New bike

[Deranged Granny]

For anyone who is interested, I picked up an SV650S yesterday.

Initial thoughts:
-It's a heck of a lot more powerful than my 250 was - 3x the torque makes progress relatively effortless compared to what I'm used to
-Far more relaxing to ride at speed
-It feels properly sized, and far more comfortable as the clip-ons let me ride in a more natural position
-It is a lot more planted. Even though the suspension is budget, it is a big improvement over the 250 - especially as I now have the luxury of functional rebound(!)
-All the controls feel more substantial and better put together
-Slick gearbox
-Brakes are ok but really require some grabbing to get them to stop quickly (may have to look into that but it could just be me)
-I don't normally like stubby exhausts but it was a fairly good deal so I'm not too bothered. It doesn't pop and bang like the 250 did though, so I miss that. But it is a bit quieter, which is very welcome.

So all in all, pretty much as I expected, in a good way.

I need to tidy up the mishmash of shiny/dull link pipes:



Despite the wonky indicator, I just love the rear end:



Really happy with it so far

Cheers

Edited by Deranged Granny on Tuesday 8th July 11:24

[Deranged Granny]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Loon - I know what you mean about the engine braking, but I still had to rely on the brakes a couple of times when slowing for sharper corners. I should probably rely on them less though; that will probably come with time as I adjust my riding style from how I rode on the 250.

Bluehawk - yeah, braided lines are an option, but I think I will try giving them a check and a clean first. Don't get me wrong though, they are adequate, but I just had to apply a lot more pressure than I expected. I may well just be used to the lithe little 250.

Thatdude- thanks for all that advice. Appreciate it. I've checked out those forums already and there seems to be a wealth of knowledge out there.

Re: the full fairing - I don't think I'll go down that route as I actually quite like the quirky/odd bikini thing it has going on. With a full fairing and non-USD forks it looks like it is trying a bit too hard to me.


I just love the fact that it is a hell of a lot quicker than anything I am used to, even if it is slow by bike standards. Coupled with that V twin noise, I am really enjoying it so far.

Edited by Deranged Granny on Tuesday 8th July 12:29

[Deranged Granny]

Thanks for the advice guys, will take it on board.

Not been able to get out on it as much as I would have liked - 450 exclusively motorway miles doesn't count - so still looking forward to a proper ride out on it!

I am really enjoying it though; it's nice to have the presence and poke of a 'proper sized' bike. It's very fun on a deserted motorway in the small hours

Brakes becoming a non-issue now as I rely more on engine braking.

[Deranged Granny]

Yeah, I definitely don't regret starting on the 250, but the lack of power was starting to get frustrating. Hopefully meet up for a ride out soon?

[Deranged Granny]

.blue said:

Going to be watching this thread with interest. Congrats DG!

I'm enjoying my Nin 250. It's unbelievably good at filtering through small gaps. That said, I have been tempted by both the SV650 as well as the new RC390...

DG, any tips/experiences to share on moving up from a 'fast' 250 to a 'slow' 650?

Thank you. I would definitely recommend moving up.

Positive:

- As above, although by no means a fast bike (far from it), 2x power and 3x torque means that if you are not in the mood, you can just get home without much fuss, without the need to rag the tits off it. Conversely, when you are in the mood, you can make a hell of a lot better progress and perform more overtakes. Indicated 140+ is achievable on private roads, compared to my best of 112 on the Ninja, also on a long private road.
- The rear shock on my Ninja was a bit fked, so this was always going to be a step up, but it is still a lot more plush. Having said that, it does like to stand up if you hit a bump mid-bend. This may be due to suspension requiring a refresh.
- The controls - most notably the gear lever and brakes - feel a lot more 'chunky' and positive in feel. Maybe it is just me, but ergonomically, the SV works better and isn't designed for midgets. It's a proper sized bike. Due to having long legs, I was never quite happy with the position of the gear lever on the 250 even at its lowest settings, whereas it felt instantly right on the SV with no adjustment.
- The rear tyre is actually of normal width.
- About double the storage space. Now room for a bottle of water AND a disc lock, not either/or.


Negative

- It is certainly less manoeuvrable in very heavy London traffic. I would say for normal filtering, it is just as good, if fractionally wider. Only in heavy traffic where you sometimes have to go perpendicular to the traffic flow direction to get past cars, does the smaller steering lock hold you back relative to the 250.
- It uses more fuel. Dur. But we're talking a change from ~65mpg to ~57.


Aside from that, I need to get used to not just grabbing a fistful of throttle as you can on the 250 - on the SV, it performs a simultaneous wheelie/wheelspin, which can be unexpected. There's also a bit more engine braking.

Other than that, do it. You may find the insurance actually cheaper.

Happy to answer any other questions.

[Deranged Granny]

You'll test ride it and not want to go back I know what you mean though, they are great fun to ride. I just wanted more speed.

I was, yes. I found that due to the lack of power, it was best to dump the clutch at 8krpm in 2nd, and then it would get the front wheel up. Never really got good at them though! Not tried with the SV yet but have done a few small ones unintentionally. Would certainly be easier to do it on the SV if that's your game!

[Deranged Granny]

dapearson said:

I had one of these about 7 yrs ago. Great little bikes.

If i fancied a twin, an SV would be on the list.

I love that blue colour too. It's a pleasure to polish!

I really enjoyed mine, right up until a some idiot walked right out in front of me on the way home and the impact caused my head put a big dent in the fuel tank! The fairing brackets just bent back into shape. Nothing cracked. They're tough little things!

Jesus! How did you manage that!?

[Deranged Granny]

3DP said:

.blue said:

How are you getting on with the 650 DG?

I am still umming and ahhing over upgrading to something bigger, most likely an SV650.

The Ninja just takes so much st (knocked over 4 times in past year) and keeps going and it's also not been stolen (no attempts as far as I know) and all that's great for peace of mind. I'd also really miss the pops and bangs if I made the change.

He was hammering along on it last weekend

Missed this thread first time around. Belated congrats!

Blue - it is up to you. I am loving the SV. It has taken a lot longer to grow on me than the Ninja did, but maybe that's just because I haven't been able to ride it quite as much.

Pretty much everything I said earlier on still stands. I DO still miss the pops and bangs of the carbon can on the 250; the SV only very rarely wants to play in that respect, despite having a shorty can. I still think it sounds great, though.

Performance wise, it's still entertaining. You are always going to want more speed up to a point, but I find that the grunty delivery of the v-twin is such that it is only really found wanting when you are ragging it above 10k (redline at 11800) - there isn't much of a top end rush. It's much more about midrange grunt. There's a kick at 7k that lasts till about 10k, where it starts to tail off, and any bigger/IL4 bikes will leave you standing. But for linking 2nd/3rd gear corners, the SV's power delivery is bang on. You can absolutely rag it and make great progress, without going stupidly fast. For me, it's a perfect blend of power and fun. Those with bigger bikes may laugh, but I can't think there are many overtakes, for example, that I wouldn't be able make due to the bike not having enough power, that I would still be happy to make on a quicker bike. For the road, it's great.

Handling is more wallowy than the 250 was, but then most things will be. I am going to give the suspension a refresh at some point, as I think it could do with thicker fork oil at least; the front end is quite soft. I have yet to fiddle with the preload, but that might help reduce front end dive. Brakes could also do with a rebuild as I did feel them sticking once, and the road salt this year has given them a hard time.

In terms of "toughness", it is surprisingly durable. Aside from the brakes and engine casing etc, it is holding up fairly well, and I'm not the best at cleaning it after a ride.

I am getting consistent high 50s/ lows 60s mpg, giving a theoretical range of about 235 miles from brimmed to conking out. That is riding fairly briskly, but doing so doesn't seem to affect the fuel consumption noticeably.

All in all, I am happy I made the change. Maybe I changed a bit early after only a year on the 250; I still had a lot to learn on the bike. But for various reasons, it made sense to make the change when I did. I can see myself holding on to the bike for a while to come, which I didn't initially expect. It's a great bike. You only stand to gain by making the change.

Edited by Deranged Granny on Tuesday 17th March 18:29