Which bike to buy: CBR600F4i or SV650?

[Betamax]

I loved the VFR and had a great test-ride on it...and the ABS brakes were very impressive.



But I began to think about the actual riding that I do most of the time, and I realized that most of it consists of day rides around town or in the nearby mountains & canyons. I don't really need a tourer, or even a sport-tourer like the VFR.



The VFR is a great bike, but it also costs a lot more than a 600/650, and (in BC, Canada), any bike over 750cc costs $200 more per year to insure. So those few extra cc's are costly.

[pplassm]

Agreed. I've seen CBR600's with almost 100k miles. Some never even had a valve adjustment.

[KPaulCook]

Sometimes, I swear you have never ridden a inline 4 sportbike yet alone owning a ZX-9R. My bike pulls strong above 7000 above 4000 really. I followed a Buell Lightning (old type) on Saturday and I never at any time had to keep my bike above 9000 to keep up with him. In fact I was having to temper my normal acceleration off the corners to stop from running into him. I think V-Twin torque only makes a difference if you are Nicky Hayden or something. For us mortals I think you would be hard pressed to say that a SV would out pull a CBR from 4000 rpm. In fact I think a CBR would smoke a Duc 748 from 4000 rpm. I played with a Duc 748 several times to know my Ninja smokes it. Only if your were racing Aaron Yates on a GSXR-600 would you have to keep it above 9000.

[Betamax]

that's a useful distinction, reaffirmed by Lowrez and KPaul...thx to all.



I don't use the bike much for commuting, but definitely for riding around town and in the mountains.



Before reading all these responses, I was leaning toward the CBR, but now I'm leaning toward the SV. I'll still test ride both before I buy, but this gives me more to think about.

[KPaulCook]

You will be happy with a CBR 600. I have a friend that has one. Excellent reliabity. He also has a CBR 900 that he races. I just told him about how some folks say you have to keep a CBR above 9000 rpm, he laughed and said only if you are on a race track. He put a Corbin seat on his and it is as comfrontable as my ZX-6R. Honda has better resale value too. The SV is good to, but I don't think the CBR is a bad all around package as some say here. I tested the SV before I bought my Ninja and it didn't fit me well I am 6'0 200lbs.

[seruzawa]

Pull the other one.

[Betamax]

the suspension of the SV was one of my concerns...I only weigh 160, but still the CBR suspension sounds far superior.



I don't really want to spend a grand on shocks, as that would pretty much eat up the price advantage of the SV...the CBR's are being discounted heavily right now because of the coming RR's, but dealers won't be discounting the new SV's coming in April...so tacking a grand onto the price of the SV would get it too close to the CBR price to make it worthwhile.



I'll test ride an '02 SVS in the next week and see what I think of the suspension...seems like the '03's are the same in that regard.

[captainwhoopass]

Or, to REALLY confuse you, take a peek at a YZF600R. I would definitely look at one of those over the CBR. The YZF is more comfortable (for me, anyway) than the CBR, make almost as much power (considerably more than the SV, but that's only relevant if that's what you're looking for) and can be had for only about $500 more than the SV, if my memory serves me correctly, or maybe the same amount of $$ for a non-current model.

[KPaulCook]

Excellent Excellent Point. The Yamaha is the most overlooked and underated bike around. Motorcyclist ranked it number one for best real-world 600. I wished someone would have pointed me to it when I was shopping

[seruzawa]

Thank you for that expert and informed opinon.



Do you have two years riding yet?



Rebuilt even a dozen engines yet?



Does the Honda have forged pistons?



Inquiring minds want to know.