GS500 owner looking to upgrade - need input!

[tt_four]

Harley Sportster (I feel gross saying that, though)

This one probably isn't what you want if you're riding with guys on 600s. Some of those sportsters don't make much more power than a GS, and toss in an extra 1-200lbs and you're gonna be in the same boat. Triumph makes some pretty nice naked bikes too, either the Speed Four or newer Street Triple. Both will keep up with any 600 just fine, have all the comfort/naked bike benefits of an SV, but have way more power and a MUCH nicer suspension.

[burning1]

I personally don't enjoy riding sport bikes on the street, but I'm a more serious rider than most.

Why so serious? Can you honestly tell me you never speed on the streets? that's a bummer cause it's pretty fun.

When I go for a blat through back roads its anywhere between 300 and 600 kilometres and my R6 riding mate Buddha Loves Youes like a stuck pig about the comfort. Actually when our HD riding friend comes along he is worse about the comfort on longer trips.

Nail on the head. If you ride a sport bike, your effective range of riding on the bike is ~100 miles away from home. That's a big problem for me, because so many of California's best roads are hundreds of miles away from home. I need a bike that can get me to the good roads in comfort, but that's agile enough to take advantage of them when I get there. The SV650 isn't ideal for that kind of stuff, but it's certainly serviceable.

FWIW, you're right that I abhor street racing, and I find it cringe worthy what some of those guys consider racing. Real racing is a test of skill and preparation; with street racers, it's often a question of who is willing to take the greatest risks.

Don't get me wrong... I have no problem with a good spirited ride in the right conditions, or a little burst of speed on the freeway when there are no cops around.

But, IMO... In a group ride through the twisties, there's no reason to be blasting down the straights. Enjoy the corners. Relax between em and let everyone catch up.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

If your friends are gunning it down the straights, I'd consider riding with a different group.

SV650 would be my suggestion, but you really need to decide for yourself. I personally don't enjoy riding sport bikes on the street, but I'm a more serious rider than most.

Why so serious? Can you honestly tell me you never speed on the streets? that's a bummer cause it's pretty fun.

I don't think anyone's saying keep to the posted limit at all times, I think they're saying that if your friends are hammering it in a straight line to the point where you need to be wide open throttle on a GSXR just to stay with the group, you might be riding with the wrong group.  An SV650 (or even a GS500 for that matter) can do speeds that'll get your bike impounded and earn you a court date.  By all means buy a more powerful bike for the feeling you get as you twist the throttle, but a group ride would have to be sitting at speeds over 200km/h before you'd actually be in danger of being left behind cos your SV650 was too slow in a straight line.

[mister]

Burning1:

For clarification, what type of bike do you call the GS500, SV650 & SV650s, GSX650, Ducati Monster and Honda 919?

Are they all Sport bikes or some Sport some Sport Tourer and some Supersport or ?

I ask so I can understand your "don't ride sport bikes on the street" concept.

I call them all Sport Bikes and with the exception of the SV650s more aggressive position, they feel comfortable enough for longer rides up near the 300m/500km range.

What I call Supersport (CBR1000, SR1000RR, R6, R1, Ninja 1000, ZX10, etc.), however, I agree. Not comfy enough for longer day rides. Though I know people who take them on longer rides, but they aren't too comfortable.

Michael

[burning1]

For clarification, what type of bike do you call the GS500, SV650 & SV650s, GSX650, Ducati Monster and Honda 919?

Are they all Sport bikes or some Sport some Sport Tourer and some Supersport or ?

I ask so I can understand your "don't ride sport bikes on the street" concept.

(Edited due to a mistake in the original post about the 919)

The SV650s is a lightweight sport bike (IMO, it's on the very heavy end of lightweight.)

The 919, GS500, SV650 and Ducati Monster are standards, and cosmetically 'naked bikes.'

The GSX650 is a standard, though it looks like a sport bike.

IMO, a bike doesn't qualify as a sport tourer until it has some luggage capacity. Arguably, something with luggage and sport ergonomics is a sport tourer, but I personally add the stipulation that it has to be comfortable enough to do multiple 500 mile days.

There's nothing saying that a sport bike has to be modern E.g. a GSX-R 1100 is very old tech, but it's unquestionably a sport bike. There's nothing saying that a standard can't be wrapped in plastic and be incredibly sporty (E.g. the new Ninja 1000.)

There are other odd bikes out there too... E.g. The Honda DN-01 is unquestionably a cruiser, even though it's wrapped in plastic like a sport bike.

In my experience, on the retail market, supersport generally implies a 600cc class I4 (or 1000cc twin) sport-bike built to the leading edge production technology of the time. Superbike generally implies the same about the literbike class. Supersport and superbike obviously have different meanings to racers, and different meanings to each club, however.

[mister]

For clarification, what type of bike do you call the GS500, SV650 & SV650s, GSX650, Ducati Monster and Honda 919?

Are they all Sport bikes or some Sport some Sport Tourer and some Supersport or ?

I ask so I can understand your "don't ride sport bikes on the street" concept.

The 919 is a sport bike, but it's on the more comfy end of sport. The SV650s is a lightweight sport bike (IMO, it's on the very heavy end of lightweight.)

The GS500, SV650 and Ducati Monster are standards, and cosmetically 'naked bikes.'

The GSX650 is a standard, though it looks like a sport bike.

IMO, a bike doesn't qualify as a sport tourer until it has some luggage capacity. Arguably, something with luggage and sport ergonomics is a sport tourer, but I personally add the stipulation that it has to be comfortable enough to do multiple 500 mile days.

There's nothing saying that a sport bike has to be modern E.g. a GSX-R 1100 is very old tech, but it's unquestionably a sport bike. There's nothing saying that a standard can't be wrapped in plastic and be incredibly sporty (E.g. the new Ninja 1000.)

There are other odd bikes out there too... E.g. The Honda DN-01 is unquestionably a cruiser, even though it's wrapped in plastic like a sport bike.

In my experience, on the retail market, supersport generally implies a 600cc class I4 (or 1000cc twin) sport-bike built to the leading edge production technology of the time. Superbike generally implies the same about the literbike class. Supersport and superbike obviously have different meanings to racers, and different meanings to each club, however.

Never heard the term Standard.

Ok. So my upright riding position 919 is a Sport bike but cause it has luggage it's a Sport Tourer, while the GS with more forward leaning is a standard so when I add luggage it becomes a Standard Tourer?

Man, that's just confusing. But makes me ask, what defines a bike as a Sport bike vs a Standard? Maybe it's a different POV based on our localities and how we culturally consider a bike to be 

To me...

Sport - GS500/F, Honda 919, SV650/s GSX650, Gladius, Z750, FZ6, FZ8, etc.
Supersport - CBR1000, SR1000RR, R1, R6, CBR600, ZX9, etc.

I guess, by default, my take is, if it ain't a Supersport then it's plain sport. And the Sports all seem to have a common element - they may have a link with a Racing version of the bike but they have been de/retuned for more street use and the riding position is often, but not always, less aggressive.

Michael

[burning1]

Sorry, I confused the 919 with the Honda 954rr. The 919 is a naked standard, just like the GS500. The 954rr is a sport bike.

In stock form, the GS500 is very much a standard. If you go directly from a GSX-R 600 to the GS500, the difference is immediately obvious; the bars are higher, and closer to the rider. The pegs are lower and more forward. The terms aren't absolute, either... There can be some crossover.

Things get more confusing when you start looking at bikes that have been ergonomically/aesthetically modified, and when you start paying attention to manufacturers terms. Manufacuters seem to take issue with the terms 'naked' and 'standard,' and have renamed many of their standards as 'sport bikes' and their naked bikes as 'streetfighters.'

Generally, I wouldn't slap bags on a sport bike and call it a sport tourer as it leads to confusion. E.g. if someone asked what your 919 is, and you told them that it was a sport tourer, they would rightfully assume that it came from the factory that way. I'd instead say that the 919 is a naked bike I modified for touring. Added confusion is that sport tourer usually implies ergonomics similar to a standard, but more sporty than a full on touring bike.

The term standard comes from the days of the Universal Japanese Model (UJM) where pretty much every bike on the market was a 'standard.' Positions tended to be very upright, bodywork was rare. In the 80s, sport bikes started becoming popular, and the term standard was used to differentiate the UJM from the sport bike. These days it's a good way to speak about the ergonomics of the bike... To imply that it's a solid all-rounder, that can be used for sporty riding, touring, or street duty - just like the UJMs of old.

[Twism86]

I guess standard is an American thing. I break bikes down into 5 categories....

Standard: Naked styling, no fairings, upright position, no clip ons (sort of)
Sport: Your basic faired street legal "race" bike
Cruiser: Harleys and such
Tourer: Goldwing and anything with intended luggage.  
Dual purpose: Goes on dirt and road

Some bikes fit those perfectly, and some are in between.

As for the OPs question. Im dreaming of a SV650s so that would be my choice. If will be faster and definitely keep up most of the time. It also comes down to the type of engine you like to ride. Some people hate twins and love I4s like a friend of mine but i prefer a twin.

[jlog65]

For me bike classes depend on how the insurance company views them.  Cruiser, Sport Tourer, Supersport.  After all, they set the rates

[SAFE-T]

I would see if I could find a bike with more performance but without the higher insurance premium.

For instance, up here according to insurance the SV1000 is a sport-tourer, while the VTR1000F Superhawk is a sport bike.

You may be able to get something bigger for less if you ask your insurance broker/agent some questions.

If you want to keep up when your friends are twisting the throttle, maybe check out an 'older' CBR929/954RR, that may have a little better ergonomics for riding distance than the 600RR for you.

On the other hand, the SV650 already has 60% more power than your GS500 did, and it's popular for a reason. The 2005+ model has the twin-plug head, so a little better gas mileage on top of an already great middleweight sport bike.

[BaltimoreGS]

A note on the SV650's, the 2003 model was a bastard year.  It looks like the '04 up models but a lot of parts are '03 specific.  Keep that in mind if you go that direction.

-Jessie

[Twism86]

A note on the SV650's, the 2003 model was a bastard year.  It looks like the '04 up models but a lot of parts are '03 specific.  Keep that in mind if you go that direction.

-Jessie

Plus fuel injection after 03 too.

[mike__R]

A note on the SV650's, the 2003 model was a bastard year.  It looks like the '04 up models but a lot of parts are '03 specific.  Keep that in mind if you go that direction.

-Jessie

Plus fuel injection after 03 too.

I thought '03 was the first year of FI?  I know the frame on the 03 was unique.

[Twism86]

Yes 03 had FI too. But Baltimore mentioned other issues too so I guess considering an 04+ is best.

[tt_four]

I don't really know where I would draw the line between a sport bike or standard anymore. It just seems like all standard bikes are influenced by sportbikes because that's what's so popular now. I tend to think of riding as an activity/sport, so any bike that's made with the intension of riding just for the fun of it, is something I would consider a sportbike. I still consider something like a triumph bonneville a standard. Basically something that's styled like a cruiser, just not as long and heavy. I feel like the bikes companies are selling as "standards" are still just lower budget and less aggressive sportbikes. I don't see why a fairing would factor at all into whether or not something is a sport bike. All that determines is how much a rider likes to deal with wind. My xb9s is the same exact bike as an xb9r except it has different handlebars, different headlight fairing, and a 1 piece seat instead of plastic and 2 seats. I don't see why me being positioned 5 degrees more upright makes it any less of a sportbike when I ride exactly the same way I would otherwise.

Supersport, superbike, race bike.. those are all terms that only certain bikes fit in, but if you ride a bike in a sporty manner, then it's a sportbike. I think it's one of those "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares" situations.

[mister]

Wasn't it 04+ had the twin front rotors as well and previous had single 

I think it's one of those "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares" situations.

And the poor oblong misses out again, as does the rhombus. Meanwhile the polygon is furious it has been neglected and the quadrilateral has just drunk itself into a stupor in its depression over it all.

Michael

[BaltimoreGS]

A note on the SV650's, the 2003 model was a bastard year.  It looks like the '04 up models but a lot of parts are '03 specific.  Keep that in mind if you go that direction.

-Jessie

Plus fuel injection after 03 too.

I thought '03 was the first year of FI?  I know the frame on the 03 was unique.

Correct, '03 is fuel injected.  The frame and some other parts are unique to the '03 model year which makes replacement parts harder to find and some aftermarket parts aren't compatible.  '04 up are pretty interchangeable but there are still some changes like the dual plugs in later years.  I like the tubular look of the frame on the original SV650's.  They may be carbureted but they are not known to have any major carb issues.  I still have an '06 SV650 that has been a decent bike.  The stock handling/suspension is a bit lack luster but if you are used to the GS it will probably feel pretty good.  My favorite bike I have owned was a '96 CBR600F3 back when it was still a new bike.  As much as I loved that bike I think now I would opt for a nice used F4i with a banana seat that hadn't been dogged to bad.  As far as new bikes, I have always liked Katanas so I would consider a GSX650F.  And as much as I have been disappointed with my previous Yamaha ownership experiences I would consider the new FZ8.

-Jessie