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Hello!

I want a sport touring bike that is liquid-cooled, fuel injected, has a front faring and small windshield, and is around 400 lbs. I have sat on the Ninja 650R, Suzuki SV650S, Yamaha FZ6, and have liked them all. I find the handlebars too low on the SV650S, but I don't care for the look of the naked version (SV650). I also like the Bandit 650, but am concerned about the extra weight. Are any of these bikes particularly better than the others? Any advice you can offer me would be great!

Thanks in advance for your help!

The SV650S is not striving for comfort. I've gotten used to it and taught my body how to sit on it, and now I'm confident I could take it long distances. But the Ninja is just plain more comfortable from the getgo, the upright seating and full fledged handlebars make a huge difference here.

I found the Ninja's seat less comfortable however than the SV (I used to own a Ninja 650R). It bites at the butt pretty quickly, at least it did for me. If I was choosing between these bikes and going on long rides, I'd probably pick Ninja and possibly replace the seat or just wear padded bike shorts under my pants.

Other than that, the SV and Ninja are like the Camry and the Accord. Yes they have many differences, but all in all they are striving for the same market. Oh and both are excellent bikes.

Never even sat on an FZ6, so no comment there. I really wanted to include it in consideration when I was buying, but insuring it was too rich for my blood.

EDIT: and for what it's worth, I thought the naked SV was really ugly at first too. But now that I've been submerged in the SV community it's really grown on me. I'd gladly own a naked SV now.

Thanks very much for your response!

Are handlebar spacers a realistic option for the SV650S?

RC Fan wrote:I want a sport touring bike that is liquid-cooled, fuel injected, has a front faring and small windshield, and is around 400 lbs.

Consider a BMW F800ST

• Liquid cooled - yes
  Fuel injected - yes
  Front fairing - yes
  Windshield - small
  Weight - 412 lbs dry

Check out the new Kawasaki Versys. Sweet looking bike, and has all the specs you mentioned, if I'm not mistaken.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail ... ifications

It's a new for '08 though.

I am sure the BMW would be a great choice, however our closest dealer is an hour and a half away.

As far as the Versys, the seat height is 37 inches, and I am looking for a seat height around 31 or less.

The Versys and 650R share a lot of the same parts, including the engine. They probably ride pretty similarly.

Are handlebar spacers a realistic option for the SV650S?

I honestly have no idea. I do know a lot of people remove the clip-ons from the SVS and go with a normal handlebar. But usually when they do that, they remove the fairing too. Basically the SV community has two camps: the naked/streetfighter fans that often go with normal handlebars (but not always) and the sportbike fans that add a full fairing and finish making the SV into a little baby crotch rocket. Ive not seen too many SVs done with touring in mind.

tortus wrote:I honestly have no idea. I do know a lot of people remove the clip-ons from the SVS and go with a normal handlebar. But usually when they do that, they remove the fairing too. Basically the SV community has two camps: the naked/streetfighter fans that often go with normal handlebars (but not always) and the sportbike fans that add a full fairing and finish making the SV into a little baby crotch rocket. Ive not seen too many SVs done with touring in mind.

OK. I wish the Bandit 650 wasn't so heavy!

I am still pretty undecided, but I think I am leaning towards the SV650. I love the FZ-6, but it seems to get the worst reviews of the bunch, while everyone seems to recommend the SV650.

I've seen quite a few SV-650's outfitted for touring. they are great for solo tours but not the best for two up... obviously?

Anyway- check out the sv boards. There are a couple guys who have over 100,000 miles on sv650's

Though if the height of one isn't an issue (and they can easily be brought down 1.5 inches) it sounds like you want a Vstrom 650.