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Tigeron wrote:Oh and did I mention that I love the price of the Ninja and Vulcan compared to the Harley's...lol.. sorry just cant get over the price issue and the feeling of the bike.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that way of thinking at all - everyone buys a particular motorcycle for different reasons. Just one little point, though... if "maintenance costs" were an issue for the Sportster, I really have to question your research.

Well the research was a few different people I had talked to.. though they could of been exaggerating cost.. some of them were Harley owners and some were not.. so that information could be completely wrong.

So I went to my Import Dealer essentially and they had a used Vulcan 500, sat on it for about 10 to 15 min (this sales guy is awesome.. he talks to me and then just lets me roam and sit on all the bikes and he knows I won't be able to be anytime soon.. I know he just wants me to buy from there when I do since there are several other "motorsport" dealers in the area but still cool) and I still think I like the feel and the weight of the ninja as a first motorcycle. I maybe just biased because I really like the look of the black/persimmon red ninja 250 but just my current opinion.

Hi there

I wouldnt judge a bike on its weight just from sitting on it, they all weigh next to nothing rolling along

Have you looked at the gs500f's or the sv650's, honda hornet (600), the FZ6, Bandit 600 etc etc all learners bikes and all great to commute or highway.

If thats you in your avatar I suspect a small bike with near no torque might be a challange (no offense)

Anyhoooo, good luck with it, at least ya came to your senses about the HD


Me

I have looked at both the gs500 and sv650 but have been told by several different people that they would be too big (engine wise) for a newbie, is that true or not?

Take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I've ridden neither of these bikes. But to sum up the opinions I've read, people are split a lot on the SV, some call it a "gray zone" bike for beginners. But for the GS500, people are pretty unanimous about its appropriateness for noobs.

Tigeron wrote:I have looked at both the gs500 and sv650 but have been told by several different people that they would be too big (engine wise) for a newbie, is that true or not?

Well Ive ridden both and own a GS500F (My wifes bike), normally I dont suggest 500's+ for noobs, but, in the case of the sv650 and gs500f I would.

The SV does have a bit extra power than the GS although both are twins the SV is a V-Twin and produces quite a bit more torque. Now this kinda of torque for a noob can be god cause its very forgiving with gear changes meaning if you select he wrong gear it wont carry on as much as a parallel twin (GS) or an In line four (IL4). This makes it a reasonably good learning prospect, + Suzuki have released a governed version (power restrictor ) that chops off some of the Hp.

The GS is an old work horse, great for learning, its a full size bike the (F) version has a bikini fairing, it sits on the highway fine and its a commuters dream. Very easy bike to ride and learn on, and would suit a taller average-large size person as well.


But hey, Im just offering you my opinion, opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one.


Hope thats of some help


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The DL 650 and the SV share the same engine. As a starter the DL is a much more forgiving bike

I thank you guys for the answers. I will look more closely at the gs because I do plan on some highway riding as well as commuting, we shall see I guess. And as far as my size I am 5 ft 6 in tall and weight 240lbs so,, I am not sure if that should be a figure within my decision process

You'd be perfectly fine on a GS500 then. I know a guy almost exactly your size that had one as a first bike and ended up trading for an SV650 later on, and he admits that while commuting or just riding (he's not very aggressive) the GS worked a lot better for him.