Monday, September 10, 2012

SV650 vs GS500F

I've been thinking about buying my first street bike, and looking around at various articles and forums about what make and model would be suitable for a new rider. So far, I've come up with two Suzuki models and a Kawasaki model.

1) The GS500F or older GS500E by Suzuki

2) The SV650 by Suzuki

3) The Ninja 250 by Kawasaki

Having a larger frame (over 6 feet), I've ruled out the smaller 250 Ninja simply due to size. That leaves me with the two Suzuki models. The SV would be a good choice but could be a bit too much power for a beginner. The GS is more tame, and also comes in full fairing models which I like.

I am going to continue to watch the used market to see when a good deal pops up. People seem to be rather fond of their motorcycles, pricing them far beyond what they are worth if going by KBB or NADA book values. I think I'll opt for the best deal I can find and a GS, preferably a GS500F, but I'll take the older one if a good bike at a fair price shows itself.