- This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 11 months ago by AaronMerlot.
MY first bike
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May 20, 2008 at 5:23 am #1393pengasusParticipant
I just picked up my bike from the dealer. GSR 600, lovely bike. And yea, i know you gonna say it is not a good beginners bike. But it has it’s advantages and cons. First things i noticed with the bike:
Great handling and forgives small steering or leaning mistakes, you have enough time to recover get in the lane or the line or whatever.
Awesome low rpm power all the way through.
Clutch is extremely user friendly, i still need time to get used to the clutch/throttle combination for the bike not to kick after i release the clutch. But just a tiny bit of turning the throttle is enough to avoid this. But as i said, i just got the bike and rode it for like half an hour. I didn’t even put the bike into 5th gear yet.
The mirrors are %$@%^ed up. They are just like any other bike mirrors. Good positioned, gives a decent view of the environment behind or on your sides HOWEVER after 90km(it’s like 60mph i guess) they become blurry and you can’t see anything. First thing i’ll do is to search for a fix to this problem. It is not something i’d expect from a suzuki. And considering the bike is a new model, it is not acceptable in my opinion.
Riding position is totally natural. No need to bend over the tank. Relaxed riding all the way through.
I didn’t put much pressure on the brakes so i can’t say they are really good or really bad or any other thing. All i can say is they do the job fine for the speeds i was at(below 110km/ph).
Suspension is at a very good stiffness. Not too hard like a racing bike neither too soft. Just fine. Also suspension is available for personal setup to lower the bike a little bit or harden it a little bit depending on the weight the bike will have to carry. You can change the setting just by turning the knob on the suspension. I didn’t play with it though. And i don’t think i’ll have to.
Wind is slamming quite hard from the sides after 90km/ph. It will take me quite some time to get used to it as well. It doesn’t throw me from lane to lane but i can easily feel the difference in handling. From that perspective, i’d prefer a bike like 250r with fairings(however no dealership has it on stock in Australia and the closest day available is 3 months later(min)). On the other hand, no fairing + oggyknobs = less cry when i drop it. And yes, i think i’ll drop it. Bike has 200kg wet weight. It is quite heavy compared to other bikes around 600cc or lower.
So, in conclusion, my first 30 minutes of ride was quite interesting. I think i felt every possible emotion a human can feel during this time. But in the end, it was a satisfaction overall(apart from the !@%@ed up mirrors).
I am not into speeding but the ability to speed when i need is a good thing in my opinion.
If sv650 is considered a suitable bike for beginners; i suggest to check this bike out.
Please note that this isn’t the first bike i rode in my life. So if you know nothing about bikes, choose a lower cc bike to start with because this bike can throw you over easily if you panic and pull the throttle all the way through… Lower cc bikes will do the same but you will have a couple of extra miliseconds maybe to recover. I used my friends’ bikes on and off but still, this is the first 600 i ever used and i liked it. (Did i mention the mirrors are $%$@ed up?)May 21, 2008 at 11:04 am #6506smadaakramParticipantcongratulations on the new bike,! hope u find some better mirrors or a way to fix the vibration problem
//@R!<
May 22, 2008 at 5:42 pm #6560pengasusParticipantThanks mate. So far i couldn’t find a replacement solution. I have made around 300km in 4 days. Best solution i found so far is to turn my head and take a quick glimpse behind I’m checking if they have fixed the vibration problem on 2008 models but couldn’t find any specific documents for it yet. I don’t have too much hope though… Oh well, where i live only place i can go up to 90-100 km is motorway(highway). I can live with that
May 28, 2008 at 4:35 pm #6772Jagg2637ParticipantHey all, just figured I would use this thread instead of starting a new one. About a year ago I decided I wanted to go to two wheels. At the time I did not have the confidence or money to really get into it so I bought a dirtbike (YZ250F). I am ready to go get my real bike now. I will be taking the MSF course this weekend and have been doing more research then you can shake a stick at. When I first started looking I was liking the ninja 250, but after some thought I figured I should get the next size up, a 500. The main use of this will be for commuting (just over 30 miles on the interstate, then a few in a small city). The dealers I have been going to have both Ninja 500s and GS 500s (some used ninjas floating around too). Both seem like good bikes but I am leaning towards the ninja right now. I also am planning on doing a small amount of touring on it, whatever that counts for. Just would like to know your thoughts on which one you recommend/why. Thanks in advance! FYI I am about 5’7 and weigh about 160. Also am planning on doing some 2up riding.
May 28, 2008 at 5:07 pm #6774ShannonGParticipantI have the GS and love it! Unfortunately it’s my first bike and I have nothing to compare it to. Either way you can’t go wrong, although I don’t care for the fairing on the Ninja 500 overly.
May 29, 2008 at 5:18 am #6798AaronMerlotParticipantI love my GS500f !! Plenty of power even riding 2 up, and 65 mpg is a huge bonus as well. But just like Shannon it is my first as well, and 2k miles later I don’t have any plans to trade up for some time.
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