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donkeyman · 07-21-2007, 10:30 AM

I was going to do a writeup between the Ninja 500 and the SV650 as first bikes to give new riders some thoughts about starting on 650 versus the 500. I took a top-rated safety riding course in Canada, bought a 500 shortly after, rode the 500 for 500KM (300 miles), found a hot deal on an SV and bought it. I’ve ridden that SV for 100 miles and this writeup will summarize my 400 miles riding experience to you. I know that I have little (to none) experience in riding, but I think my points are valid from a new rider’s perspective. I am 5’ 5” and 125 pounds wet and have an inseam height of 29”. Yeah I’m small and short. So here goes…

The Ninja 500 felt heavy when I first got it. But the seat gave me confidence that I can manage the bike when stopped. The suspension is soft and comfortable allowing you to take the wrong riding path, hit bumps, and not accidentally blip the throttle, which easily happens when you have a death grip on the controls as a new rider. The riding position is excellent because you are sitting upright enough to not need your knees to hug the gas tank to keep you upright. While riding, the bike is gentle and willing. It is very stable and easily leans over when you try to counter-steer. It really helped me learn to counter-steer and get over the mental challenge of accepting counter-steering. It did not take me long to really start leaning into my turns as I got my confidence really quickly. Now let’s talk about power delivery. From idle all the way up to 5500 rpms, the bike gives smooth power delivery, is torquey, and gets you up to speed fast. You can abruptly twist the throttle or use it like an on/off switch and the bike will not do a wheelie on you. But the first time I hit past 5500 rpms, the bike’s torque really kicked in and I wasn’t expecting it. My left hand came off the handle bars momentarily and it scared the hell out of me. When I tried it the second time, I almost let go again. So that taught me the proper technique to grip the handlebars without giving it a death grip. Needless to say, this not so little 500 is fucking fast. I had a big smile on my face. In order to shift my bike into gears though, I found that I had to contort my foot in weird angles to get under the shifter. Then for downshifting, I was always depressing on both the shifter and the side stand. Kawi placed the sidestand in a stupid location and hitting it always pissed me off.

Summary: The Ninja 500 is plenty powerful, lots of fun, easy to handle, extremely forgiving, and is good riding height for a newbie.

Then I moved onto the SV650. My first impression of the bike was “wow, it’s smooth”. It’s like riding a ’69 GTO versus a modern day Acura (can you say “refined”?). The first time I took the bike out, I was amazed at how smooth the throttle controls were compared to the 500. I’m not sure if it’s because of the mechanics of the controls itself being better designed. The bike felt a little bit lighter than the 500. The suspension is harder, but still forgiving. When I hit the bumps, the tendency to blip the throttle is more pronounced because of the smoother controls. What doesn’t help is that the riding position is very aggressive compared to the 500 forcing me to have a death grip on the controls. I’ve been consciously forcing myself to keep upright using my knees, but sometimes I forget. So I’ve been heaving lots of sore backs and very very achy shoulders and palms. I need to fix my riding position soon. The riding height itself is very high. It feels like you’re sitting above cars and it’s a good feeling because you can see more. The side mirrors are also better than the little 500, allowing you to see more behind you. Note that seeing “more” behind is subjective on sportbikes. You can barely see much to begin with. This bike is also willing and able in the turns, but it prefers to stay upright a bit more. Now to the power delivery. I found the throttle can be quite “twitchy”. Very minor inputs can make the bike lurch forward so you have to be extremely careful during turns not to play too much with the throttle. It also feels like if you use the throttle like an on/off switch, the bike will do a wheelie on you. There’s so much power in the bike. However, when compared to the Ninja, you don’t get a power surge at an arbitrary rpm like the 500 (i.e. 5500 rpms). The power is all there from idle on. But because I learned how to grip the bike somewhat properly, the power from the 650 didn’t scare me or surprise me. Had I not started on the 500, I think there was a potential for me to have “lost it” while accelerating hard. The gear shifter is in a much better position (for me) on this bike. It’s more natural to my riding position, though mis-shifts seem to happen more frequently on the 650. I think I just need more miles to get it figured out. Also it is too easy to speed on the 650. You’re just riding at what you feel is a good speed, but when you look down, you’re riding 60mph on a 35mph road. The 500 was always obedient because you felt as fast as you were going. The smoothness of the 650 can be deceiving.

Summary: The SV650 is more than a handful of power. Maybe too much for a newbie like me. The bike itself though is so very smooth and refined. But I had not dropped the 500 at all while riding and the first day I took my 650 out, I dropped it at a stop. The bike just leaned over and I couldn’t stop it. Had I given at least another 2000 miles more on the 500, I think I wouldn’t have done that. Plus the bike feels topside heavier than the 500.

So there you go … my initial impressions of two bikes from a newbie rider with no experience. I know that I’m in no way qualified enough to even recommend which bike is better, but I gave you a very honest account of my feelings on these bikes as a rider with no riding experience. Too many times, I’ve read reviews of guys who have been on a 250/500 for 6000+ miles and then transitioned over to 650 or SS and give their reviews. By then, they’re pretty competent riders. This way, I can show you from a newbie perspective how both bikes felt to me. Hope this is helpful for you. Feel free to ask me anymore questions about the bikes.

07-21-2007, 10:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
donkeyman Wrld's Lngest Mddle Fingr Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Edmonton Age: 29 Posts: 356 Casino Cash: $4404 Sportbike: 2003 SV650S	I was going to do a writeup between the Ninja 500 and the SV650 as first bikes to give new riders some thoughts about starting on 650 versus the 500. I took a top-rated safety riding course in Canada, bought a 500 shortly after, rode the 500 for 500KM (300 miles), found a hot deal on an SV and bought it. I’ve ridden that SV for 100 miles and this writeup will summarize my 400 miles riding experience to you. I know that I have little (to none) experience in riding, but I think my points are valid from a new rider’s perspective. I am 5’ 5” and 125 pounds wet and have an inseam height of 29”. Yeah I’m small and short. So here goes… The Ninja 500 felt heavy when I first got it. But the seat gave me confidence that I can manage the bike when stopped. The suspension is soft and comfortable allowing you to take the wrong riding path, hit bumps, and not accidentally blip the throttle, which easily happens when you have a death grip on the controls as a new rider. The riding position is excellent because you are sitting upright enough to not need your knees to hug the gas tank to keep you upright. While riding, the bike is gentle and willing. It is very stable and easily leans over when you try to counter-steer. It really helped me learn to counter-steer and get over the mental challenge of accepting counter-steering. It did not take me long to really start leaning into my turns as I got my confidence really quickly. Now let’s talk about power delivery. From idle all the way up to 5500 rpms, the bike gives smooth power delivery, is torquey, and gets you up to speed fast. You can abruptly twist the throttle or use it like an on/off switch and the bike will not do a wheelie on you. But the first time I hit past 5500 rpms, the bike’s torque really kicked in and I wasn’t expecting it. My left hand came off the handle bars momentarily and it scared the hell out of me. When I tried it the second time, I almost let go again. So that taught me the proper technique to grip the handlebars without giving it a death grip. Needless to say, this not so little 500 is fucking fast. I had a big smile on my face. In order to shift my bike into gears though, I found that I had to contort my foot in weird angles to get under the shifter. Then for downshifting, I was always depressing on both the shifter and the side stand. Kawi placed the sidestand in a stupid location and hitting it always pissed me off. Summary: The Ninja 500 is plenty powerful, lots of fun, easy to handle, extremely forgiving, and is good riding height for a newbie. Then I moved onto the SV650. My first impression of the bike was “wow, it’s smooth”. It’s like riding a ’69 GTO versus a modern day Acura (can you say “refined”?). The first time I took the bike out, I was amazed at how smooth the throttle controls were compared to the 500. I’m not sure if it’s because of the mechanics of the controls itself being better designed. The bike felt a little bit lighter than the 500. The suspension is harder, but still forgiving. When I hit the bumps, the tendency to blip the throttle is more pronounced because of the smoother controls. What doesn’t help is that the riding position is very aggressive compared to the 500 forcing me to have a death grip on the controls. I’ve been consciously forcing myself to keep upright using my knees, but sometimes I forget. So I’ve been heaving lots of sore backs and very very achy shoulders and palms. I need to fix my riding position soon. The riding height itself is very high. It feels like you’re sitting above cars and it’s a good feeling because you can see more. The side mirrors are also better than the little 500, allowing you to see more behind you. Note that seeing “more” behind is subjective on sportbikes. You can barely see much to begin with. This bike is also willing and able in the turns, but it prefers to stay upright a bit more. Now to the power delivery. I found the throttle can be quite “twitchy”. Very minor inputs can make the bike lurch forward so you have to be extremely careful during turns not to play too much with the throttle. It also feels like if you use the throttle like an on/off switch, the bike will do a wheelie on you. There’s so much power in the bike. However, when compared to the Ninja, you don’t get a power surge at an arbitrary rpm like the 500 (i.e. 5500 rpms). The power is all there from idle on. But because I learned how to grip the bike somewhat properly, the power from the 650 didn’t scare me or surprise me. Had I not started on the 500, I think there was a potential for me to have “lost it” while accelerating hard. The gear shifter is in a much better position (for me) on this bike. It’s more natural to my riding position, though mis-shifts seem to happen more frequently on the 650. I think I just need more miles to get it figured out. Also it is too easy to speed on the 650. You’re just riding at what you feel is a good speed, but when you look down, you’re riding 60mph on a 35mph road. The 500 was always obedient because you felt as fast as you were going. The smoothness of the 650 can be deceiving. Summary: The SV650 is more than a handful of power. Maybe too much for a newbie like me. The bike itself though is so very smooth and refined. But I had not dropped the 500 at all while riding and the first day I took my 650 out, I dropped it at a stop. The bike just leaned over and I couldn’t stop it. Had I given at least another 2000 miles more on the 500, I think I wouldn’t have done that. Plus the bike feels topside heavier than the 500. So there you go … my initial impressions of two bikes from a newbie rider with no experience. I know that I’m in no way qualified enough to even recommend which bike is better, but I gave you a very honest account of my feelings on these bikes as a rider with no riding experience. Too many times, I’ve read reviews of guys who have been on a 250/500 for 6000+ miles and then transitioned over to 650 or SS and give their reviews. By then, they’re pretty competent riders. This way, I can show you from a newbie perspective how both bikes felt to me. Hope this is helpful for you. Feel free to ask me anymore questions about the bikes.