Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I am interested in getting into riding...I have been around bikes my entire life and have riden them occassionaly as my dad has had everything from a Honda Night hawk to a Harley Softail.

I have read the stickied message at the top stating that new riders should not get a +600cc sport bike...

This is probably a dumb question but the two bikes that I am interested in are the Ducati Monster and the Suzuki SV650.

Do these fall under the Sport bike category, also, I have heard that it really is not the cc's that matter but moreso the HP.

Does anyone know the HP's of either of these bikes?

And lastly, would you recommend either of these bikes as a first bike? If not, which ones? As far as my frame goes I am 6'0" 165.

Thanks,

Matt

Both of those bikes (the Monster 620 and the SV650) are ok, if you're very, very careful. They don't put out the horsepower the 600 supersports do, they are both twins, which means more torque, less peak horsepower.

Check out the Learn To Ride A Motorcycle page which is now downloadable in PDF format (Created and maintained by Dragonhawk). It has great information on first bikes and may answer a lot of your questions. I also recommend an MSF course and reviewing your state’s (province’s/territory’s) DMV or DOT website for licensing information, guidelines and FAQ.

The SV650 is one of the bikes recommended around here. And, yes, they're considered sportbikes. The SV borders on a standard. The definition is in the seating position. There's Cruiser, Standard and Sport. I believe this is explained on Dragonhawk's page as well. If not, it's in the MSF handbook.

Have fun!

Hey thanks for the responses, I read over that guide and it was very, very helpful. I noticed that according to that guide, that both of the bikes that I have chosen fall under the intermediate category of bikes.

I know that this is not the end all of motorcycle guides, so I was wondering what you guys thought about the Monster and SV650 as first bikes?

Thanks again.

both are sweet bikes. i came close to getting that ducati. both are kinda expensive though (esp. once you allow about another $700-1000 for gear) for a first bike. just go easy on them, and wear propper gear. and you'd probably be fine. just be careful and keep the shiny side up.

if you want a "sport lookin" but standard riding bike- the Kawasaki EX250R is a nice choice for a first bike. (see my avatar)

I'd say no to both of them as first bikes. I'd pick up a cheap bike with under 50 horsepower for a season..


The SV650 I really consider to be too much for an absolute beginner. It will still get you in trouble a lot faster than a smaller, less powerful bike.

The monster 620 has less horsepower, but has good torque.. I would probably recommend that over the SV650 due to it being less powerful.

However, I've heard that the ninja 650R is a better bike for beginners than the SV (along with the 500r or the 250).

HP for the SV650 is about 72.6 rwhp and 45 ft-lbs

the 650R is a tad under that, at 65.8 rwhp I believe and around 43 ft-lbs

the monster is around 63 hp or 57rwhp (somewhere around there) and 46 ft-lbs



So I would say Monster, then Ninja650R then SV650.

But personally I say old and cheap... then whatever you want.

If you got with the naked SV then there's less to replace when you drop it. Plus it's cheaper than the S.

I bought a new 05 SV650 as my first bike after taking the MSF course. It has plenty of power, but its very controllable power. I think its a great first bike. Now, I bought new because I like the reliability factor, but you can find some great deals on SV650's used only a few years old....check out craigslist.com or cycletrader.com I have dropped it once in the rain, which was a 300 dollar fixer, and got sideswiped by a teenager, which was a 2800 dollar fixer (on his insurance's dime thank god!) but....I never understood the "buy used cause you're gonna drop it". You should buy what you want because no matter what, you're gonna have to pay to fix it, wether it was 'new to you' or brand new....have fun bike shopping!

gitarjunky wrote:I bought a new 05 SV650 as my first bike after taking the MSF course. It has plenty of power, but its very controllable power. I think its a great first bike. Now, I bought new because I like the reliability factor, but you can find some great deals on SV650's used only a few years old....check out craigslist.com or cycletrader.com I have dropped it once in the rain, which was a 300 dollar fixer, and got sideswiped by a teenager, which was a 2800 dollar fixer (on his insurance's dime thank god!) but....I never understood the "buy used cause you're gonna drop it". You should buy what you want because no matter what, you're gonna have to pay to fix it, wether it was 'new to you' or brand new....have fun bike shopping!

If you drop a $1000 used bike, it is no big deal. And if you get something like an 80's UJM, there will probably be very little damage in a drop. I don't own a single motorcycle worth more than what it cost to have yours fixed.

You should buy used because it is cheaper to learn on, the insurance is cheaper, they are easier to control, and older bikes generally can take more abuse... not because you are going to drop it. Hopefully you will not drop your bike, but it helps to get a cheap one to learn on just incase you do. Also, you take less of a depreciation hit when you sell it to get the bike you really want. You can probably sell the bike for close to what you got it for.

"The SV650 I really consider to be too much for an absolute beginner. It will still get you in trouble a lot faster than a smaller, less powerful bike."

I would tend to agree with this statement. I recently gave a little instruction to my sister (who wants to get into riding). At first I thought she would do fine, but she lacked confidence and had alot of fear. She needs to start on a smaller less aggressive bike in order to feel like she is in control. The SV feels like a bike big, which can intimidate some people.

Overall though, I think if someone has taken the MSF they should be ok with an SV650.