Bought a new 2010 model as a step up after 4 years with my first bike - an SV650S. Thought I was going to go for a more sensible upright position (ER6) but turns out I actually prefer a sportier riding position.
I did have reservations about buying a 'proper sportsbike' for 250 miles a week commuting (half of it in London traffic). But my worries disappeared in the first few days. It's comfortable (max ride has been 1.5 hours so far), gives me better wind protection on the motorway, brakes are brilliant, and I've found I can actually manoeuvre at slow speeds better than on my old bike. (Seems that I've still got my feet firmly on the pegs filtering through stationary traffic when the scooter riders are dragging their feet along the ground.) Absolutely fine in the rain, my other worry that the throttle would be too ‘twitchy’ for commuting was completely wrong too.
I can’t compare to other 4 cylinder supersport bikes as I haven’t ridden any, but to me the performance is brilliant. When I find that rare bit of open road it actually recaptures the buzz I felt when I first passed my test. The same goes for handling – I’m not saying I’m fast around the bends but I’m definitely leaning over further than I ever did on my SV and it feels rock solid and capable of a hell of a lot more than I am.
My only negative is that the mirrors are not as good as my K2 SV650S, but I’ve yet to find any other bike with mirrors that are. This makes me more vigilant about life-savers anyway so not all bad.
My recommendation – buy one!
