To start on GS500 or SV650...that is that question

[JustinNoob]

I am seriously torn on which bike to start on. :dunno:  

I've heard dozens of arguments on for boths sides on the SV forum.

I mounted both today at the dealership.  I know it was just in neutral, but the  throttle on the SV650 was so sensitive it worried me.  Just a tiny, miniscule roll on the throttle was all it took to really rev it.  The GS500 seem to have a lot more play and more forgiving throttle.  I'm not a spaz, but am a newbie.  

I think the SV looks (and performs) way cool and I want one ASAP, if I can handle it.  I know I can upgrade eventually, but I don't want to get bored of the GS500 after a month or two.

What y'all think???

Justin

[Roadstergal]

The GS500 is already more of a bike than most of us are riders.  If you start getting bored on it, take it to a track event, and you'll find how little you've been using of its capabilities.  It's a great bike in that you can wring it out a little bit on the street without getting into significant legal issues.  Owning-wise, I know of no reasonably modern bike that's more DIYable.

I used to have an SV...

[blue05twin]

As RG would say do a search.  This topic has been talked about alot.
RG even did a comparission post when she had both bikes.
I started on the GS and still have it.  And I'm glad I did.  It's a great bike.  Fun to ride,  easy to take care of, fun to ride, cheap insurance, oh did I mention it was fun to ride? :mrgreen:
If I was buying a bike all over again I would still get the GS.  The most important thing is not what bike you are getting but making sure you take the MSF course first.

[JustinNoob]

Owning-wise, I know of no reasonably modern bike that's more DIYable.

[/quote]

What does that mean (DIYable)?

I've heard the maintenence on GS is very user friendly.

Justin

P.S. Hot avitar  

[Jace009gs]

DIY=do it yourselfer

in this case this is Also know as you can do the maintence yourself

don't mess with RG she'll run you off the road :nana:

[JustinNoob]

making sure you take the MSF course first.

Took the course, of course.  

Is that Jesus of Nazareth doing a wheelie?

[JetSwing]

are you a responsible rider? if you can keep yourself in check, get a sv. otherwise, get a gs

[werase643]

what ever you buy....
save some serious $$$$ get a good used one
either one is fine

[97gs500e]

Hi my name is Justin I am crazy in many ways waqy spaz

ehh... Get the black-n-red '05 GS you crazy wacko.  
Don't listen to Ryan, he hasn't ridden any sportbike newer than an '89..

[JustinNoob]

Hi, my name is Teewee and I just crashed someone elses CBR 600...

Hey dude.  I'm still heading in the '05 GS direction, but I had asked all my questions in the SV forum so I thought I'd see what this forum had to say about the matter.

Justino

[GeeP]

Whatevever you buy, get some gear.  Flip-flops and a T-shirt don't cut the mustard.

Personally, I think the SV is too much bike for an inexperienced rider.

Get a GS, you'll be glad you did.

[JCH]

That's buddy christ doign a wheelie.

I started on the gs, now I have an SV. I'm glad I started on the GS, but I feel people could start well on the sv.   I decided to take the safer route, and I'm glad I did. I progressed much more quickly I feel.

You're right, the sv throttle is extremely touchy


buy used

[pantablo]

either bike is good to start with, which is better for you depends on lots of things.

however, having said that, whether or not YOU are okay to start on an SV is irrelevant IMO. Whats really more relevant is that the GS is a more forgiving to learn on and will in the long run make you a better rider. Learn to ride a slow bike. then learn to ride a slow bike FAST. Then move up.

You'll be bored in a month on either bike. boredom doesnt mean you've mastered it though. The first few weeks you ride you're on sensory overload. your attention id divided among your foot controls, hand controls, consciously keeping your vision far enough in front of you, scanning traffic and road conditions, etc-lots of things that start to become easy right away. You also start to get past that initial anxiety about riding itself, and/or riding in traffic. THAT is what people mistake for boredom.

THAT is the time when the real learning starts and when the GS is most important. It will teach you how to become a better, SMOOTHER rider. Smooth=fast. It will do this because it will force you, for example, to carry more corner speed in order to keep a certain pace. You'd need to learn to be a smoother rider through the corners in order to carry more speed through there. Eventually, you'll be able to hang with the 600's and 1000cc bikes in the twisty bits easily. I did.

Yeah, all things being equal, those bikes walk away from the GS. But in the real world all things arent equal. YOU will be the better rider.

Commit to the GS for a full year. I guarantee you'll be a far better rider than someone who starts even on an SV in the same time.

It worked for me. I could hang with most riders in the canyons, as long as there werent any long straights. even then I'd make the ground back up.
Even now, when I ride my 600rr at the track, people comment all the time about how smooth a rider I am, and how I can carry lots of corner speed.

[Roadstergal]

As RG would say do a search.

I'm too tired to beeyotch about searching.  Do a search for me beeyotching about searching.

[RavenX]

either bike is good to start with, which is better for you depends on lots of things.

however, having said that, whether or not YOU are okay to start on an SV is irrelevant IMO. Whats really more relevant is that the GS is a more forgiving to learn on and will in the long run make you a better rider. Learn to ride a slow bike. then learn to ride a slow bike FAST. Then move up.

You'll be bored in a month on either bike. boredom doesnt mean you've mastered it though. The first few weeks you ride you're on sensory overload. your attention id divided among your foot controls, hand controls, consciously keeping your vision far enough in front of you, scanning traffic and road conditions, etc-lots of things that start to become easy right away. You also start to get past that initial anxiety about riding itself, and/or riding in traffic. THAT is what people mistake for boredom.

THAT is the time when the real learning starts and when the GS is most important. It will teach you how to become a better, SMOOTHER rider. Smooth=fast. It will do this because it will force you, for example, to carry more corner speed in order to keep a certain pace. You'd need to learn to be a smoother rider through the corners in order to carry more speed through there. Eventually, you'll be able to hang with the 600's and 1000cc bikes in the twisty bits easily. I did.

Yeah, all things being equal, those bikes walk away from the GS. But in the real world all things arent equal. YOU will be the better rider.

Commit to the GS for a full year. I guarantee you'll be a far better rider than someone who starts even on an SV in the same time.

It worked for me. I could hang with most riders in the canyons, as long as there werent any long straights. even then I'd make the ground back up.
Even now, when I ride my 600rr at the track, people comment all the time about how smooth a rider I am, and how I can carry lots of corner speed.

Just have to comment on a great post.  

Makes a lot of sense and made me feel even better on my gs500f purchase.  

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Pablo's post was even better cuz he typed it with one hand!






























He's got a broken collarbone, you preverts!!!  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[callmelenny]

I had the experience of counseling a new guy recently. He sought me out because I was the only other person in the building with a bike. He is about 15 years my junior so I felt almost paternal :lol:

He was dead determined to get a SV and I tried to talk him out of it. I finally convinced to at least buy a used one. Despite being 21 he appears to be a cautious rider and I no longer worry he'll do something squidly and get hurt. He recently went riding with some guys on gixxers that were wearing sandals and t-shirts. They razzed him about having full gear and riding a "boring" bike. Once they hit the curvy roads they could barely stay with him. :lol:

I guess my point is that if you are level headed and careful, you'll be fine on the SV. It is less forgiving and more expensive when you drop it, though.

Like Pablo says, people that get bored in a couple of months are mistaking boredom with the lack of terror. They are the people that get liter bikes and accelerate madly in a straight line away from the stoplight.

Ride for yourself not for others. The fact that a lot of accomplished riders here still keep a GS  tells you something about it.

[JetSwing]

one other aspect you might want to consider is the fact that sv is fundamentally better bike - better parts, build, quality.

i have two friends who started on monster 750 and 600rr. both have never crash or even dropped their bikes. i did always teased them for riding so slow though :lol:

riding, whether on gs or sv, is about how much risk you're willing to accept. some accept bigger risk. others are not. if you're the risky type, go with a gs.

i realized this because i have another friend who bought a r6 as a second bike. he never even hit 80 mhp on it. he would never let himself be in a difficult situation on that bike. though he was fairly a noob, he would probably do okay on r6 believe it or not. he eventually sold the r6.

you have know what type of rider you're. everyone's different.

[My Name Is Dave]

Like people said earlier, the ability to do all the servicing yourself is huge. I've done every scheduled maintenance on my brand-new '05 and not only saved a shitload of money doing so, but I also learned a lot about the bike and formed a sort of a bond with it, as ghey as that sounds.

I've also done a fair amount of modding on it, which also was simple.

Dave  

[leo]

either bike is good to start with, which is better for you depends on lots of things.

however, having said that, whether or not YOU are okay to start on an SV is irrelevant IMO. Whats really more relevant is that the GS is a more forgiving to learn on and will in the long run make you a better rider. Learn to ride a slow bike. then learn to ride a slow bike FAST. Then move up.

You'll be bored in a month on either bike. boredom doesnt mean you've mastered it though. The first few weeks you ride you're on sensory overload. your attention id divided among your foot controls, hand controls, consciously keeping your vision far enough in front of you, scanning traffic and road conditions, etc-lots of things that start to become easy right away. You also start to get past that initial anxiety about riding itself, and/or riding in traffic. THAT is what people mistake for boredom.

THAT is the time when the real learning starts and when the GS is most important. It will teach you how to become a better, SMOOTHER rider. Smooth=fast. It will do this because it will force you, for example, to carry more corner speed in order to keep a certain pace. You'd need to learn to be a smoother rider through the corners in order to carry more speed through there. Eventually, you'll be able to hang with the 600's and 1000cc bikes in the twisty bits easily. I did.

Yeah, all things being equal, those bikes walk away from the GS. But in the real world all things arent equal. YOU will be the better rider.

Commit to the GS for a full year. I guarantee you'll be a far better rider than someone who starts even on an SV in the same time.

It worked for me. I could hang with most riders in the canyons, as long as there werent any long straights. even then I'd make the ground back up.
Even now, when I ride my 600rr at the track, people comment all the time about how smooth a rider I am, and how I can carry lots of corner speed.

Just have to comment on a great post.  

Makes a lot of sense and made me feel even better on my gs500f purchase.  

+1 This post reminds me of why I started on the GS. I can feel myself getting impatient to move up, but my time will come. It is funny though when I see guys on liter bikes pedaling with their right foot on right hand turns. I've seen this twice now and that too makes me glad I chose this bike. I don't just want to ride, but I want to ride really good.