New to Streetbikes

[Mikem9]

My first post on here.  I come from a dirt, some dirt racing and dualsport background.  In the last 8 years or so, my riding experience has included a good bit of twisty mountain roads on my dirt oriented dualsport bike - currently a KTM EXC450.  I started really enjoying those.  Some of my riding buddies also ride streetbikes and kept talking about how much fun it was to ride street, especially sport touring.  One of my dirt bike buddies also owns a shop and asked if I wanted to come on a street demo ride one day in the North Georgia mountains.  I was hooked after that.  A dirt riding buddy of mine was selling his SV650, set up for comfort and short/medium touring, and everyone said it would be a good entry into street bikes.

Here's my bike:  2000 SV650 Standard.  Leo Vince Pipe and JD Jets.  Racetech front fork rebuild.  Fox Shock.  Braded brake lines, Givi windscreen.  Bar risers.  Corbin seat (although shown with stock seat).  I've since learned that some people call this a "girls bike" or a starter bike.  I don't care about that - I really enjoy the power level, handling ability and the sound of the V-Twin.




We had a great fall here in the Southeast.  I put over 2000 miles on my bike in a few weeks

[caddydaddy]

Welcome!  Nice ride!

[ctbandit]

Great bike! Screw whoever is calling it a girls bike, those bikes are mint and tons of track junkies are on them. It looks like it's set up pretty nice.

[2RR2NV]

GRATS!!!!  i look forward to buying (way down the road since i just got the FJR) an SV for the wife. then i get the pleasure of making it a few inches shorter to accomodate her 4'11" stature. WOOHOO!! glad to hear you are loving it. Girl's bike eh?  hmmm..guess they forgot to tell all those manly Track Day instructors to quit riding them.  

[Zerosum]

No way is the SV a "girl's bike."  A person who'd say that is the same person who tells people they need to start on a GSXR750,  i.e. ignorant jackasses.  As a dirt rider, you obviously see through that bigger-is-better BS mentality and can appreciate a light, well balanced bike.

My Hawk GT is a similar bike to the SV.  Light, supurbly balanced, and total blast to ride.  Yeah, it's down on power, but when you're in the Hawk's "natural habitat" of twisty back roads, you don't care.  It may not have a ton of horsepower, but it has it in the right places, allowing you to rocket out of turns.  You could call it a "unisex" bike, I guess, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun bike to ride.

It's like calling a Mazda Miata a "girls car."  Yeah, it's "cute", but it's light and handles great, too.

[mxaexm]

 Nice bike!! That's the kind of bike I would love to get...and I'm not a girl!!!!!!!