Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I love the V-twin feel & torque. Very quick, great braking, good handling.

Faults:

A little more power would be nice.

Suspension could be a little stiffer.

Wider tires would be nice.

General Comments:

I love the look, and the reliability is what sold me. I got tired of riding and being nervous if my bike was going to breakdown. By the way, I'm a freak about maintenance.

I would agree if you add some money you can have a serious contender in the canyons. I have owned many bikes. The only other bike I enjoyed but abandoned because of reliability is the Triumph 955 Daytona. Torque is the secret sauce for the canyons. I hate having to downshift up and down. In my opinion the three cylinders are for the rich and the V-Twin is for the common man, or better said for the man who enjoys riding his bike anytime all the time. Great bike!!!

Faults:

Carbs needed to be cleaned. Friend towed the bike and cleaned the carbs for me for $80 after I dropped the bike.

Chain snapped off, (my fault). The bolts are extremely tight, I stripped 2 bolts trying to get them off. The oil bolt and chain adjuster bolt. As a result I can't adjust my chain fully. It has a lot of slack. I don't know if that's manufacturer error or if it was the previous owner who overtightened them..

I sometimes have difficulty getting the bike into neutral when the bike is idling, and it takes a bit of time to warm it up.

General Comments:

Other than the problems I had with the bike. It is a great starter bike. It's very quick, its not fast though, but its quick. I've only gotten the bike to 113mph, but the top speed is only like 127mph (not that you need to go that fast). I get this bike to 60 in 5-6 seconds. While maintaining great MPG. I get about 48-52 MPG. But you can get even greater mileage if you drive slow. (60+mpg)

I love the way it looks too, the Street-Fighter look is awesome. I hate the fact that I don't have a windscreen though, and the windscreen that is designed for this bike looks really dumb.

I don't stunt (If I get any air, my chain will come off the sprockets.. dangerous) but if I did I think this would be a great stunt bike, it just looks like it's built for it.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Great bike for a first time rider, if you're careful, or a more experienced rider.

Acceleration is good, but not on par with a Supersport.

The handling is great, but the suspension will probably need an upgrade if you're a heavier than 150 pounds and want to do some really aggressive riding, but is fine for the street at any weight IMO.

The stock seat is not very comfortable, but good for maybe a couple of hours at a stretch. No more, plenty of aftermarket seats available, easy fix.

Lightweight and responsive, decent brakes. Awesome sound if you invest in an aftermarket "slip on" style pipe or full exhaust.

The bike is very stable, even at high speeds, and has very little vibration for a V twin. I don't even notice it. Very smooth.

If you are looking for a speed demon, look elsewhere, but for a fun around town, or a twisties bike or commuter, this one will be with you for a long time.

Faults:

None, really. The original owner purchased the motorcycle in 2006 (a clearance sale of sorts), although it is confirmed a 2005 model.

The stock suspension has been commented as being too soft. I weigh about 220lbs at 6' tall, and the front suspension is definitely soft. This is very apparent under moderate braking force. I've personally replaced the fork springs with stiffer once that ran about $80 for the springs, and I installed it myself (not difficult if you follow instructions).

The rear suspension is OK in my opinion. Not too soft, not too stiff. I have purchased a rear shock from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX10 to replace it, but have not yet done so.

Most of my information comes by way of research some SV Internet forums.

General Comments:

This is my first bike EVER! I've practiced on my brother's 2008 Honda CBR600 prior to riding my SV650. Having rode the SV for about 2000 miles, and getting back on my brother's CBR, the CBR is definitely more nimble and responsive than the SV. However, comparing new-to-new prices, the SV comes out about 2-3K less than the CBR. We're also comparing a V-engine (SV) and an inline engine (CBR). V-engines have more torque and can punch off the line hard. So can an inline, however inlines, I'm told, start to lose against a V-engine in the curves. Not sure of the physics of why this is so.

I agree with many that the SV650 (not the SV1000!!!) is a great starter bike for some riders. The Ninja250R has been highly recommended, but I was discouraged from friends and family from purchasing the Ninja 250 due to my weight.