How many years have you been riding?

The SV650 is a favorite for track-day riders. It's usable on the street, but with the extremely low clip-ons and high pegs, you won't want to ride it across country. The L-Twin engine layout is extremely well designed; it's been refined for years and will provide excellent service with proper care. The bike is remarkably fast for a 650, due in great part to it's fairly low weight. The standard version is partially faired, the "S" model is fully faired and costs about $7,500. These days you should be able to buy the bike at MSRP "out the door," meaning the dealer covers the shipping, setup, delivery, and other fees typically tacked on. Shop around, it's a buyer's market. There is so much overstock, Suzuki isn't shipping 2010 models, instead, they're selling off '09's. That means they are anxious to move bikes.

As AirHawk suggests, this is not a beginner's bike. Don't make it your first.

There's huge aftermarket support for the bike. SVRacing Parts on EBay has dozens, if not hundreds, of upgrades for the bike. Suspension, brakes, pegs, clips-ons, levers, are among some of the popular upgrades.

Good luck with it.

It's a buyer's market out there. I wouldn't pay near list for any bike. You oughta be able to get the SV for $7499 out the door like Ken said. There are plenty of used ones to choose from as well.

Be ruthless. Dealers would take extreme advantage of a seller's market without conscience and screw you royally if they could. We saw that during the HD craze. You'll notice that the showrooms are full of bikes right now when they should be empty.

Is this an SV650 or an SV650S? The S model is more expensive and holds its resale value better. It's also more "racing" oriented, having fairings and clipons. I just looked at eBay, and saw a new 2009 SV650S for $6,099 plus an $89 service fee. So, no, $7499 is not what I would be willing to pay. It also makes sense to buy one that's a year or so old, with low miles, and pay a couple thousand less than that.

If this is your first bike and you're under 25yo I would suggest a Ninja650R. It's a twin not a 4. Cheaper to buy, too.

The frame on the SV does get a little hot, but it's fine so long as you open your legs out a little when stopped at lights, when I forget, I end up with red marks on the inside of my legs (in summer and spring, in winter it's nice and warm hehehe) Medium traffic and open road, it shouldn't be a problem, I only notice it when it's bumper to bumper or having to stop every 10m for lights.

The SV would be a little bit more upright, but can be aggressive (the 650 is same frame, as the 1000, the only different is like 1cm in the rake, I believe). I am 6'1" and I find the Sv to be nice and roomy.

Excellent choice on the SV. If you're a newer rider you might want to buy a used bike as your first bike. In this economy you can probably pick up a 3 year old SV for less than $4000. There's lots of info at svrider.com. I prefer the naked model over the S model although the clip-ons on the S model aren't really as low as other folks may have suggested they are. Good luck.

Others have had problems with the suspension. I'm a light rider, and have no complaints. Fun, sweet bike.