Total Motorcycle Community Forums

So i finally signed up for the MSF course for next month. Damn those classes are booked early!

Anyway, so just for the heck of it, I went to a local motorcycle dealer (suzuki and some others) to look at some bikes. I'm thinking bout the GS500f, but they didn't have any in stock. So the sales guy tried to convince me to consider the sv650s. But i know better than to get a 600cc+ sportsbike. He tells me that the sv650s isn't really a sportsbike like the gsxr's and tells me bout all the good stuff bout it. So is this guy just desperate to make a sale, or is there some truth in what he says?

There is some truth in what he says. SV650s are at the top end of noob bikes. I'd advise you to hold out for a GS500 or a Kawasaki 500 Ninja.

Believe it or not, the sales guy is not lying (at least not about this). SV650 has a newbie-friendly V-twin engine. It is a "grey area" starter bike, along with Kawasaki Ninja 650, Ducati Monster 620, etc. Its power (72HP) and torque are above the 50HP recommended for newbies, but IMO, if you drive a manual transmission car, take the MSF course, and have enough maturity to take it easy, you'll be fine. I started on SV650S and I love it.

For comparison, GS500 is 48HP, and GSX-R 600 is 120HP. See http://motorbikes.be

For what it's worth ... I started on a ninja 250 and am looking at an SV as my upgrade bike. From what I've heard, it is a good bike to start with if you have the maturity to take things easy, but my wife considers me maturity deficient, and she right. So I did the mature thing and started with the smaller bike ... how's that for ironic.

Thomas

hmm, I never thought I'd say this, but I guess I will consider a SV650.

I'd like to think I have the maturity. I don't intend to race or stunt or anything crazy like that. No need to showoff.

As for driving a manual transmission, my primary transportation at the moment is automatic, but I have driven manual in the past.

Do dealers let you test ride motorcycles? Maybe I'll test ride both bikes and see which I feel comfortable and if I will still feel like I can control it.

As for test riding, not without a license and a serious bid into buying. I was talking to Koss last night, and his dealer said they would have made him sign a paper saying he was DEFINITELY buying the bike before he could test ride it.
Glad you've driven manual, you understand the basic controls and concepts, so that's a very good thing.
Good luck on your MSF! Let us know how things turn out, alright?!
Wrider

A test ride is a test ride, you can't agree to buy something when you are seeing if you want to buy it. I don't think that a signed form that says you are buying the bike would hold up in court. They could require some type of deposit for a test ride to stop joy riding, but there are laws about such things.

Test driving varies from dealer to dealer. Some carry the extra insurance and others don't. The ones that do have different sets of rules.

My local Suzuki will let you test drive "most" of the bikes as long as you have a motorcycle license and are willing to put down a refundable security deposit.

I wouldnt buy anything that I couldnt test first. And I wouldnt trust any dealer that wouldnt let you test drive anything in their lot. A credit check and/or deposit is perfectly fine. But they shouldnt be selling anything that is too expensive to let an experienced rider test first.

bmgibben wrote:I wouldnt buy anything that I couldnt test first. And I wouldnt trust any dealer that wouldnt let you test drive anything in their lot. A credit check and/or deposit is perfectly fine. But they shouldnt be selling anything that is too expensive to let an experienced rider test first.

Looks like unless you are lucky you may be buying european, or perhaps Buell. Use the time honored method of talking your buddies into letting you ride their junks To the majority of dealers it's not worth it to turn someone loose on a brand new 170 mph sport bike.