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

[cheesy]

if you INSIST on buying new, imo, get an SV to start.


I think you should buy a used GS.  Ride it for 6mo-1yr, sell if for what you paid, and move up from there.

[The Buddha]

Wait for the Kawasaki 650 IMHO ... worth checking out even if it is a kawasaki ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[pantablo]

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

He's got a broken collarbone...

yeah, took me all night but I feel very strongly about it.

[domas]

I thought about these two bikes a lot too when i had to choose one. I chose GS at the end. Ofcourse SV looks nice and technical specs are nice to look at. But i guarantee you that you will be surpriced by the GS power if you have never ridden a bike before.

I was afraid of GS the first 2-3 weeks, because the bike was overwhelming. And this feeling sucks because i didnt felt any pleasure of rinding. Guys who get powerfull fast bikes as their first are stuck with this feeling and wont go out of it. Eventualy they crash their bikes looking for pleasure in speed or sell their bikes.

The SV 650 is a VERY fast bike. It takes 3.7 secs to get to 60mph. I dont want to sit on a bike that can do a backflip if throttle is used incorectly .

My advise would be: buy a used GS for 3 reasons:
Nothing will happen WHEN you will drop it.
You will learn to control a bike and work on it mechanicaly.
You will almost lose no money if you will want to sell it and buy SV afterwards.

If you buy a new gs you will lose a lot of money if you will sell it after a year. If you will like the used GS then you can buy new one or the SV, by that time you will know exactly if gs is enough for you without asking others and reading endless reviews.

[vtlion]

Everyone makes such a huge deal out of "which bike to start with".  Sheesh... just Bbuy a used bike... GS, SV, F3, Ninja500 whatever... to make all of your mistakes on and learn from.  As you ride it you will begin to truly understand what you do/do not want from a bike, and when the time comes to throw down 5,000 or 6,000 dollars, you will be a much better rider and an more informed consumer than you could hope to be now.

remember, it is your first bike, not your last.  You don't have to make the perfect decision here.   Just go get a sensible bike so you can get out there and learn to ride with it, for cryin' out loud.

[aaronstj]

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.

Sounds like you might have already made your decision.  

For what it's worth, the GS has a 1/4 throttle, and the SV is a 1/5 throttle, I believe.  That means you have to turn the throttle on the SV less to hit wide open, which is liable to make it seem jumpy (on top of producing 30 more HP than the GS).

[Jake D]

But how many people here wreck their GS's?  I mean, dolepineapple had a GS and he died it.  Many others have piled up there GS's.  Nobody here has that has a bigger bike has wrecked b/c they have a bigger bike.  
Tommymoto moved up to a CBR way too fast.  He is fine.  That other young guy got an R6 and everybody was sweating his nuts about it.  He's fine.

Everyone wrecks, it seems, because they are nailed by a car, for the most part.

Danny is the only one that went down where people said, Uh, maybe you were going to fast on your CBR.

I say get what turns you on and keep your eyes peeled for cars.  Don't go crazy on corners you've never seen before and be cool.

[JetSwing]

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.

Sounds like you might have already made your decision.  

For what it's worth, the GS has a 1/4 throttle, and the SV is a 1/5 throttle, I believe.  That means you have to turn the throttle on the SV less to hit wide open, which is liable to make it seem jumpy (on top of producing 30 more HP than the GS).

i think sv has a 1/4 throttle as well...they do the r6 throttle mod, which is 1/5

sv has a lot more torque compared to gs...it's hard to keep it steady especially on low end

[Alphamazing]

But how many people here wreck their GS's?  I mean, dolepineapple had a GS and he died it.  Many others have piled up there GS's.  Nobody here has that has a bigger bike has wrecked b/c they have a bigger bike.  
Tommymoto moved up to a CBR way too fast.  He is fine.  That other young guy got an R6 and everybody was sweating his nuts about it.  He's fine.

Everyone wrecks, it seems, because they are nailed by a car, for the most part.

Danny is the only one that went down where people said, Uh, maybe you were going to fast on your CBR.

I say get what turns you on and keep your eyes peeled for cars.  Don't go crazy on corners you've never seen before and be cool.

I've seen PLENTY of newbies wreck their sportbikes. I've seen so many wadded up sportbikes ridden by newbie squids it isn't even funny. There was a guy here at my school that bought an R1 as his first bike. Everyone in my club tried to tell him how dumb he was, but he got it anyways. A few days later he calls up our VP and mechanical guru and asks him to come fix his bike because the "wind" knocked it over. His friend "saw" it too. When our VP got there, the right clip on was busted, the plastics were cracked and rashed on both sides, even the upper fairing was cracked. The right footpeg had been ripped off, too.

The fact of the matter is that the modern sportbikes have a LOT of power that can be easily abused. The GS has a tiny bit of power. It's hard to abuse it. It takes skill to be able to use the GS to it's full potential thus making it safer, as it is much more difficult to get yourself into a dangerous situation because you're giving it too much power.

On a related note: I crashed my GS. I would have crashed a LOT earlier probably had I had a faster bike.

[aaronstj]

i think sv has a 1/4 throttle as well...they do the r6 throttle mod, which is 1/5

Looks like you're right.  I take it back.

[Danimal]

I'll vouch for the GS.  I was going to wait for the Kawasaki Ninja 650R, but I couldn't wait until Feb.  I bought a 2005 GS500F brand new with 6 miles on it as my first bike.  I bought new because I am not your typical college student looking to upgrade to an R1 and kill myself doing 120 through campus.  I plan on keeping this bike for many many years.  I have been having a blast learning on it.  I haven't been able to sample much of it's acceleration or handling potential, as I am still learning.  I am still in the break-in period at only 90 miles so the revs must stay below 5k.  I have gotten about half into the throttle and brought it to 5k.  I nearly had to change my underpants, the bike is freakin fast.  I have been a pro-stock mechanic for 6 years (drag cars), i've driven dozens of 9 second and faster cars that could pull the front wheels...but this bike still scares the hell out of me.  It's plenty enough bike.

Ride smart, take the MSF, learn what you are doing and don't get yourself in over your head.  Everyone claims "You WILL dump your first bike".  Wrong.  Be responsible, bottome line.

I get compliments everywhere I go and all of my riding buddies are surprised the first time they see it.  I'm happy with my GS.



 -Danimal

[JustinNoob]

Alright folks.  I'm sold on the GS.  I'll worry about an SV later.

Anyway...everyone preaches "get a used one".  Well, out here in rural Oklahoma there is almost no market for used sportbikes.  The nearest suzuki dealer is almost 100 miles away.  I've checked cycletrader.  I might just have to get a new one.  Besides, I'm single and just started making 50k+ a year.

Justin

[My Name Is Dave]

Alright folks.  I'm sold on the GS.  I'll worry about an SV later.

Anyway...everyone preaches "get a used one".  Well, out here in rural Oklahoma there is almost no market for used sportbikes.  The nearest suzuki dealer is almost 100 miles away.  I've checked cycletrader.  I might just have to get a new one.  Besides, I'm single and just started making 50k+ a year.

Justin

Exactly. I got a new one because who knows when I'll next have the chance. Wife, kids, etc. may come in the near future, so do it now while you can.

Congrats on the killer jobby, and good luck with the bike.  

Dave  

[Danimal]

There's no way you'll regret it.  I have yet to talk to a GS or former GS owner who hasn't immediately exclaimed their love for the bike.  I have no less than 3 friends who have claimed that they wish they had kept their GS when they got a newer bike.

-Danimal

[JustinNoob]

Yo Danimal,

Maybe we could ride sometime.  Ada, Oklahoma isn't that far from Kstate.  

Have you ever ridden with my little brother???  He lives in Overland Park and rides a 97 GS500.  I plan on meeting up with him in the future to ride (once I buy this thing next week).

Justin

[RVertigo]

OK...  Pablo covered everything:  

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 thought it needed another quote.  

[mp183]

Get a used GS and sell it when you get bored.
Better to loose a few bucks than to get scared off or getting hurt.
I have a GS500 and A DL650.
The boring part is that the GS needs lots more service per mile.
I don't have the time for it so it costs me a little.
As far which is the most fun bike to ride it's the GS hands down.
If you get an SV get the newer ones with the fuel injection.
Like someone once said "carbs are the devil".

[xtalman]

I was in the same situation, trying to decide between an SV650, GS500, or EX500.  I really wanted a Ninja 500, but when I saw a GS500 for sale nearby, I decided to take a look.  Easy maintenance, no fairings, abundant supply of parts, durable - simply a great starter bike.

Then I found this forum.  This forum gave me the confidence to work on my own bike.  My plan was to ride the GS500 for a while then buy an SV650.  After about 5,000 miles on the GS500, I decided I wanted more power than the SV650 had to offer and bought a 600cc sportbike as my second bike.

I'm one of those that wasn't willing to get rid of their GS500.  I still have it and use it every day to commute to work, 70 miles a day.  It is perfect for that task.  Here in Houston, it is more than capable of keeping up with traffic on the highways.  I routinely do 80-90 mph and have no problems accelerating to pass people.

[JoeyG]

You've got a lot of really good opinions here already.  I just wanted to add my own experience.

I am really new to riding.  I have '98 GS which I bought after going back and forth from it to the SV.  It really came down to money (used GS's are so much cheaper) and a bit of fear.  I had never ridden before, not even a dirt bike.  I'm 27 and realizing I get injured much more easliy now (my recent strugle with marathon training proved that quite well).  That's why the GS has been great for me.

After the initial jitters of being in traffic passed, I started to become more and more confident.  The confidence all came from the bike.  It was easy to learn how it would respond which allowed me to focus on my skills as a rider rather than concentrating on keeping the bike tamed.  This is what I felt like when I have ridden my roommate's SV.  The bike is awesome, don't get me wrong, but, it just scares me right now.  This will change when I'm a better rider.   However, the touchy throttle and the brut torque the bike puts out is too much for my skill level.  As a rider I feel like I am behind the bike at all times.  That is to say I focused on the what the bike is doing and not what I myself am doing.  This can become unhealthy.

Regardless, I have to say that the SV is my roomates first bike (he has ridden some dirt bikes in the past though) and he is doing fine with it.  I'm sure I would have done okay with it too but, it would have taken me much longer to feel comfortable.

Hope this helps.  Either way you go, buy used, get good gear, and practice your ass off!

-Joe

[Danimal]

Yo Danimal,

Maybe we could ride sometime.  Ada, Oklahoma isn't that far from Kstate.  

Have you ever ridden with my little brother???  He lives in Overland Park and rides a 97 GS500.  I plan on meeting up with him in the future to ride (once I buy this thing next week).

Justin

I haven't ridden outside of Manhattan (where K-State is).  My folks live in Overland Park though.  Nice place.

-Danimal