What are the differences?
How is the SV650 better, other than power.
Now I am no expert but here are some thoughts: Aside from power the sv has some of the same qualities of the GS. It's light and some what narrow. Easy to flip around etc. That's part of what sells me on the bike.
Also another bene is there is tons of aftermarket stuff for the bike. :mrgreen:
Thed GS was my first bike, it was great. I put 20,000 miles on it. In 99 I bought a SV. This is the best money I ever spent!!! It is almost twice as powerful and just as light as the GS. The V twin puts out torque like the GS wishes it could. Both great bikes. You will not outgrow the SV any time soon.
The SV is a more modern design, it feels more stable at speed and the stock suspension is better (but still the bike's main fault). Since the power come from 3000 on up, it's very easy to ride at any RPM range - I haven't stalled mine out in traffic the way I would with my GS every now and then. The dual brakes stop it very quickly. A wider rear tire adds stability, too. The newer headlight works much better (See Pablo's site)
When modded, the SV is a very serious canyon carver, able to keep up with more powerful sportbikes. It will wheelie and stoppie easily because of the added power, stability and better brakes if you are into that.
On a more subjective level, the SV looks better (more modern look) and the V-Twin rumble from the exhaust (with a slipon or a drilled out stock pipe) sounds better than the GS's exhaust (even with a slipon).