hows the suzuki sv650 for a first bike?

[marshall27]

i hear read that its in the standard class of motorcycle and is good on a beginner like myself also the insurance costs are lower. i was wandering hows the acceleration on these bikes, is it like the ninja 250 or much faster also would this be a good bike to drive on the highway. thanks anyway.

 

[MreSmartypants]

I think the SV 650 would make an excellent first bike. So long as you can sit on it with both feet flat on the ground. A 250 really doesn't have the power to cruise at highway speeds, but the SV650 can cruise at 75 all day without breathing hard. Plus it's light, easy to ride, easy to balance.

Here on Y/A motorcycles, we see 'first bike' questions fairly often. And a lot of people recommend 250s. 250s are great so long as you don't plan to do much riding over about 50 mph. It's not too much power you worry about in a first bike, it's weight and center of gravity. A heavier bike is harder to manage, especially at first. And a 250 is very light, but a 500 or 650 is not that much bigger or heavier, so I think that would make a better first bike.

But I always recommend that you shouldn't learn to ride on a new bike. You should get an
'old beater', maybe even a bike with a few scrapes and bruises on it, because you're likely to be very hard on your first bike. A used SV would be ideal, partly because they're easy to get parts for.

Also the SV has a 90 degree v-twin that I really admire. It has perfect primary balance so it doesn't vibrate like twins sometimes do, but it still has the simplicity of a twin. Fours are more sophisticated, more modern, smoother, etc., but lots of people still love twins because they have 'character'. 8^) It's a very elegant design.