New Sport Bike Rider with a background in Motocross

[RobMoore]

^ As an SV650 rider wanting to step up to a 600/675 in the spring, I'm curious to know what those are, from your specific perspective.

I've got 10k that I've put on my Suzuki.

[stamford]

Originally Posted by RobMoore

^ As an SV650 rider wanting to step up to a 600/675 in the spring, I'm curious to know what those are, from your specific perspective.

I've got 10k that I've put on my Suzuki.

I could ramble on and on but Ill try my best not to and stick to the few points I made in the previous post. And this is coming from only a sv to 675 perspective. I've never ridden any other SS bike.

At first you'll notice:
1) engine - Power kicks a lot differently. It was extreamly linear (not true for the 600 I4s). The SV made peak HP numbers way closer to the crusing rpms then the 675 did so the SV felt like it had more balls for street riding. Any thing over ~60 and that seemed to be where the 675 motor was clearly stronger.
2) Brakes - The front brakes were/are way more powerfull then the stock SV brakes. I was shocked at how good strong the front brakes felt in comparison. The feedback from them was better and I felt like I could just stop on a dime.
3) overall handling - I didn't like this compared to the sv. It was very twitchy, steering inputs seemed jerky if you weren't butter smooth. navigating through parking or making tight turns in general was a lot harder on the 675 then the SV. The sv was just generally more docile to ride.
4) suspension - Not somthing I can fairly compare since the 675 was WAAAY over sprung for me since I'm a featherweight.

After I got used to the 675 (about 10,000 miles) and around 40k on the sv at this point:

1) Engine on the SV is WAAY more fun on the street. You need to shift less and power kicks in closer to the average cruising rpm. It's not as smooth as the 675 but overall for street riding I much prefer the SV's engine.

2) brakes - same as before... They are more sensitive, better feedback and just way more powerfull on the 675. All a big +

3) overall handling - I feel as a street bike the SV more fun, easier and more fun to ride then a sensitive super sport begging to go 85 mph around your favorite corner. You get used to the "twitchyness" of the 675 and it really becomes a non issue. However stuff like pulling into parking spots or day to day casual street riding the SV is flat out just easier/more fun to ride.

4) Suspension- There is kinda 2 ways to talk about this. Overall for STREET riding (aka legal stuff) the sv is just fine. You don't need a Penske triple clicker rear and a 20mm kit for the front to go over a pothole. Personally I found the 675 to be WAAY stiff on the street but that is again due to me riding with it not set up correctly due to my weight. In the performance aspect of it I would say a street spirited ride (note still way calmer then the track) the SV is still passable. Assuming it's sprung properly you won't hit suspension limitation issues for quite some time on a sv. However when they start to show front end suspension doesn't feel as planted when you started to get aggressive and both front and rear end was a bit of a pogo stick (less of an issue for me since i am so light). You do get to a point where the quick tipin you want to do the bike simply just doesn't like it, it becomes more and more unstable. You feel it saying (SLOW DOWN) lol. A stock 675 on the other hand if it's sprung for your weight is rock solid on the street on spirited rides. If you need more then that you seriously need to hit the track (same goes for a properly sprung SV IMO) before you kill yourself.

Personally if I had 1 bike to choose between any modern SS or a Standard as my only street bike the standard would win every time. They are imo just better street bikes for the type of riding I do..or did. I don't ride the street any more. . Hopefully I can afford a Ninja 250 this winter and pick street riding back up.

[RobMoore]

Thank you. That is helpful.

I've resprung mine w/ a zx10r rear and .90 racetechs up front. I'll probably switch to .85 as I feel they are oversprung for my 160 lbs.

I do love the onset of power down low, but hate how it runs out of breath up top.

I've also put in stainless brake lines and better pads up front, but yes, I still not thrilled with its stopping distance. I would describe it as "adequate".

[Live_Free]

Back after my test ride, and I've made a decision.

I got to ride a Ninja 650r, GSXR-600, and the ZX-6R; all 2012 year models. I'll list my immediate impressions as a new rider below.

Engine

Out of the three my favorite was the ZX-6R. It seemed to have a better mid-range than the GSXR-600, and once you get it over about 6-8k rpms you better be holding on. The 650R was far better for cruising around and normal accelerating (i.e. getting to highway speeds in a normal manner) seemed far easier. Much like with a Super-Car, with a Super-Sport you are either accelerating slowly or far too fast for the road. Although I feel you'd get use to it, and it would soon become easier to modulate with 100% precision. The GSXR-600 seemed to fair about the same as the ZX-6R, but the power seemed to kick in a bit later from my testing.

Brakes

Wow! I thought my car stopped hard on pavement, all of these bikes have amazing brakes. Obviously the SS's have a higher initial bite, but all felt very linear on the road.

Handling

Again, I'm going to be limited by my impressions of these bikes as I had about 20 minutes of road use on each of them. From what I felt the 650r is better on the road, where its ability to turn sharper corners at low speed is useful. Both of the SS's are hard to manage around town, and obviously don't really like being there. I mean they can do it, but the entire time you are wishing you were on a track. Don't get me wrong, they are completely manageable, and you can if you wanted use them as a DD, but they are obviously far more at home on a circuit. I took all three bikes onto the highway, and threw a bit of power down on the on-ramp, and all three performed excellently. The 650R wasn't as responsive or fun to push as the SS's, and the SS's didn't seem much different here.

Comfort

No contest, the 650R is the winner here. You are mashed onto the SS's and pushed as far down as possible to get the best control, while the 650R lets to sit up and look around.


So ultimately my decision came down to what I wanted from a bike. I already have a fast daily driver, so it isn't a quick spurt of speed and ability I was or am looking for. I've decided to get the ZX-6R for a number of reasons. I plan to track this bike, as I already track my car, and do motocross. Comfort isn't important to me, as I won't be using this bike to commute anywhere. So there, after much deliberation, research, and test rides, I'm getting the ZX-6R.

Thanks all for your suggestions, input, and help; I hope you all have a very merry holiday season.