newbie

[jaycen]

i have been considering a DL650 as my first bike and would like some input from those with some years under their belt. i know no one here has riden the DL650 yet but i thought that if someone here use to ride an sv650 that they might have some useful thoughts. i just want to make sure that i'm not going to kill myself right off the bat with something that is too much.
any opinions would be helpful. thank you!

[Kidder]

How tall are you? The DL650 will probably be a tall bike like the 1000. A tall bike is usually not a good beginner bike. I think a standard SV would be a better thing to start out on if you're interested in a v-twin bike. You should hop over to the svrider message board and peruse the massive amount of info over there. Search on newbie, first bike, etc.

http://www.svrider.com/phpbb

[jaycen]

i am about 5'10 140lbs. "small, i know." originaly i was looking at the sv650 ,but i like the eurostyle of the v-strom so much better.
i have compared the weight of the DL650 with that of other 600cc bikes and the DL650 is actually lighter than quite a few of them. it is about 15lbs. lighter than yamaha's new FZ6.
eventually i plan to make the bike my only vehicle since i am going to be spending a lot of time traveling outside the country. it dosn't make much since to be paying a huge car payment and a fortune in insurance on a truck that i only drive every once in a while. when i will be in the country though, i do quite a bit of running around so i was looking for a bike that would be very comfortable, especially in rainy weather. the summers in florida tend to be a bit wet. the fairing on the v-strom looks to be quite affective against the elements.
i love advice from people who know more than me though, so keep it comeing. thank you!

[ian]

Jaycen - don't be intimidated by quoted bhp figures - you are just as likely to kill yourself on an underpowered bike if you are not careful. There is no substitute for experience and until you acquire that then common senses comes a close second. Looking at your spec I would have thought that the 650 would be a perfect bike. The advice about leg length is important though - its difficult to hold any bike up if your feet can't touch the ground (especially when there is an adverse camber). At nearly 6 ft tall you should be OK with this bike.
I know the SV engine is a smasher - I have never heard a bad word about it and on my one and only ride on one I was very impressed. The riding position of the DL should better suit your needs than the SV - I don't think you can go wrong with this bike.

[rhinoWERX]

Jaycen,
just curious, do you have you MC endorsment yet? Have you done an MSF (http://www.msf-usa.org/) course yet? - wish they had these classes when I first got my license...

Like Ian suggested, you could do yourself damamge on peewee scooter if your not careful. Personally, especially around hear on US Hwy system, power can be your friend - and in a lot of cases, save your arse; freeway on ramps, getting out of a 'boxed in' situation, eceteras. I think it's far better to be ahead of the idiots rather than behind them. That's not to say that I speed everywhere I go - I just 'blip' alot to get myself into clearings where my saftey margin is increased.

Either way, ride like you are invisible - cause even eye contact doesn't work - and you'll be fine.

I think the DL650 (which more than likely can be lowered with longer dogbones - holeshot? - by upt to 2") would be a great first bike.

Cheers

-Jack