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GS500 or SV650 for first beginner bike?
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May 19, 2010 at 3:27 pm #3975MyroadrashParticipant
I’ve been exploring this website for a while, and I can’t decide whether to get a gs500, or a SV650. Some people have also said to get the Kawasaki Ninja 250 (i think, correct me if im wrong) I dont have any street riding experience, but i’ve ridden both a DRZ 125 and a RMZ 250 dirtbike for about 3 years. Im 17 years old, 6’1″ and 140 lbs. (Tall and skinny basically) and have about $3000 and still saving. I’d rather get a suzuki as a first bike because i can get them a lil bit cheaper because one of my family members works there. I’ve been told that i should start out with a GS500 because its easier to handle, and not as fast/quick as the SV650. I personally don’t like the way they look. The GS looks ok, ill have to see how it sounds, but I HATE the naked SV650. I plan to use the bike just around the city, not racing, or long trips. Just somethnig to get me around fairly quick, and looks good. I’d rather not kill myself on one. The bike i primarily want to get is the GSX-R 600, but everyone i’ve asked says NO. Any comments, questions, or replys will be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading my topic!
Side Note: Do you HAVE to have your drivers liscense to legally ride your motorcycle on the street? Ive tried to research this, but i’ve come up with that as long as you have your motorcycle liscense and your drivers permit, you can legally ride between like 6am – 10 pm and not on the freeways. Anyone know the correct answer?
-Thanks again!
May 19, 2010 at 4:25 pm #26548gregjParticipantI am in the same exact prediciment. These are 2 real hard bike to choose from. I also was planning on starting on the gixxer 600 but have been strongly advised against this desicion. I like the look of the gs500 more than the SV650 but am afraid i would get bored of the power much earlier than i can afford to. I am on a budget and would probably be with my starter bike for about 2 years. I will stay posted on your forum in hopes to getting a good answer for bboth of us.
Welcome to the dark side….. i can’t wait to start riding… i just passed my written permit test yesturday and have a MSF course scheduled in about 3 weeks. Are you going to take the MSF course? you should look into it… it is HIGHLY recomended.
Good luck on everything.May 19, 2010 at 4:53 pm #26549megaspazParticipantWhat 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.
May 19, 2010 at 5:03 pm #26551gregjParticipantby good answer all i mean is something said that stands out to make me decide one way or another….. i guess thats all on me though.
May 19, 2010 at 5:12 pm #26555megaspazParticipantyes, the decision is all you. g’luck deciding, but whatever you decide, be happy with it and don’t look for confirmation from other folks. you’re the one who’s gonna have to ride the thing.
May 19, 2010 at 5:24 pm #26556gregjParticipantthanks dude.
May 19, 2010 at 5:40 pm #26558briderdtParticipant…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…
May 19, 2010 at 6:24 pm #26560madjak30ParticipantI just posted a ride impression…under the General forum “Riding Impression from a Newbie”
I have a GS500E, but it would apply to the GS500F just the same. The thread kinda wandered a little and it talked about the comparission to a SV650…the GS will probably meet your needs, and help you with your “learning curve”. It’s a great bike and I love it…
Anyway, check out the thread.
Thanks.
May 19, 2010 at 7:17 pm #26563Gary856ParticipantI 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.
May 19, 2010 at 7:36 pm #26568gregjParticipantThe GS500 and the SV650 i was looking at are both around $3,000 for around 10k miles…..
Whichc is the better buy?May 19, 2010 at 8:52 pm #26576JackTradeParticipantThe SV650. It’s a better bike overall.
BUT there are plenty of non-monetary reasons to consider as well (most of which have been summed up nicely here), as well as more removed-from-the-immediate-purchase-price ones of insurance cost, condition of the bike, need for repairs, etc.
Whatever you choose, don’t stress out about it too much. Despite what you may think now, this is not going to be the last motorcycle you purchase.
May 19, 2010 at 9:29 pm #26578Gary856ParticipantThese are two different questions…
Generally a SV650 sells for $1k more than a comparable GS500.
Long term, I agree that SV650 is a better overall bike, and a better buy.
Look carefully at the tires, chain, sprocket and general maintenance and condition. New tires can cost $300+ w/ installation. Chain/sprockets another $200+. Tune up cost around $200+.
May 19, 2010 at 11:13 pm #26585gitchy42ParticipantPersonally 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
May 20, 2010 at 11:51 am #26603UrbanGrapeParticipantI was a beginner last year. I’ve now ridden over 10K miles and my first choice was the FZ6R from Yamaha. Everyones advice was, “dont get a 600, you cant handle it as a beginner”. Well I handled it just fine and would recommend it to anyone.
However there’s another thing floating on forums that again I think is absolute rubbish as far as advice goes and that is the perception that a 250 is a beginners bike. I just bought a used Hyosung 250 (the GV model – cruiser type). – It’s an absolute blast to ride. – Power, speed, handling, comfort – it’s all there. After riding this thing I would never classify a 250 as a “beginners bike” – because anyone with any experience riding would absolutely love one. – You can definately keep up – granted you probably wont be pumping the thing up to 95mph in 2 seconds flat, but when you step out of fantasy world and deal with reality you dont need to do that anyway. It gets up to highway speed very quick as it is and beyond.
I still want to consider myself a “noob” because, well – I just kinda like that little word. But all in all I would be very very careful about letting too much “advice” get in your way of making a good decision. I dont believe that anyone who buys a 250cc bike “will get bored” with it within the first few months. – In fact now that I have one I cant decide which I like more, my 600 inline four or my 250 v-twin. They are totally different in feel – It’s hard to describe, but I’m a rider who likes quick acceleration and fast cornering and I can do it both on either machine and I cant see anyone getting bored with a 250cc.
Anyway, that’s my word on the whole thing. I’m loving it. Riding motorcycles is an experience that you cant fully describe until you start riding. Total fun.
May 20, 2010 at 1:26 pm #26604IBA270Participantto 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.
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