reviews request & opinions

[varenka]

Hello, all.
I posted to this forum BHI (Before Hacker Invation) about deciding between a Yamaha R1 and a Yamaha Fazer FZ1. I got some good advice, directing me - for the most part - to the more practical Fazer, based on the fact that I am a full-time motorcycle commuter, and pretty much never see a track. So I went to the shop, and low and behold, they have a one-year old Fazer, like 900 miles on the ODO. However, the bike has carbeurators!

My current bike is an '86 Fazer, and I've sworn to not buy another carbuerated bike, so the Fazer is out.

This shop - the closest shop for miles around - also carries Suzuki bikes, which brings me to my request: please post a review in the reviews section if you own an SV650 or SV1000. Can someone please tell my why there is so much love for the SV650, but my dealer still has 3 2003 sv1000s bikes in stock? Why wouldn't people want the bigger bike - especially if they could save $2000 over new?

During my latest stint with my bike in repair, I borrowed a Katana 750, which while somewhat strong on the throttle, felt like a pretty chubby bike. I'm not sure if that's a Suzuki thing, or what. On the other side of the spectrum:

Sport ------------------------------------------- Cruiser

They have a Vmax, which also holds a lot of appeal for me. The time for me to replace my bike was like 10,000 miles ago, and I'm even getting encouragement from my wife, so please send me your advice.

[isaac]

If the Katana's weight bothers you, you'll really dislike the V-max. It's not really a cruiser anyway. It's one of them weirdo UJM-cruiser hybrids with a lot of power. I don't have firsthand experience with it, but the engine also looks like a nightmare to work on. It's very crammed in there. Good luck yanking the rear exhaust pipes if they ever rot out.

[Sev]

ummmm, I can tell you that I don't like the V-max very much at all. Having sat on it for 5 minutes. It's... wierd, the pegs are placed so that you need to lean forward, but the bars are placed to keep you upright, all in all it's an awkward setup. And the bike was heavy enough it was bolted in place.

[varenka]

OK, so to stick the nail in the proverbial coffin, the vmax also has carbs. So that leaves me with the r1/r6 option or one of the suzukis...