Looking for Smaller Second Bike

[Jayzonk]

Hey Everyone, 

Still love my Tracer, but was thinking about a smaller displacement, smaller-sized bike for running around town and also for a couple of open track days this spring.  There are quite a few SV650's around at great prices, but I found a great deal on a new, non-current Suzuki GSX-S750 that puts it right in the middle of SV650 price territory.  So I'm wondering if it's going to be a better handler, given the price, as I see it has nonadjustable USD forks.  

Not sure if anyone has run both, but would like to know.  Also wondering about other options.  

[timo50]

I bought a Vulcan S as a second bike, something totally different to the Tracer, its a great 2nd bike, as its a different experience riding it. I doubt it would be any good on a track day though.

[Jayzonk]

I rode an older mt-07, probably the previous fj-07, on a race track after riding supersport 600's all weekend.  Needless to say, it didn't feel anything like the cbr's or the r6's so I wrote it off pretty quick.  Viby,  didn't corner as well.  

I'm 6' if that helps.  Sat on an SV today.   Knees were up a little higher than I'd like but wasn't too bad.  

Thought about a Street Triple but the pegs feel really high for me.  At 51, I need some legroom if I want to ride for more than an hour.  Speed triple ergos are much better but who needs 177 horsepower?  I had one when they were 144hp. Should have kept it. 

The honda cb500f and the cbr500r fit me well, and there's quite a few new old stock models sitting around the showrooms.  Lower hp but could be fun to pick up and tune or modify the suspension for better handling.  Not sure.

Might be worthwhile looking at the new Trident.  The reviews are saying that it's basically the old model street triple when it ran the 675cc engine.  Handling, riding position all very similar.   

Edited February 22, 2022 by Jayzonk

[Ride365]

Look at a Gixxer 600 or a CBR/Ninja since you wanna do track days, you will also get a much better braking and suspension package as well over what you have mentioned........and these bikes are FAST/FUN.

[Jayzonk]

Not a bad idea but they are always tight on legroom.  I'd rather have something with more torque/low down power and less top end, but still have the decent brakes/suspension.  Not sure if it exists.  

[Jayzonk]

I think a Trident would be an interesting choice, and possibly the new Honda Hornet coming up, depending how they spec it.  Even the new 500 series Honda's have upgraded suspension, so possibly one of those.  I already have a litre bike in the garage that I can't sell.  Love the engine but the ergonomics make for a short ride. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Jayzonk

[vtoutdoorguy]

My second smaller bike is an Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and last year I actually rode it more than the FJ.   Smaller, yes, but I found it much more relaxing to ride.  Makes the right noises and, if you like the "old british bike" look, it certainly fits the bill.  Cheap too with a 3 yr ( with roadside ) warranty.

If the Trident was available, I definitely would have looked into going that route, gets good reviews and it's another triple.

[Jayzonk]

That's interesting.  I'm pretty curious about Royal Enfield these days...looks like they've come a long way over the last few years and I think they're in a good displacement range as well.  

[maximo]

On 2/21/2022 at 7:19 PM, Jayzonk said:

Hey Everyone, 

Still love my Tracer, but was thinking about a smaller displacement, smaller-sized bike for running around town and also for a couple of open track days this spring.  There are quite a few SV650's around at great prices, but I found a great deal on a new, non-current Suzuki GSX-S750 that puts it right in the middle of SV650 price territory.  So I'm wondering if it's going to be a better handler, given the price, as I see it has nonadjustable USD forks.  

Not sure if anyone has run both, but would like to know.  Also wondering about other options.  

I have both, FJ-09 and an SV650. They are different bikes that scratch different itches. I don’t need to describe the FJ, so I’ll focus on the SV as how it contrasts to the FJ.  The SV is much more well behaved, in the sense that it lacks the hooliganism of the FJ. It can be used as a hooligan bike, but you have to go out of your way to get there (in the same way you can ride the FJ in a more gentlemanly way, but you have to go out of your way to do it). The SV holds a corner much better, it tips into corners much more willingly and predictably. My SV is a Gen1, and the power delivery is buttery smooth (I recall Gen2 had some snatchy throttle issues), and linear. I can easily modulate throttle mid corner and not worry that too much power will be delivered.

Overall, the FJ is the better bike, an entirely different category of bike, undisputedly more sophisticated.  On the other hand, I have more fun on the SV, so I end up taking the SV out for fun rides more often than. The old adage of “it’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow” proves very true for me. But if the ride is an intermediate ride, and includes slab time, or distances, or adverse conditions, I’ll reach for the FJ, since it has way more creature comfort than the SV.

For track day, I've had the SV out a few times. It's a fun scoot. I've not had the FJ at the track. 

This is a long way around to say the SV is a perfect complement to my FJ-09.

[Jayzonk]

I guess that explains why SV's are in short supply in Canada at least.  I haven't heard anyone say that they didn't enjoy riding an SV and at this point I would seriously question them if they did.   How do you find the seat?  I hear some people say that it's not the greatest but others say it's okay.   My issue is that the aftermarket seats are all so big that they change the profile of the bike too much. 

[maximo]

33 minutes ago, Jayzonk said:

I guess that explains why SV's are in short supply in Canada at least.  I haven't heard anyone say that they didn't enjoy riding an SV and at this point I would seriously question them if they did.   How do you find the seat?  I hear some people say that it's not the greatest but others say it's okay.   My issue is that the aftermarket seats are all so big that they change the profile of the bike too much. 

I was the freak that loved the stock seat. I could do 10 hour days easily on it. I use the past tense because the seat cover ripped and I took it to an upholstery shop to have it re-covered, and the owner decided to do me a favor and remove the stock foam and replace it with the soft spongy crap he uses on his HD, and now the seat is a soft spongy mess. I tried a sargent saddle but didn't like it, and now I cruise e-bay like some sort of addict looking for a gen 1 saddle that is stock and not overpriced. 

I rode a friend's gen2, and that saddle was completely different, so I don't know how it would have fit over time. 

[koth442]

I really like the SV650, I've had 3. Two first gens and one second gen. Definitely lighter and more flickable than the FJ. They're more roomy than a hardcore sportbike like GSXR. There's also to variants of the SV, S and N. The S is a bit more sporty while the N is a naked upright. You can purchase accordingly. 

[Jayzonk]

Are  those the designations for the standard and the cage model?  They look like they're really similar, hard to go wrong with either.  Not sure how low those Clipons are in comparison.  

[koth442]

The clip-ons are more like "helibars" with a 1" or 2" rise as compared to typical sport bike clip ons. If you're able to lane share / filter, the clip-ons are more friendly for that dipping below most car mirrors. Since you have an Tracer, personally I'd go for the "S" model. Get that low(-ish) sportbike feel. The N would feel a bit more like the Tracer and might seem a little redundant IMO.

[Jayzonk]

Good point.  Would the seat to peg distance be the same between both models?