Should I buy a brand new Sv650?

I’ve had a very despondent time looking at used bikes recently…I own an 04 Bandit 600s , which is a bit knackered and I need a new bike. I do a lot of miles to and from work, and time permitting I like to go out and have fun on the twisties…I don’t particularly like the Bandit… it’s far too heavy and dull in my opinion.

I’ve been riding on and off for 20 years, and in the past have owned, amongst others, an NS125R, CBR600 (steel framed one), and a Triumph Daytona 600. I thought I’d like another sports bike…

Over the last few days I have ridden lots of bikes… some good and some bad, one or two were shocking. But I’ve discovered that I’m probably not as flexible as I used to be…or my pain threshold is a lot lower than it used to be, anyway I’ve decided I can’t get a full on sports bike.

I popped into Robinsons Foundry in Canterbury yesterday (after a glorious ride around the A20/A259/A260 etc etc) and got chatting to the lady in there who tried to sell me an SV 650 Sport, in black, brand new. I won’t go into the details of the deal she’s offered but it’s very tempting…as I get a brand new bike which no one else has abused, it’s guaranteed for 2 years unlimited mileage (and given the miles I do, that’s a big bonus) It’s a v-twin which I’ve lusted after for a while (albeit in my mind I was getting a much bigger one), It’s light and maneuverable, it looks a bit like a sports bike (in fact, with the exception of the exhaust and the number plate hanger I thought it was a good looking bike) and most importantly of all, it was actually quite comfortable. I can’t afford much more than 4k - I can’t really afford that - and my bike must be reliable, it’s my main transport.

I could go and buy a second hand sports tourer… however everyone I’ve looked at looks ok but they’ve usually done more miles than I’d like, or they’re out of my price range.

Would I regret buying an Sv650 ?

SV650s are awesome, their price and power dont really reflect the bike in the real world.

you would not regret it!

get yourself over to sv650.org and start looking :slight_smile:

I tried a RSV a few weeks ago and the V twin engine didn’t suite me at all, nice bikes but I do like the smoothness of the 4 cyl engines. I guess you need to try one :smiley:

The SV650 is a superb bike but it will never break records or be cooed over.

There does seem to be an awful lot of second-hand ones out there, but if the new offer is really, really good I’d probably go for that as it starts out as YOUR bike. You know everything that happens to it from day 1.

I have the WeeStrom which has the same fantastic engine. It still makes me smile to ride it! :slight_smile:

SVs are great bikes but are pretty far from fast, if handling well enough. If you’re thinking a sports bike is to much cos of the riding position, have you considered a two year old Fazer thou?

Go for the SV thou, will be even easier to ride.

+1 and no mechancial trouble, having owned 3 and not being particularly good at looking after them…

Awesome on track too - just a little bit more than the SV650 in terms of power but it makes a huge difference. They dont make SV thous any more, so you wont be able to buy 2008 new, but many of the road parts are interchangeable with the 650.

I even have a pair of yoshis for it if you fancy :slight_smile: I only changed bike cause I wanted to broaden my experience.

Hey powerpuff girl, speak to HenryCBR after he has got his SV, assuming he doesnt get the one with the full system, he might well want those pipes!

Will do. Ta :wink:

Thanks for all your replies to my slightly rambling post…

I’m probably going to buy a new Sv650…I’ve had a look at a few more places/bikes today…and the second hand market just isn’t doing it for me… I need the bike to keep working, and with a used bike you just don’t know where it’s been. I would be a broken man if I bought a used bike and ended up like I am at present repairing the bike every couple of weeks due to yet another mechanical failure…

At least with a new one it’ll be under warranty for a couple of years…and then I might have slightly more money next time to buy something more powerful…

If it’s as quick as the Bandit I’ll be happy… I don’t seem to hold anyone up on that, and I’ve ridden it at the kind of speed that could mean ripping up the licence for a long time…had it been on a public road obviously:)

I think the Sv handles better than the Bandit, so it should be more fun… anyway variety is the spice of life and all that…

The SV650 does not have anywhere near as much power as a Bandit 650…be aware of that.

It’s no where near the same weight either… the performance figures (for my model of oil cooled Bandit anyway) are similar…

No its not, but the power to weight would probably be higher on a bandit, especially with a person on it. You’d certainly go a lot faster on an SV though, apart from on motorways.

I can’t believe you have mechanical problems with a 3/4 year old bike: thats disgraceful. I’ve always stayed away from Suzuki for this reason.

Some/most of the problems may be self inflicted… the exhaust has been a perenial problem… but it’s an after market affair… the only bit which was Suzuki’s fault was the collector box rusting through… The clutch problems are probably due to my over enthusiastic starts away from the lights in London, although I’m dissapointed that the adjuster failed at the clutch end.The various oil leaks are partially due to the general abuse I’ve put it through… it’s got over 40k miles on it. The rust is due to general neglect and only washing it on it’s birthdayI’m really going to try hard not to abuse this one so much… and I’m not waiting 4 years before I change it. I’ve only kept the Bandit so long as it’s been a period of upheaval and expense, which is hopefully getting better…

Sounds bad. Stories like this (not the first I’ve heard) are why I would never buy a low end Suzuki (or anything but Honda for that matter).

i always liked the idea of an SV650 Sport but when i tried one out i found the position too cramped for my lanky frame, am far happier on an '03 CBR600F

SV’s…KIN love’em!

noise…looks…oh yesh, as my first big bike its perfect, quick enough for me…

they are very reliable, not much goes wrong with them, cam chain tensioners go after a while i’m told but apart from that they are very reliable.

i lov emine so much im keeping it, geting my suspension all upgraded and a damper put on, purely for my own benifit.

hell it kept up with an R1 and a blade on teh way to poppins no prob, did have to give it big beans and go crazy with teh gears tho!

Bandits just dont even compare to SV’s, in the twisties an SV would be miles ahead:D on a motorway teh bandit may streak ahead a bit, doubt it tho, depends on whos on board, i wiegh fug all so i fly!:cool:

nothing i know of will beat an sv650 in the right hands off the line that is as cheap and easy to run. and if youre THAT enthusiastic about the starts, be prepared for a little nose-sky action :wink: im pretty heavy on the clutch wear and ive never had a problem (2 sv650s - one carby, one FI, 3 sv1000s)…

your an addict!!:w00t: me too!

SV’ers annonymus:D funny enough someone did try it few weeks back, seem to recall that they got left for dust, dont think teh front came up, it did go light tho!:w00t::w00t:

i dont know what here log in name is now but she used to be called chocfawn

she has a mint 06 sv 650 with zero miles she wants to sell…