Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello Everyone,

I have been following this site for about 2 years now and would like to share some of my thoughts about the sv650 debate.

First, let me say I took the MSF class 2 years ago. Perfect score and also licensed. I have also read both Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling. I keep them in the office (lol) for brush up reading.

During the MSF my instuctor asked me if I was taking the class as a refresher due to skill level I had compared to the fellow students. No, it was my first day on a bike and I remember how it all felt so natural. While others were struggling with shifting, I was counter steering my way through cones with ease. This could be from all the studying I did from this site, articles, and the books above.

I had originally planned on buying a 250, riding for a year, then moving up. But as the months went by and I could not find a 250 or 500 in my area I became pretty antsy. Knowing that the 650 was a grey area bike, I figured I would give it a shot considering my past performance.

When all is said and done, here is the BIG differences between the 250 and the naked version SV650:

-breaks are very sharp compared to 250. You grab and you will go down.
-throttle is more of an on/off switch than gradual power, it takes some getting used to. Until you ride it you do not realize how night/day it is compared to the 250's in the class.
-I believe it sits a little higher and leans slightly more forward than the 250 Nighthawk I rode in the class. Comfort is relative to the individual.

With that said, I still say if at all possible get the 250/500 first. Learning your lines and slow speed manuevers take precedence. You do not need to have to worry about touchy throttles and grippy brakes when you first start. All it does is slow down your learning curve. When your learning, a forgiving bike is better to help build confidence while gaining experience.

But, there is nothing wrong with starting out on the 650. Anything higher, well that's just crazy talk!

If there is anyone here in Raleigh, NC let me know. Thanks

It's all about risks,

You are taking a bigger risk doing what you did and advising anyone else that it's "OK" isn't a good idea. Fear is healthy and inspiring anyone who is "unsure" about which bike to buy into getting an SV650 is a mistake I won't let hang over my head. People who do not have confidence will not do well on a big bike.

"You are taking a bigger risk doing what you did and advising anyone else that it's "OK" isn't a good idea. Fear is healthy and inspiring anyone who is "unsure" about which bike to buy into getting an SV650 is a mistake I won't let hang over my head. People who do not have confidence will not do well on a big bike."

I totally agree with you. Note how I said build confidence near the end of my post. Fear is healthy, I am still afraid and I hope you are too! But not of my skill, just of other drivers. The second you start feeling too comfortable you let your guard down and stop your situational awareness.

I would think from my post, common sense would tell an individual if they were ready for the 650. Unsure means NO, and supports all the reasons I said buy a 250/500. I tried to give a realistic take on the differences between the bikes, and what to expect.

That is why I said it was OK to get a 650, the only difference will be an increased learning curve and of course risk, as you like to put it.

By the way, have you ever ridden or owned a sv650? Just want to know your frame of reference for critiqing this particular bike.

wrathre wrote: By the way, have you ever ridden or owned a sv650? Just want to know your frame of reference for critiqing this particular bike.

My bike is a 750cc V-Twin and my friend rides an SV650 and he has no problems keeping up with me.

Hopefully the SV650 will be my next bike, hey wrathre, you looking for riding buddies in NC? I live a little West, out in Davie County but I'd be glad to meet somewhere in the middle one day, it be fun!


James

So your saying you did not start on the sv650, and did not say if you ever even rode one. I notice you jumped from a 250 to a 750. What is that 1 season of riding? Sounds like what I recommended in my post!


Also, a 250 can "keep up" with a 750 if your riding the legal speed limit, and supposedly tear any 600+ apart in the twisties. If by "keep up" you mean pull the throttle open and shift through gears trying to get to 100 in 5 seconds, well that is just a stupid thing to do in the first place...


Back to the point. Learning the basics, building confidence, and enjoying the ride are what is important. No one ever said you had to jump out in traffic the first day, week, or even month when practicing Ride at your own pace, a big ++ from the Proficient Motorcycling books.

I just think it's bad form to say "I did it!" because other people with poor judgment will take this as justification and try to do what you do.

You seem like a reasonably intelligent person so knowing what you know and knowing it was riskier why come here and tell ANYONE about your success?

Do you think your "I did it but only because I'm really good and you should start out on a 250 cause that's what I recommend" story is ACTUALLY going to take someone who is unsure and make them go with a 250? If anything

Basically what you are saying is

If your really good: Get an SV650
IF your not good: Get a 250

Do you look at yourself in the mirror and say "I'm really good, or I'm not good" who is actually going to insult themselves like this?

IMO you are doing more harm than good.

I don't want to get into a Circular Argument about this I just wanted to make sure I got my point across.

The problem I see here is that most people think they're the best rider ou there. Very few consider themselves to be bad riders. "Common sense" is far from universal.

In your situation, you were proficient enough in the class that the instructors thought you had previous riding experience. That would put you in the 1 in 1,000 that the SV650 isn't so gray- definitely not a good idea for everyone. However, some of the things you said "throttle is more on/off than gradual power" shows that there are still quite a few things you didn't master in the class such as throttle control.

Every class I teach, there are at least two guys with GSXR 600's. They tell me the exact same thing you're telling me now about how that's the level you don't want to exceed. Occasionally I get a guy on a fireblade saying "Now if I was on a 1000cc's then that would be crazy"

The SV650 is a phenomenal bike. Plenty of power, agility and lots of parts to customize making it a track day favorite. A lot of SV boards composed of guys who only ride SV650's will tell you that it is in no way a gray area bike and that it is DEFINITELY not a beginner bike.

Oh and since it matters. I've ridden both generations of this bike in both models for extensive periods of time. Furthermore, I did the work to upgrade the intake, exhaust, cams, suspension, brakes, added a steering dampener, threw up race plastics, added rearsets and creatively took off 10lbs from an 05 SV650s. You might say that I know that bike inside and out.

Wrathre, when you looked around at your fellow students in the MSF course, was there anyone else there whom you would have said could be safe on an SV650?

You all make very valid points. Yes, maybe I was in the minority when it comes to being able to handle the grey area. There was 1 other member of the class that I felt would easily handle the 650. And common sense seems to be a rare things these days.

Also, I never said look at me I'm great. I was just trying to give my frame of reference and my comfort/confidence level when choosing the bike. Maybe I should have put more thought into how this came off, as ego's can have an affect in decision making.

But I remember when I was reading these boards, the sv650, and 250 boards, it was always either a for or against arguement. I just wanted to provide exact information on the difference between 2 bikes and try to present it in a non-biased way.

Maybe the motorcycling community should try to push a more European style riding law. Everyone would have to ride a 250 for a year and then move up to a 500 for a year, etc. That would end the beginner biker arguement once and for all. I would totally support this kind of movement.

Until that time, however, people will do what they want to do. And I find no harm in trying to provide as much information as possible for people to make an educated opinion.

And here is my last thought, I should have purchased a new 250 instead. For the fun factor, it would have been great to fly through those gears and try to maximize the bikes potential. That is something that cannot be done on the 650 without going too fast too quick.

Thank you for your comments.