Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Cool. So, I just got back from a quick test ride of both the SV650
and the V-Strom 650. Same engine, different bikes. Quite a bit
different, really.
I liked the SV650 a lot (as I'd suspected I would), but the seat and pegs are far too close together, even closer than the Le Mans was before I changed the pegs. It was very cramped. I could fix it by raising the seat, but I'd have to add 2-3 inches to make enough difference, and that's a lot of seat to add.
Then there's the problem with the on-off throttle. Right at that point where you go from acceleration to deceleration, it's very abrupt. I had a terrible time being smooth, and felt like a baby horse going arond corners -- very rickety and uncertain. It's better at higher speeds, but I spend most of my riding time at low speed. Not really acceptable.
The SV does have plenty of power (feels like more than the Z, actually). It also feels much lighter and slimmer. Except for those first obvious flaws, the SV would be a great bike. I suspect that my gas mileage, however, would hover around 30, and that's not a situation I want to get back into; that's what I'm trying to get out of.
The V-Strom was much more comfortable. Actually, it was a bit too much so in the "sit up and beg" direction. That'd be easy enough to fix with lower handlebars (the only problem I had with the seating position), but there are other troubles. The engine has that same on-off problem of the SV, except it feels like it's got 2/3 the power. It's a heavier bike, which makes a difference, but I didn't think it'd make that much difference. It is a slightly different engine, but it wasn't the change I was expecting based on reports I'd read.
So, overall, the SV650 and V-Strom 650 are not for me, at least not right now. I'm still glad I rode them, and now I know. The SV650 would be a great track bike or fun bike, and the V-Strom would be a fabulous touring bike. On the other hand, I already have a decent touring bike, in the form of the Le Mans (at least until/if it sells). So, I think I'll be skipping those two bikes for now.
When I got back on the Z after riding the two Suzukis, it felt really heavy. I'm definitely following the right path by looking into a different bike. Impressively to the SV650's credit, the Z750s also felt fairly heavy and slow while riding. It's still fine, but it throws the 2 vs. 4 cylinder engine classes into stark contrast. I'm definitely a fan of twins.
In other news, I didn't much notice the seat, which means it's pretty much done. I need to clean up some, but it should only be another few evenings of work before it's done. Hopefully by this weekend. Then I can start cleaning it up to sell.
Posted at 18:50 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater