roremc

Hi guys,

Looking at picking up a new used bike. Very late in the season but there a few deals around. I was looking at an 07 SV 650 but have found a 09 Ninja 650 that I like. Any thoughts on which one is better? I am new to riding and will be doing more highway riding than anything else.

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a bag of it

You should probably post this on a bike forum or somewhere else...but back when I was looking into bikes, the ninja was more aggressive and more geared towards intermediate/advanced riders, while the sv650 is more of a beginner bike. If they're both the same price I would definitely get the ninja...but chances are the sv650 will be cheaper and better suited for a novice rider.

Aso23

I had a 09 ninja 650 before moved on to a rc51. The ninja 650 is a great started bike. The sv650 is a great bike also. I know a bunch of riders that do track days and regional racing on sv650s. I would go with which ever is in the best shape for the price but I would learn towards the sv650

Schuber2_S

I've been riding and doing trackdays for quite some time now. If I had to choose between those two I would go with the SV hands down. The aftermarket support is much more developed than the Ninja 650.

My first bike was an SV, then a ZX6, now an R6. I absoultely loved my SV and it was the perfect starter bike. I'm actually considering getting one again to start club racing.

What are the people asking for the bikes? I'm on the moto forums pretty much every day and have a pretty good idea of what's a fair deal for those bikes.

HiImBrian

I rode an 01 SV650 for my first bike and it had plenty of power. Not too sure about the ninja, but the SV is a 90 degree V Twin which means it's a very torquey bike. I sold mine and moved to a CBR600RR because I liked the 4 cyl better along with a smoother power band. The SV is a sweet bike with a set of SM bars on it for sure.

roremc

Thanks for the feedback guys. The two bikes in question -

2009 Kawasaki Ninja - Alberta Sport Touring Motorcycles For Sale - Kijiji Alberta Canada.

Suzuki sv650 - Edmonton Sport Bikes For Sale - Kijiji Edmonton Canada.

The SV I orginally talked about is from a dealer so its not online. Because of the short season here the bikes are not that cheap but I really like the look of the Ninja and the great ridding position. Having said that I just keep hearing very good things about the SV

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Schuber2_S

I would say the most imporatant thing for you to do is to sit on both bikes and see which feels best to you. Both bikes will be equally good for you IMO but the SV may retain it's value a bit better over time.

I'm sure you've done a fair amount of reading but here is a decent comparison of both bikes. Page 4 sums it up pretty well.

http://http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/8/648/Motorcycle-Article/2006-Ninja-650R-vs-Suzuki-SV650.aspx

Let us know what you choose. I'm sure you will be happy with either...and be sure to wear gear at all times while riding.

john doe

How much speed are you looking for? Kawasaki has the new Ninja 300 coming out that looks very promising as a commuter and can be had for under $5k. That said I would place the Ninja 650 and SV650 basically equal. As said, see what feels best. Though I would take the SV simply because I dislike the way parallel twins sound. My current/first bike is a 1983 Honda Nighthawk 650. I'm probably getting an SV650/Gladius next spring. I keep trying to convince myself to buy the Ninja 300 but I bought a sensible car (2012 Mazda 3 skyactiv) I can't have too sensible of a bike.

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poutanen

How do you like the RC51? I've been looking for a 2003+ in black for a while. One of my must have bikes (and I'm a Yamaha guy!)

I looked heavily into this when purchasing my first bike. I wanted something in the 600 class sport tourer segment. The Ninja 650 has about 65 HP, the SV 650 has about 75 HP... The Yamaha FZ6 has closer to 100 HP. I know you're not buying a race bike but the FZ6 is a much more powerful bike than most others in the segment (apart from the Honda 599 I guess).

Now... I started on the FZ6, put about 25,000 km on it over two years and then bought myself an R1. The FZ6 (and anything in the sport touring segment) are much more comfortable to ride for long distances, and I somewhat regretted the R1 purchase. If I were to buy again it would be an FZ8 or FZ1.

Funny story though, after I sold my R1 there was a group ride coming up with some old friends. One of the riders let me borrow her daughters Ninja 250 for the day. We were out on public roads of course so no crazy riding, but that little 250 was able to hang with R6's and many sport touring bikes no problem. So on one hand I'm saying don't buy something underpowered, and on the other I'm saying that the rider makes the bike instead of the other way around.

The only trouble with the Ninja and SV series is that you may get bored sooner on them. An inline-4 based sport tourer will have a much higher revving engine (and much higher peak HP) which can make things fun when you want. The smile factor on an FZ6 is pretty big!

The FZ6, SV650 and Ninja 650 all have roughly the same peak torque (although it occurs much higher up on the FZ6), and roughly the same curb weight. The FZ6 has the largest fuel tank of the bunch (don't ignore this stat!)

If you can sit on a bunch, do it... And if you want any help test riding, I still have my helmet and gear.

poutanen

Remember that the smaller displacement bikes are lighter and can be tossed around like a hooker on her prom night. Nothing wrong with the sub 600 series bikes as fun toys! In fact because you can wring their necks without breaking the sound barrier, I'd say they're possibly MORE fun than bigger bikes.

I think the perfect size would be a 400 cc inline 4. Something like the old FZR400: They had 60 HP (close to the SV650 and Ninja 650), but weighed about 350 pounds instead of 400+, and to get at that power you had to wind them up. Would make for a fun bike!



Damn you all are making me want to get back into the sport, and an FZR400 is what I want.