i’m looking to try out a sportier bike than current 97 bandit - from what i can gather the sv has lower grunt, cheaper insurance, the cbr600f has higher bhp, better top end and higher insurance
Would be looking to use for commuting around london mostly and occasional weekend ride. Might try to take it down to south of france sometime too
which would you recommend, or would you go for something else?
thanks for the input 
How tall are you dude? Suzuki have just bought out the Gladius, the seat for which is a bit shorter than the SV and basically a streetfightered version! Otherwise, Id go with the SV: on looks and performance. Yes, its more like an inline 400, but it is much better off the lights (and when are you going to get top speed in london!). Plus Suzuki do 0% finance and the parts are usually a bit cheaper than Honda. Dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with the “eff” but personally, there is only one choice, having ridden both! I have access to at least 5 SVs that I use on track at the moment and I can tell you theyre awesome fun (and I dont seem to have much difficulty keeping up with bigger bikes on the twistier circuits!).
Great someone who has ridden both!
Im slightly on the short side, the bandit is a bit tall and heavy for me really. I’ve sat on a few sv’s and a cbrf they both feel much more my size. Gladius looks nice, but out of my budge / not willing to go on finance
Purely on aesthetics, i have to say i prefer the look of the cbrf, but if the sv is more fun to ride, i’d definitely take it over looks. I was slightly worried how it would be for the motorway, if it would be happy at cruising.
but yeah, anything a bit quicker at the lights is always a good thing
what gabs said!
i havent rode a CBR6F rode an RR tho, SV6’s will do pretty much anything you ask of them, my old one took me and a mate to france 2 up no problems at all, i used it everyday for commuting to work, sunday b-road blasts etc
i think it depends on wich engine you liek the feel of, test ride both, you will know what you like, one thing the SV has over the CBR, is the engine braking, on a vee its great!! almost non existent on CBR6 tho, also a CBR6 is a bit more bulky than a SV, due to the engien layout, SV’s are nice and slim and light, and as you already know cost little to insure;)
both are great do anything bikes, my loyaltys are with the SV’s, I’ve owned a 650 and now have a SVThou, you cant knock’em, great bikes!
as said a test ride will help you decide.
From a cruising point of view, I’ve had no bother with my SV. I know it’s not a massive distance, but going up the M1 to Donington from London didn’t leave me with a sore posterior - and the fairing kept the wind off nicely. It’s fine cruising on private roads at 90-plus, too.
The SV’s good around town (I commute 40 miles every day and haven’t had any problems with the sporty riding position), and it’s great to flick about when the opportunity presents itself.
Plus, as you know, it sounds mint. Especially with an MHP exhaust! 
That said, I’ve never ridden a CBR - so a test ride of both would be a grand idea.
I think Ratty is spot on. Test ride them both. You wont do badly out of either - theyre both pretty much bombproof. The SV is a little taller and motorway is fine as it comes with bikini fairing. You can pick up a good fuel injected one for about 2k and if you need any bits, I doubt the parts bill will come to more than about £350 (cost of a second hand engine on ebay). You could also try a carbie if you wanted (pre 2003 when they became fuel injected). The carbie is a little narrower than the fuel injected and might help?
The F is used by a mate of mine on track. Its an old one and he has won championships on it but I still dont think it can cut it against the SV when ridden consistently, but it will give a pretty good go!
Plus, you do need to ask yourself the question of whether you mind having a popular bike. Some people dont and like to have something different, then some people like having people around them that have experience in that bike.
As I say, either is good 
Just when you test ride them, be more prepared to rev the F and be aware that the SV has a LOT of grunt and a LOT of engine braking, so be smooth with the throttle til you get used to it (and then exploit it!!) 
I had a Mk1 faired (bubble) SV650 which I do plenty of miles on, rain or shine, as my first big bike. I absolutely loved it and think of it fondly. It was good on commutes or even quick trips to Dorset on a sunny day - not uncomfortable. Easy to get bits and service, and had character.I p/x’d for a CBR600RR (not massively different from the F) which I have to admit give me a little twinge… in a good way. It’s a different beast altogether, but I do all the rides I would have done on the SV. I love the fact it’s so different to what i had before, but the insurance, risk of theft and all that makes it a more expensive and twitchy propostition.
If you have a reasonable budget I would get a mint late low mile SV with a few light mods (nice can, double screen, fairing lowers) and save yourself a few quid. It’s not slow and it’s not boring. Get a ride on one - you won’t regret it.
hell yes!!!
i found a friend a mint, 05 pointy SV in black with 4k miles, for 2.7 i think, she loves it, and to tthink she nearly bought an IL4:D
good point, teh difrence will suprise you! give both a good test ride, you will knwo wich one…defo:cool:
As an aside, I had an '09 Bandit 650 as a courtesy bike the other week.
Came up to a roundabout, shut the throttle, and… nothing much happened! It was a novel experience having to pull the lever on the right handlebar.
As the Ratster said, when you get on the SV, you’ll find yourself using the brakes a lot less.
Overwhelming support for the sv, time to book a few test rides!
a wealth of info here, thanks
just to add one more. i’ve had a 2000 cbr 600f, an 07 600rr, and a sv1000. i would say SV 100x it’s a fantastic bike in all ways:D
Top end you get to use when you wind it up while low end grunt you get to use almost all the time, so with a v-twin you get to appreciate the torque more often especially if you commute on your bike.Me personally February next year I’m gonna part exchange my RSV to a dealer for a cheap 600cc Supermoto, don’t mind if I get a CCM or a KTM. Extra spare wheels and I want to go get mudded up aswell.
A few months back I rode a friend’s KTM LC…er…640? anyway, it was evil fun, I mean I was having fun and wasn’t going all that fast on it, enjoying myself on a motorbike under 40 mph is an alien concept to me almost.
And when I’m off on a week-end ride I’m bored with watching my mirrors for the plod as if I wind my RSV Mille in anything past second gear and start having fun I’m breaking all legal speed limits and will lose my licence/get banged up or eventually hurt myself. Commuting on a superbike at low speeds can be done ofc but it just winds me and the bike up, not where I want to be on this bike with such a heavy clutch. SVs and CBRs are both good in traffic I found, SV is narrower which is nice.
Supermotos are much more manovrable and agile at lower speeds which let’s face it, its where I spend 80% of my life, in traffic.
Go and blag a test ride, I’ve found that if you try and explain it they don’t make much sense until you actually ride one, like marmite it’s not something everyone appreciates but… I like Marmite…a lot You might like it too.
motoards rock!! i’ve had the pleasure of riding dhofty’s race tuned 660SMC and it was bonkers!!
they make great 2nd bikes but for everyday use?..no way…very expensive at times to maintain, lots of oil changes are needed regualry i’m told, plus they are very very easy to steal!
thing with motos is, you can get just as carried away having ‘fun’ ads you can on a big bike, so really your just as likely to get into trouble as you are on a big bike!:w00t:
