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I am new to motorcycling and have a question which may be stupid but I wanted some opinions. After having read alot of your advice I will either be purchasing a Ninja 250 or the Suzuki gs500. My question is, if I want to get a, say sv650 when I've got more experience, would there be any benefits going from a 500cc to a 650cc, as opposed to a 250cc to a 650cc?
Would there be a big handling, power difference?

probably won't be too much of a difference. Once you have the basics of motorcycling down pretty well, it is a lot easier to move between different bikes.

I started on a 250cc, now I also have a 650cc (which I picked up a few months after I got my first bike). The biggest thing I had to get used to was the throttle differences. However, since I was riding a few months, I developed my clutch control, which made it a lot easier to transition to a more powerful bike. Now, my 650, is a 1979 KZ650... so I think the SV650 is a bit faster. But I felt perfectly comfortable moving from my 250 to my 650.

Either the ninja 250 or the gs500 would be perfectly fine. I would pick the one you like more.

Incidently, KZ 650s rock!

DivideOverflow wrote: Now, my 650, is a 1979 KZ650... so I think the SV650 is a bit faster. But I felt perfectly comfortable moving from my 250 to my 650.

Powerwise, the KZ650 and the SV650 are probably very close. Having ridden both, I think the SV's twin puts out more torque and power in the lower RPMs (making it slightly easier to manage), but when it comes right down to it, the two bikes will return very similar riding experiences. The main difference I noticed between the two were that the SV shows it's 25 year advantage in brake and suspension technology. Definitely superior than what you'll find on a stock KZ650.

Without hijacking the thread too much, can someone answer this?

The engine differences might be easy to switch between, but what about the weight? My bike weighs just a little over 400lbs with me on it. Bikes I am looking at weigh about twice that (give or take). How manageable is the weight difference at first? Especially when doing a low of low-speed/parking lot manuevering?

Thanks.

DJGroove wrote:Without hijacking the thread too much, can someone answer this?

The engine differences might be easy to switch between, but what about the weight? My bike weighs just a little over 400lbs with me on it. Bikes I am looking at weigh about twice that (give or take). How manageable is the weight difference at first? Especially when doing a low of low-speed/parking lot manuevering?

Thanks.

I believe it depends or how and where you ride your bike. If it is a lot of FWY/back country road with no traffic, then you might be able to get away with 800lb bike without much notice.

If you are in big city area with a lot of traffic (like LA) then you will need a lot of low-speed control with heavy bike you might find it more difficult.