2008 Suzuki GSX-650f

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v3biker · #1 Unread post by **v3biker** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:16 am

Hey, I was just going through Suzuki's website and came upon their 2008 models:

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Default.aspx?

The one that caught my eye was the GSX-650F.

I have read on the web that the bike is designed to compete with the zzr600 and the Yamaha R6, BUT a lot of sites also said it's targeted toward new riders.

Just wanted some opinions out there: Just how new-rider friendly would a bike like this be? Would the majority of you recommend it? Or is it way out of a new rider's league with 656ccs?

Apparently, the rumour is that it will replace the GS500f and the Katana, and it's been said this bike is the full faired version of the Bandit S.

ninja79 · #2 Unread post by **ninja79** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:57 am

my first impression was that it is a fully-faired version of sv650s (finally!). But it's actually not even close. Let's see:

4-cylinder engine
476lbs dry weight

forget about newbie-friendly. With pig-weight like that, I'm not even sure what market it's aimed at. I suppose it's a good replacement for Katana, but that's not saying much since that was a really shitty bike.

I really wish they'd put SV650 engine inside that frame. Or, alternatively, sell SV650S with full fairings stock. That's all.

I also hope that they are not actually planning to get rid of GS500. That's an excellent starter bike. SV650 is in the grey-area. This new thing is not even close.

High_Side · #3 Unread post by **High_Side** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:10 pm

It's a 2007 Bandit 650 with a GSX-R lookalike fairing. It's not going to be on par performance wise with the ZZR600 or R-6 but it will be a hell of a lot better bike for the real world. I still prefer the look of the Bandit though...

ninja79 · #4 Unread post by **ninja79** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:13 pm

wow, I think you're right!

But this one actually has a liquid-cooled engine, yet somehow manages to weigh *more* than the air-cooled bandit! weird.

High_Side · #5 Unread post by **High_Side** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:03 am

The most recent Bandit 650 was water-cooled as well. I suspect that it is over-built for reliability plus extra fairings and brackets = extra weight.

DivideOverflow · Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:04 am

ninja79 wrote:wow, I think you're right!

But this one actually has a liquid-cooled engine, yet somehow manages to weigh *more* than the air-cooled bandit! weird.

Liquid cooled bikes are almost always heavier (radiator, radiator fluid, extra hardware, etc).

ninja79 · #7 Unread post by **ninja79** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:29 am

not true. Air cooled bikes have cooling fins on the engine which add quite a bit of weight.

Case in point: GS500 is heavier than EX500 (396 vs. 388 lbs)
It is also heavier than SV650S (372lbs).

Shorts · #8 Unread post by **Shorts** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:43 am

ninja79 wrote:not true. Air cooled bikes have cooling fins on the engine which add quite a bit of weight.

Case in point: GS500 is heavier than EX500 (396 vs. 388 lbs)
It is also heavier than SV650S (372lbs).

I wouldn't flat out say "not true". Best way to settle your argument on wht parts weight more than the other is to dismantle each bike and weight each part and find the truth rather than just make random statements.

The549 · #9 Unread post by **The549** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:06 pm

Shorts wrote:
ninja79 wrote:not true. Air cooled bikes have cooling fins on the engine which add quite a bit of weight.

Case in point: GS500 is heavier than EX500 (396 vs. 388 lbs)
It is also heavier than SV650S (372lbs).

I wouldn't flat out say "not true". Best way to settle your argument on wht parts weight more than the other is to dismantle each bike and weight each part and find the truth rather than just make random statements.

And you could *kinda* figure that out. Air cooled bikes have a cooling system too - fins and sometimes an oil cooler.

Nalian · #10 Unread post by **Nalian** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:00 pm

Well, I don't think they changed anything other than the cooling on the HD sportster, and from 06 (air cooled):

Dry Weight 558 lbs. (253 kg)
Vehicle Weight in Running Order 579 lbs. (263 kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 1000 lbs. (454 kg)

And from 07 (liquid cooled):

565 lbs. (256 kg)
591 lbs. (268 kg)
1000 lbs. (454 kg)

For what it's worth.