than starting out on a 600cc super sport.

...then look around for one that's been converted. Check on SVRider.com in the classifieds, there might be one in your area. Or at the very least, there are a lot of people who put the naked bars and risers on the S model.

Or you could go with the GS500, or Ninja 650...

I started riding in Jan 09 on a GS500. In June 09 I bought a YZF600R. In Sept 09 I bought a SV650. In March 10 I bought a DRZ400sm. I give this history so you understand where I’m coming from.

- For a brand new rider, one who has never touched a bike before, like me, GS500 is better than the SV650. GS500 is cheaper, lower seat (by about 1.5”), more user friendly. It’ll build up your confidence quickly, which enables you to learn quickly. If you just ride around town, the power is enough. If you are into hard accelerations, it feels a little lacking after a while.

- For someone with dirt bike experience, and knows how to deal with clutch/throttle, maybe SV650 is ok as his first street bike. The power is not crazy, but the strong low-end torque and strong engine braking requires a smooth throttle hand, one that takes time to develop.

- SV650, with its seat about 1.5” higher than a GS500, fits me (6”, 32” inseam) better. GS500 used to feel very comfortable, but now feels small, since I’ve been riding physically bigger bikes.

- Projecting what you want and like 2 years down the road is difficult, and making the purchase based on that is iffy. Within the first few months, you go from knowing nothing about motorcycling to gaining a lot of real life experience, and your thinking and taste may change along the way. You’re better off getting something used, cheap, that you can sell without loosing much, than get locked in financially with a new bike. Used GS and SV are both pretty easy to sell. For my second bike, I wanted to get a FZ1, or R6, or SV650, but I decided to try an older design 600cc to get more contrast from the GS500. Turned out to be another steep learning curve, challenging but fun and rewarding. Now, with 4 bikes, I still have a hard time deciding which way to go next – R6, or skip it and go to a GSXR750/1000, or some kind of dirt bike, dual sport, etc. You see, I’m all over the place, but I’m really enjoying (ok, often agonized by the decision making process – why can’t I get them all?!) the journey.

- Yeah, everyone wants a sexy looking sportbike. Yeah, you’ve got to own one to see for yourself. Yeah, people buy it as their first bike. If you don’t want people’s advice, just get one. But if you want advice, get something cheaper and smaller to learn on first.

- The more I ride, the more I realize how much more there’s to learn. When I had 3,000 mile of experience, I thought I was a good rider, and could handle pretty much any situation in the hills. When I had 10,000 miles of experience, I looked back and wondered – god, how did I survive that, when I knew so little about riding? Now I have 17,000 miles of experience, everyday riding is no problem, but I’m also aware that I’m not trained to handle emergency maneuvers as well as I’d like, still don’t feel my skills are nearly good enough, and I sure am clueless when it comes to off road riding. I’ll need some track school and dirt school, and a lot of practice, to fix that.

My point - one step at a time. Don't over project yourself too far down the road.

Personally I think that you have answered your own question. You don't like the looks of the SV650, go with the GS500. If it is a newer GS500F it looks a lot like a gixer. There is the SV650S that would probably look better to someone that likes fairings on a bike.

As for what licensing you need to ride, we can't answer that without knowing where you are. FYI, usually to take a training course you need to have a valid drivers license

to stay away from 600cc inline 4 Supersport. I'm glad you had a good experience and you're enjoying your FZ. There's thousands out there that do as well. But there are also thousands out there that crash them with little more than 6-10 miles on the odometer. For those of us who enjoy the track or racing, this is great news because it supplies us with an almost unlimited number of doner bikes for the track.

I don't think it's neccesarily a case of "not being able to handle" the bike has much as it's the rather odd nature of the power delivery and the incredible brakes of the modern supersports. Below 8-9K they are easy to ride, and almost no fun as there is little hp or torque. Get the tach swinging about that though, and all hell breaks loose in a double quick hurry. Right after that occurs, most beginners, being caught off guard and being unaccustomed to the powerful brakes (generally only requiring a single finger to brake on the street) apply far too much brake (often the rear) and down they go in an instant.

There's a reason why young riders and those with little experience find getting full coverage insurance very difficult and when/if they do, it's VERY expensive.

A 250 is plenty of bike!! They'll go fast too, but they power curve is much more predictable and the brakes are matched to the performance and the intended use of the bike, which is the street.

you can get used SV650s bikes for around 3.5K on up. Getting 2 side fairings would be around 600 bucks. Don't know if you're gonna see too many used SV650SF ones out there though. There was one in san fran with 500 miles on it going for 6700... lol... base price brand new for a '08 SV650sf is 6900.

Okay guys so check this out. I'm am still deciding what bike and in contrast of what everybody said on here when I went to the dealer the guy suggested a cbr600 saying that I would get bored of the gs500 to quick. I know u guys have told me time and time again that this superbike is only for experienced riders. I told the guy the only thing I've ridden is dirtbikes and nothing bigger than a 125. He still says the gs500 is only for people that have NEVER touched a single bike in there life and are clueless as to shifting and all that good stuff. Anyways I know u guys will refer to him as an idiot who has a death threat for me but I figured I would still let u know what he said. Is he completly crazy or is there some truth behind this?

It actually wasn't a salesperson for the bikes. It was a dude in the gear department. But to answer the question NO I don't trust them at all. I trust u guys so I asked.

II was also ready to say the sales guy had a cbr600 sitting in the showroom and nothing like a gs500 to sell you ;)
The OP established him/her self as a 17 yo 6'1 140 lb individual having ridden 125 and then 250 motocross since they were 14 yo, ...yourself we know even less detail about, although you say sub 125 dirt bike is the biggest bike you have ridden.
So far the OP sounds just slightly more qualified than yourself to 'ride' any motorcycle.
Question is; if the three of us went dirt bike riding right now, would you be gimping along and crashing, or would you be blasting through corners, landing jumps, pulling cat-walks and exhibiting impressive rider skill ?
Problem is; you say you are on a budget.
If the answer is; you're an athletic, skilled dirt rider with youthful coordination and reflexes, then I would even let you take my K100RS for a ride. Would the cbr600 make a good first street bike for either of you, possibly yes, if you have deep pockets and plan to ride it for the next 20 years, ( possibly even track race it !:)
If your answer is; you're an average rider possessing average skills and presently looking for a street bike to learn on and ride safely on the street. The GS500 and SV650 are tons of bike.

If you're just starting out especially...why would you need full fairings? If it's just for aesthetics, then I wouldn't bother. Seriously. Besides, if you DO end up dropping it in your garage or on your side walk, your feelings are going to be very hurt.