WELL, ALMOST.


Went riding the Crest with a few buddies saturday and stopped in at Newcombs. There, I ran into another buddy. He let me ride his sv650s. Took it up the road a few miles and back. Nice.  Coming back into the parking area (the large, very long and gravel strewn parking area) I straightened my line and shot straight for my buddies...then realized I had locked up the rear and it was chattering...going faster than I thought...much faster than I thought-probably 60mph...off the brakes and quick evasive maneuvers to miss a bunch of bikes by inches(they would later tell me)!

Disaster (and embarassment) averted. I was lucky to have quick reflexes for evasive maneuvers but was an idiot for getting myself in that predicament to begin with.

Squid!!  :nana:

But how was the SV650 experience? is it much better than a modified GS500?

Dare I say...   Squid?!
Just kindin, if there's one person that can't talk about this shaZam! it's me.  But it's good to hear that you didn't run into all those bikes.  And I can relate to that feeling of stepping onto those bigger bikes, it's like you just feel....

speaking of bigger bikes. I took my neighbor's kawasaki 1400 vulcan for a ride last night.  That bike has more torque than my truck.  That much low end was almost  intoxicating

jake

So how did you find the SV, i road one a year ago, very nice bike although the new 1000 is lurvely.

If things should be banned it's gravel, unlike you i actually lost it on gravel, but then it was a gravel trap on a race track when i was doing a track day

Quote from: albionbikerunlike you i actually lost it on gravel, but then it was a gravel trap on a race track when i was doing a track day

So, you actually lost it on pavement and ended up in gravel?


Here's my take on the SV:
I was at first less than impressed. EVen though it was an "S" model I felt more upright than on my GS. I'm sure the 03 SV is different and my GS has the S-M bars too. The bike had more vibrations than I was expecting, but in a v-twin appropriate way. The vibes were deceiving though. I thought it was pulling nicely only to look down and see I was at redline doing 90! First mistake leading to my near crash was riding someone else's bike like it was my GS-can't go by the engine sound since the SV has more torque, more power and isnt as buzzy as the GS, but revs as high, ~10,500 redline.

Bike steering felt heavier too. We discussed this and it could be due to a)the clip-ons are far narrower than GS bars (even my S-M bars), b) front wheel is bigger and dual discs make front have more inertia, c) SV may carry its weight higher up than the GS-not sure but he thought so.

I was surprised by the sensation of speed (or lack thereof) which is how I ended up going into the parking lot much faster than I thought, locking up the rear.

It made me realize that even though I love the sound of a v-twin, esp through aftermarket pipes, I prefer the revvy nature of an inline 4 (speed triple?), like I always have. Maybe a ~70hp I4 is my next bike...89 gsxr 750?

baby crying-more later...

Quote from: South East RocketDare I say...   Squid?!

TOTALLY!!

I suppose it's what you get used to with bikes. I'm fortunate enough to get to ride several different bikes so i don't get used to one particular bike (excluding the R1 that is). The sv's are good bikes for new riders if they want a 600cc bike but hey most people over here in the UK who learn to ride via a Direct Access Course ride either kwak's ER500 or Suzis GS500E.

As for the gravel trap - going to fast for the corner, knew i wouldn't make it so i lifted the bike up, rode off the track and in to the gravel trap. Slowed down a bit but had no direction so the bike went from under me. Fortunately i had my race fairing on so very little damage (other than to my ego) R1's can be bleedin' expensive to repair.

See ya

Quote from: pantabloI prefer the revvy nature of an inline 4 (speed triple?), like I always have. Maybe a ~70hp I4 is my next bike...89 gsxr 750?

Yep I4 is a very sweet sound, much better than anything else for a bike. One of those 400cc I4 sportbikes sure would be nice.

Quote from: pantablo
It made me realize that even though I love the sound of a v-twin, esp through aftermarket pipes, I prefer the revvy nature of an inline 4 (speed triple?), like I always have. Maybe a ~70hp I4 is my next bike...89 gsxr 750?

baby crying-more later...

The Speed Triple is exactly that: a 955cc inline 3 .  It sounds so awesome and makes 114hp and 78 torque at the wheel.

The Speed 4 (which I really really like) is the 599cc inline 4 from the TT600 retuned.  The new Dayona 600 is also the i4 from Triumph

i know about that gravel patch.. I did so too.. locked the brake at 10mph..  that thing is dangerous..

looks like you had fun on an SV.. I cant wait to try one.

Gaaah!  Give this guy 25 more horses and what's he do?
Yes, the SV can be decievingly fast...what did ya 'spect?  No it's not a rocket ship, that'd be a TL or a GSXR.

Glad to hear you pulled it out, though.

QuoteBike steering felt heavier too. We discussed this and it could be due to a)the clip-ons are far narrower than GS bars (even my S-M bars), b) front wheel is bigger and dual discs make front have more inertia, c) SV may carry its weight higher up than the GS-not sure but he thought so.

I was surprised by the sensation of speed (or lack thereof) which is how I ended up going into the parking lot much faster than I thought, locking up the rear.

Yep, it's the narrower bars making it feel heavy.  The front wheel should make the steering lighter with that 60 series tire. My bike was lightning fast until I put the SM type II's on there.  Made all the difference.  And "yes" again, the SV is more top heavy than the GS. It's taller, and the engine sits slightly higher in the frame.  How did you like the engine braking, and that chilling sound that comes out the back off-throttle?

Pablo's experience reminds me of a section in "Proficient Motorcyling": David Hough quotes some statistics, and claims that accident rates for new riders go down for a couple years, but that they spike up again in the 3rd year, about is high as a brand new rider with 0-6 months experience.  He explores a few possible explanations for the 24-36 month accident rates, but doesn't come to a conclusion.

I think that I read in the Hurt Report that a large percentage of accidents occur when the rider has less than 6 months of experience on the bike which was involved in the accident.  I was thinking... 3rd season is probably about when most riders buy their second bike.  Maybe having only ridden one motorcycle, they could easily be surprised by differences in behavior.

Who knows... keeping your GS may be the easiest way to avoid an accident!

Geez, don't scare people like that.Putting you crashed on the subject line. Goodness gracious!

Quote from: 70 Cam Guy

The Speed Triple is exactly that: a 955cc inline 3 .

I knew that- I was typing too fast with baby crying in background trying to get my thought finished before I went to Hugo...what I meant to say was "...Inline 4 (or maybe a speed triple)..." Since I've always liked the I4's but have a soft spot for the Speed Triple-although I dont want a 955cc bike as my second bike.

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Rema1000-I have heard that same statistic. It makes sense that a newer rider, on a new (second) bike would ride with confidence from his first bike experience but not give the new bike its due respect...if you know what I mean.

That's pretty much what I did. The SV was deceptive in its speed because I was listening for the GS motor. The SV sounds deeper and doesnt sound nearly as high revving (even though it also redlines around 10-11K, it just doesnt sound like it). It was very comfortable. One thing I did notice is that the SV seat (where it meets the tank) is MUCH narrower than my 01 GS making moving around during cornering much easier. Later on I was following him (me on my GS) and he was dragging knee's while I was barely needing to shift my body.  He likes to ride that way.

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60 section tire may be faster turning but with more rotating mass (wider/heavier rim, extra rotor and disc, etc) the front will feel heavier, even with the 60 section tire. My S-M bars on my GS are only 1/2" narrower than stock GS bars which felt much wider than the stock clip-ons the SV was wearing.

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Yep, an FZR400 would be sweet. All I would need. Too bad we dont get the Japanese market bikes here...ooohhh.

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Anyway, has anyone confirmed that the gs500f is going to be available in the US (I doubt it). I should check the various threads on the F model...

Quote from: YohanGeez, don't scare people like that.Putting you crashed on the subject line. Goodness gracious!

yeah, sorry about that. I was taking dramatic license.

What was it in terms of 'pucker factor'? Scale 1 through 10, 1 being a mild pucker, and 10 being a major "I almost saw God!" pucker.

I give it an 8 on the pucker factor from the description I read.  But a bonus for potential embarassment seeing it was done in front of people.