Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Sun, 25 Sep 2011
Way back in the beginning of time, when I was riding BMWs around, unaware of my low-powered future, I thought to myself, "Hey, those Ninja 250s. They look cool. I should try one at some point." It took me years to finally act upon that thought, and years more to realize how valid it was: I bought a used 2001 model, rode it for a few years, then sold it thinking I had a better idea in mind. It took less than a year to realize what a mistake that was (my short-lived Kawasaki Z750s), and I sold it to buy a new 2006 Ninja 250.
Since that time, I've been pretty happy with the Ninja.
Some time in the 2003-2005 era, I also thought to myself, "Hey, those SV650s. They look cool. I should try one of those at some point." I actually test-rode one at a local Suzuki dealership, and came away with a grin that would take days to fade, and the firm conviction that here was a bike that was sure to land me in far too many speeding tickets. I handed it back with mixed emotions, but never really pursued it further. Until now, of course.
Later-model SV650s offer something that I would dearly love to have (although I've never actually needed it): ABS. (You can read about my adventures in ABS at Aurora Suzuki here.) Despite the racer-boi contention that ABS is for weaklings who don't know how to ride, I like it, and think it's immensely applicable to the real world, where I ride.
So, I've had my eye out for an ABS-equipped SV650 for a while. They're hard to find, as it wasn't a popular option with the racer-boi crowd who are the cultish fan-base of the SV650. I did, however, finally find one for sale near Seattle, and determined to go out and look at it.
2007 SV650S
It was an S model, which is less desirable to me, as it has a more leaned-over riding position, although the little fairing is fine, and I really like that both headlights are on with low and high beam. Most of the ABS models sold were S models, so if you see an SV650 with ABS, it's probably an S. I'd prefer the non-S model, but finding one with ABS is essentially impossible.
I agreed to meet the owner at a local business, and spent a few minutes appreciatively looking over the bike, and chatting with the guy. He was very nice, and didn't seem to be one of the aforementioned racer-bois (as was demonstrated by his ownership of an ABS model bike, really). His bike was in good shape, and didn't look like it'd been abused.
Then came the critical moment: "Do you have any interest in trading bikes with me and going for a short ride?" I asked. He demurred, suggesting that as my interest in the bike was not burning-hot, he'd rather not take the risk. I agreed with him, and although it lasted a few more minutes, that was the end of the meeting.
The critical trick about this whole business for me is that motorcycles are not penis-extenders for me. They have to be enjoyable (which is a term that's probably unrecognizeable to a majority of bikers, the way I define it), and they have to be efficient.
One of the things that attracted me to the Ninja 250s in the first place was the nearly ridiculous mileage claims: up to 70 MPG! Doesn't apply to me, of course, as I'm apparently high-mileage kryptonite: I weigh too much, and ride in the city. This combination is deadly, and meant with all my bikes that the internet would claim "55 MPG!" and I'd get 40. So when the internet claimed "70 MPG!" for the Ninja, I took it with a huge grain of salt, and ended up getting 48 MPG average until I changed the gearing and upped my average to about 51 MPG. Good enough, and I now get the occasional tank over 60 MPG.
So, the mileage on the SV650 was critical. What convinced me to look further into it was reading Motorcycle Consumer News's review of the 2007 model in a multi-bike review. They said they got 58 MPG in their ride testing, and they can't have been gentle on the throttle in their testing. I was intrigued. The seller of this particular bike listed that he got 55 MPG. When we actually talked, he said that was achieved by commuting on the bike, with the "occasional burst" of heavy-handed throttle usage.
I had also dived into a few SV650 forums and looked for mileage threads. They weren't hard to find, and the general consensus was that the later models such as the one I was looking at get in the mid-40s in real-world use. I tend to reserve my light-footed driving for the truck, and prefer to use a motorcycle more aggressively, so I knew I would be seeing in the 40s. This effectively disqualified the SV650, and for the day or so before I went out to see the bike being sold, I was uncomfortable with the idea of spending money on such a bike.
One of the things about the Ninja 250 I have now is that I really really like it. Without writing a novella on the subject, I'll just say that it has the right balance of light weight, enough power, and good gas mileage to keep me smiling while riding. That includes long trips, canyon carving (to the extent that there are canyons to carve around here), commuting, whatever. It's the right bike for me.
And I knew that if I spent a bunch of cash on a new SV650, I would want to ride it. And I would. And it might mean the end of my Ninja 250 ownership (for it might make more sense to keep the more-powerful but similarly-efficient bigger bike). And that, I must say, was a disquieting thought.
Pretty much the only thing that would convince me that I would be happy on an SV650 would be to ride one. The only way I could wrap my head around it would be to climb aboard, pilot it around, feel the rush of the more-than-doubled power to weight ratio, and realize that I could have all this and reasonable gas mileage if I were to ride carefully. I could give up the careful compromise of the Ninja 250. But only if the new compromise gave me something wonderful in exchange for the lowered mileage and increased law-enforcement involvement.
So when the seller declined my request to ride his bike, it was with a sense of relief that I wrapped things up, climbed back aboard my beloved Littlest Ninja, and headed back to Seattle. Confident, as I was, that the Ninja 250 really is the best bike for me. Because where's the temptation from a bike I know is going to get worse mileage, and may or may not offer a more enjoyable riding experience (see above: "enjoyable" doesn't mean "most powerful," because apparently I'm not like everyone else).
Posted at 15:59 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater