[gahdzila]

Hi guys.

First off, I apologize if this has been asked here a million times already...I did a search, and couldn't find it.

I've been looking at bikes for the last month or so, and I'm SERIOUSLY considering an sv650. But I absolutely can't decide on the naked or s version. I really like the look of the fairing on the s, I like the idea of a bit of wind protection, and my local dealership has an '05 s in that yummy fast-looking yellow. The naked version feels more natural, and more comfortable when sitting on it, however.

Was hoping to hear from some of you guys...how you decided on which one, your opinions on the pros and cons of each, etc. I'd especially like to hear from someone who has ridden both models and can really give me the low down on them.

TIA

 

[wonderjosh]

BOTH!

they both have their benifits.. and you seem to know what those are for each bike.. i think its all on you to make the decision

 

[Evan]

Some would say that if you are going to be doing any long distance riding, that you should get the more upright position of the standard, but now that I have a standard, I think that for the highway it would make better sense to have the s. When you are at speed in the upright position of the standard, the wind pushes hard, and you will find yourself leaning forward to offset that pressure. For around town, naked is where it's at!

...just another opinion to help you confuse yourself.

 

[wonderjosh]

Some would say that if you are going to be doing any long distance riding, that you should get the more upright position of the standard, but now that I have a standard, I think that for the highway it would make better sense to have the s. When you are at speed in the upright position of the standard, the wind pushes hard, and you will find yourself leaning forward to offset that pressure. For around town, naked is where it's at!

...just another opinion to help you confuse yourself.

i agree get the s, if you dont like the riding position for long rides, you can just get a taller windshield and clip on risers

 

[Ben_JamminVFCC]

Or figure since you can't have both worlds...have neither:


Get the naked and put clip-ons and rearsets on it....at least you'd look good.

 

[doxiedog]

More folks are going naked from sport,than the other way :lol: What does that tell ya?

 

[gahdzila]

Thanks for the input.

I think my ideal bike would be the riding position and tucked-under-exhaust of the yamaha fz6, the sweet flat black color of the honda 599 (although suzuki's yellow is a VERY close second), and the v-twin performance of the sv650...but that's not gonna happen lol.

I'm leaning more towards the "s"...I think it would be easier to put risers on the "s" than to find a perfect color-matched fairing for the naked.

 

[Coop]

I decided on the naked just because I think it looks better. To each his own ya know. I have a Yellow '05 and love it. I have changed to bar end mirrors already because with the stock ones all I could see were my shoulders. I also added a tank pad because the clear coat already had a small scratch on the tank. Which ever SV you decide on I think you'll be pleased with your decision.

 

[evilbologna]

More folks are going naked from sport,than the other way :lol: What does that tell ya?

I am one of them, sport is cool and all...but naked is a whole anotehr feeling in itself. Since I converted from sport to naked, I have the clip-ons and higher rearsets from the sport, and it puts ya more head-on into the wind actually making it a lil smoother than if you were upright.

 

[Ben_JamminVFCC]

More folks are going naked from sport,than the other way :lol: What does that tell ya?

I am one of them, sport is cool and all...but naked is a whole anotehr feeling in itself. Since I converted from sport to naked, I have the clip-ons and higher rearsets from the sport, and it puts ya more head-on into the wind actually making it a lil smoother than if you were upright.

I agree, wind's never bothered my on my naked, not even in the height of winter.


The huge frontal area of a naked kinda creates a bubble I say...that's what it feels like. Sucks for top speed though. Squidly thing to say.....

 

[siisgood00]

I think anyone that rides a SV is gonna love both the N or S. It really comes down to personal preference. Also if you totally want to get away from the squid crowd, get the naked and they wont even talk to you
With the S, it looks enough like a "crotch rocket" that squids will try talking to you about 1/4 mile times :lol:

 

[andylaiphoto]

I had to go with function over fashion when I bought mine. I had all the intentions of leaving the dealership with the naked but ended up with the S. I started thinking about how I was going to use it and since I commute alot on the highway the S only made sense. I don't regret it one bit but the naked is friggin cool looking.

Flip a coin bro!

 

[Northwind]

More folks are going naked from sport,than the other way :lol: What does that tell ya?

That it's easier and cheaper to go naked from an S than the other way round?

 

[ronlarimer]

Or figure since you can't have both worlds...have neither:


Get the naked and put clip-ons and rearsets on it....at least you'd look good.

:shock: Who would do that?

Anyway it is 44 deg and I just got off the freeway from a 80+MPH jaunt and I still don't have any problems. Hitting clean air isn't that bad.

 

[gahdzila]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm planning to go back to the dealership tomorrow and take a really long hard close look at them...although I've looked at just about every single picture of them on the internet, I really only looked at them very briefly the last time I was at the dealership.

I'm beginning to think that I was more caught by surprise by the seating position of the S... I think once I go back and give it a hard look again it won't be quite so dramatic. I didnt realize it would be that much different than the N or my current "learn-how-to-ride-before-I-get-a-real-one" bike--a Suzuki GZ250...btw, my buddy that owns a big ole Honda VTX1300 jokes that I look like a monkey humping a football on my tiny lil GZ (I'm relatively tall and skinny...my knees frequently bump my elbows).

Actually, all of my friends that ride have cruisers...so I'll be the only one on a "crotch rocket." But they're not the a-hole types that think it isnt a motorcycle unless it's a harley :wink:

 

[michael battaglia]

I RIDE A STANDARD BASICALLY BECAUSE OF COMFORT. I RODE SEVERAL SPORT BIKES WITH CLIP ONS AND DID NOT CARE FOR THE POSITION. THE SMALL GIVI SCREEN BLOCKS ENOUGH OF THE WIND THAT FREEWAY SPEEDS ARE NOT A FACTOR. I RODE 6000 MILES IN 2 WEEKS LAST SEPT WITHOUT AS MUCH AS EVEN THINKING ABOUT COMFORT/RIDING POSITION. I LOVE THIS BIKE!

 

[ronlarimer]

I RIDE A STANDARD BASICALLY BECAUSE OF COMFORT. I RODE SEVERAL SPORT BIKES WITH CLIP ONS AND DID NOT CARE FOR THE POSITION. THE SMALL GIVI SCREEN BLOCKS ENOUGH OF THE WIND THAT FREEWAY SPEEDS ARE NOT A FACTOR. I RODE 6000 MILES IN 2 WEEKS LAST SEPT WITHOUT AS MUCH AS EVEN THINKING ABOUT COMFORT/RIDING POSITION. I LOVE THIS BIKE!

Wow! you must really feel strongly about that. As an FYI all caps on an internet forum comes across as screaming and it is harder to read.

 

[michael battaglia]

I RIDE A STANDARD BASICALLY BECAUSE OF COMFORT. I RODE SEVERAL SPORT BIKES WITH CLIP ONS AND DID NOT CARE FOR THE POSITION. THE SMALL GIVI SCREEN BLOCKS ENOUGH OF THE WIND THAT FREEWAY SPEEDS ARE NOT A FACTOR. I RODE 6000 MILES IN 2 WEEKS LAST SEPT WITHOUT AS MUCH AS EVEN THINKING ABOUT COMFORT/RIDING POSITION. I LOVE THIS BIKE!

Wow! you must really feel strongly about that. As an FYI all caps on an internet forum comes across as screaming and it is harder to read.

sorry ron, i'm kinda new to this thing...did not mean to offend...i usually use caps for everything at work, so it's just a habbit.

 

[ronlarimer]

I figured you didn't know (6 posts helped ya out). I was just letting you know for future reference. 8)

 

[Poe]

I originally liked the look of the 'S' better, but went with the naked for the more comfortable ergos - and since I use it to commute on in stop & go city traffic sometimes. I have since grown to LOVE the naked look! As for the wind, yeah it was a little annoying at interstate speeds at first. I was thinking I'd need to get some kind of windshield pretty quick, but decided to wait & see what I thought after a week or two. I got used to it real quick (neck muscles strengthened I guess) and now it doesn't bother me AT ALL - even during extended highway riding or to go-to-jail speeds. Like someone else said, your upper body & head are up in nice clean (smooth) air on the naked, so it's not bad at all. A small windshield would just dirty up the air - cause a lot of buffeting and noise. I've ridden naked for over a year and 5000+ miles now - and I have no intention of adding a windshield - and I'm very happy with the comfort of the more upright riding position. I've also done some pretty aggressive riding in the mountains - and the riding position is not a problem there either.

Totally depends on what YOU want out of the bike though. Don't make the decision based on looks... consider how you're planning to USE it. It's a sweet bike in either configuration. You really can't go wrong.