- This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 4 months ago by briderdt.
Nt650 – Sv650 – Gs500 ?
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December 3, 2008 at 10:20 pm #2391aaronParticipant
Greetings y’all,
So I know these questions get asked all the time, but I thought I’d toss my situation in the mix and see what advice is out there.
I’m rejoining the moto ranks after about 3 years of not owning a motorcycle. My previous bike was an ’82 nighthawk 650 which I rebuilt and rode for about a year and a half in Minneapolis. At the time I took the MSF course and probably put on about 1,500 miles in and around Minneapolis.
I have since moved to the San Francisco bay area and have a commute that takes me from the East Bay through a combination of freeway, the Bay bridge, and inner-city riding to San Fran. I’m definitely planning to retake the MSF course and spend a lot of time riding the parking lots and in-town before tackling the commute. I have a lot of experience on bicycles: racing road, mountain, and cyclocross and a lot of bike commuting in San Fran. I’m not delusional about thinking that my 17lb road bike handles anything like a 400lb moto, but I think the attitude and traffic awareness helps.
So, to the point. I just test-rode a beautiful 1989 Honda Hawk, fully modded and rebuilt with new bearings, carbs, VFR wheels, etc. I’m checking out a 2001 sv650 tonight- stock but has new tires and rear-sets. And I just saw an ad for a 2001 gs500, very little info available on the bike.
The prices: Hawk- $3000 obo, sv650- $2400 obo, gs500- $1450. Theoretically, I can afford any of them provided the hawk can be bargained for a little. I love the Hawk, the sv seems like a smart choice, and the gs500 really doesn’t excite me except for being cheap.
Any words of wisdom?
December 4, 2008 at 5:27 am #15127megaspazParticipantIf it were me, I’d go with either the sv650 or gs500 only because they’re more recent. I’d go with the sv650 over the gs500 because of the fuel injection, v-twin, liquid cooled engine, plethora of after market parts, and some of the issues I hear about with the gs500. Although, honda’s are built to last, 1989 would still leave me wary… but when going used, you just have to go and see ’em and hopefully test ride ’em.
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…December 4, 2008 at 2:43 pm #15130AndrewParticipantI think Ben has mentioned using a 10 year rule on bikes and that works for me. If the bike is more than 10 years old don’t but it unless you want to be doing work on it. How much work depends but in general you’ll spend more time wrenching on an old bike than a new one.
December 4, 2008 at 3:04 pm #15131MattParticipantWell, you know how to rebuild a bike and know what is involved in keeping an old girl on the road. The Hawk will have a much more limited parts supply than the older nighhawk did however.
Personally, the SV650 is the newer, “better” bike. But he Hawk holds a special emotional appeal. The GS is a purely practical descision.
I’d ride both the Hawk and the SV and then decide which you liked better. If the Hawk feels better, does it feel good enough to justify all the extra work and money it wil involve? Really, the SV650 is the closest we have to a successor of the original Hawk.
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“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”December 4, 2008 at 3:43 pm #15133briderdtParticipantDidn’t that start with the ’03s (2nd generation)?
December 4, 2008 at 5:00 pm #15138megaspazParticipantI do believe you are correct. so eh… ignore my earlier post…
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…December 4, 2008 at 6:48 pm #15143aaronParticipantThanks all for the insight. I’ve posted the same questions over at the Hawk forum and the sv forum. General consensus seems to be that the gs is pretty uninspiring transportation, the geo metro of the group. (Obviously an over statement- I understand the performance differences as explained elsewhere on this site) The sv is the practical decision and the hawk is the underdog bike that everyone wished they had but don’t actually buy because the bikes are old.
I had hoped to see and ride the sv last night, but no word from the seller. I don’t think it’s been sold yet, he and I had scheduled a meeting for last night… but no answer and no return call when I phoned to get directions. hopefully I can see the sv soon and it will win me over.
In the meantime a new contender has entered the ring. A 1999 Duc Monster 750 that I thought had been sold a couple weeks ago was just reposted. Any thoughts? I think its about the same performance as the sv.
December 4, 2008 at 7:13 pm #15145megaspazParticipantI like ducatis… very pleasing to look at. They do have a reputation for issues and high maintenance though. If that doesn’t bother you go for it.
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…December 10, 2008 at 1:45 am #15229aaronParticipantThought I’d post an update. After my attempts at making a researched, logical, and practical decision my gut took over and I went with the ’99 monster 750. Picked it up Sunday and rode it home. Irrational or not, the bike just feels right.
The Hawk was a great bike, but at 5’11” and 165 it felt a little small. The rear shock was stock, old, and tended to sag pretty low- about the only thing left to be rebuilt or replaced. And I’m sure that I should have ridden an sv before making the decision, they seem like great bikes. But the Duc won me over. I can’t wait to get home and find some new excuse to ride across town. (No Bay Bridge commute till I get my skills back up to par.)
It’s going to take me awhile to decipher the rumblings from the motor. It sounds nothing like the inline fours of my old Nighthawk or Maxim 650. I’m sure there will be plenty of bloody knuckles trying to fix and maintain the thing. A salvage title Ducati is probably not the most sensible decision. But, aside from learning the valve adjustments I don’t think it will be too bad.
So, thanks everyone.
December 10, 2008 at 4:06 am #15233briderdtParticipantLots of people will be jealous of the Duc… Take good care of her.
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