Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

Hello everyone,
I'm new to this forum. I'm Satish from Greensboro, North Carolina.
I just bought a used 2008 Blue/White GSX650F with about 7K miles. This is my third bike. This was my second preference after FZ6 but before Ninja 650R.
I'm falling in love with this bike its very nice looking and super fast (My previous bike was 07 Ninja 500). The only downside is the weight while moving in the parking lots, buts its barely noticeable while riding.
The bike is completely stock, I'm planning to change the exhaust soon with Yoshi.
This forum was very helpful in narrowing down my choices.
I'm glad to be here and I'm very excited.

Hi Zookbug and others welcome .
Pull up a chair and join in.

Hi friends, I am Sunil Singh from India, right now in Bahrain. I purchased a '08 650F with a Yoshimura carbon-fiber end can, and 6600 km on the odo. Yet to ride it on the roads as I am waiting for my motorcycle licence (am new to this country), but I did a few small rides while purchasing and around the parking lot now . Will post a pic once I figure out how to.

Hi folks, Been lurking for a while, reading and learning. But figured it was time to come out of the shadows. Congrats on a great forum. Seems not too many (if any) over-inflated egos here, which probably explains the high level of civility - well done!

I'm new back on a bike, as of about a month ago, after a 20+ year lay-off. My how things have changed on bikes, gear, roads, people....... Mostly for the better. Having let my license lapse, I had to go back to the very basics - which I see as a VERY good thing, as 20 years seems to have dulled my skills (oddly). When going through the alternatives for a LAMS bike (legal requirement in Oz), it came down to the BMW G650GS, or the GSX650FU (U=restricted. I'm sure they could have come up with a better way of denoting it than that).

So for 3 weeks, I've been happily riding around on a 2010 model GSX650FU, regaining my confidence, and trawling the local back streets at my own pace. And enjoying the hell out of it, I have to say.

That was until yesterday (which probably explains why I've chosen now to "emerge" - I just felt the need to share my mysery - (for theraputic reasons). I was sitting at a T intersection, heading home after 90 mins of riding enjoyment, about 100 metres from home. Minding my own business, when a 4WD travelling along the top of the "T" intersection (which is kind of arc'd) coming from my right. He was travelling at a rapid rate - way to fast for the back street he was on. And looked like he was going to run wide on the arc, in my direction (but not dramatically so). But to be safe, I rolled the bike backwards to make sure he had room (I was on an incline), and I managed to over-balance and put my pride and joy on the deck, on its right hand side. One less beer last week, and I could probably have held it up, but not the case. Nothing major - busted blinker, brake leaver, scratched the fairing, exhaust & whatever that big black cover with the shiny bolts is. But it's annoying as hell, because it was my fault, and so avoidable.

Anyway, enough ranting and negativity. It's an awesome bike. I love riding it. And i can see I'm going to enjoy it more as time goes on. I originally viewed this first bike as an interim step, that I'd replace when i got my full license in 15 months time. But I'm not so certain of that now. I'm having so much fun, and the bike has plenty of urge for my needs (although I acknowledge that could change). But for now, I couldn't be happier. And the future will take care of itself.

Cheers folks.

Hi All,

Just found this place -- what a great resource for a great motorcycle! Thanks to the "founders" for setting this up!

I'm an "old dude" here, no doubt -- 51 years old. I've been riding since I was 18, have owned several great (and some not-so-great) motorcycles since the 1970s, but have spent the last 22 years riding a 1986 Honda Goldwing. Rode that thing coast-to-coast (in the USA), Canada to Mexico. It's a fabulous, trouble-free motorcycle.

Then, I reproduced. THAT certainly puts a crimp on riding, let me tell you young guys! No worries -- instead of buying a side-car for the kids, I learned to fly, and never looked back. (It's basically 3-dimensional motorcycling, with all the geometry basically the same. Lean into a turn? Lean into a bank!)

Well, my son is now 20 years old, and he's been riding with me since his feet reached the pegs. The bug has bitten him, bad, and in the last two years he's owned a Kawasaki Ninja 250, and (his current ride) a sweet Yamaha FZ600. He bought that one while he was living on the island this past summer (we're working on refurbishing our new motel, and he came down to help), and I made the terrible mistake of riding it....

Oh, my God. After 22 years of growing comfortably numb on my behemoth Goldwing, it was as if someone had shocked me back into consciousness. My eyes were jolted wide open, and I couldn't believe how far things had progressed, with handling, speed, power, braking, and engine management that simply put my old ride to shame. Frankly, I didn't even know what I was missing, until I rode that Yamaha. THIS was what motorcycling was REALLY all about, and I had simply forgotten!

I quickly realized that I had to have one of these new-fangled sport bikes -- but (and this was the big but) my old(er) wrists and back didn't like the over-aggressive riding stance of full-blown sport bikes. I wanted something that would be (mostly) comfortable for me to ride more than 20 minutes, and I also wanted something LITTLE (compared to a Goldwing, EVERYTHING is "little"), because the Wing was just too big to take down to the store for a 6-pack of beer.

Upon hearing this, my son just rolled his eyes, of course. When he first heard I was looking for a new ride, he was all excited about getting me into the fastest, best-handling, most expensive crotch-rocket on the planet. When I described my goals, he just shuddered, shook his head, and walked away. "Comfort" at age 20 is unimportant. (As he proved last month, when he rode that Yamaha 1250 miles back to Iowa in just two days -- with a 50-pound Army pack on his back! Ah, youth...) At age 51, well, it's not everything -- but it's close!

Anyway, I started off looking at sport tourers. I test drove the Honda 800 and ST1300s, but didn't really like either one. The 800's engine is...odd...and the ST1300 is too close to what I've got in size, although it handles fantastically. So, I did some more Googling, and visited our local motorcycle dealers -- and stumbled upon a 2008 650F, brand new, still sitting on the showroom floor.

Suzuki is VERY interested in getting this "old stock" off of their dealer's showroom floors, so there were offering some nice "incentives" to move them. Still, it nearly took an act of Congress for them to let me actually test drive the damned thing before buying it. This is something that has changed since the 1980s, but there was NO WAY I was going to buy a new motorcycle without test-riding it first, so --after making me sign a brazillion waivers, and offering proof of insurance, license, and financial wherewithal -- they let me go ride the bike.

Wow! That's about all I said then, and it's what I still say after every ride. The GSX650F is just an AWESOME bike. Power, handling, speed, braking, ease of maintenance, water-cooling, and (most of all) comfort! In the end, after some dickering, I ended up paying EXACTLY what I paid for my Goldwing -- 22 years after the fact! I thought that was amazing, given inflation, and the technological advances along the way. (Of course the Suzuki is almost exactly HALF of a Goldwing, but still...)

Since then, I've been riding it almost every evening, as time permits. (It's too hot in the daytime to ride here most of the summer!) Our new business has been going crazy all summer long, but the tourist season is almost over here, so I should have more time to ride soon. I'm up to 415 miles, and can't wait to get past the magic 600-mile-break-in period. Keeping that sweet-revving engine under 7K RPM is not easy!

So, there you have it. The 650F is not a "bike for newbies" -- it's also a "bike for oldies", like me -- and everyone in-between. It's simply a fantastic motorcycle, and I couldn't be happier with it!

Hi mate and welcome back to riding.

You made a great choice in the GSX650F ,its great value for money as you know.
Funny how you payed the same 22 years later ....even the Suzuki 1250 bandit is cheaper today then when the 1200 bandit come out years ago. Suzuki price thier bike well .

Hi all,

I´m Neto, and i have bought a GSX 650F Blue 10/10, this bike it´s my third bike...and it´s fantastic, very faster and beautiful...
My previous bike was a Hyosung GT250R, great bike...but it´s starts to become slower for me....
My father have a Hyosung GT650R, and we ride togheter all the time...every weekend...

Soon i will post some pictures of the "ladys" for you....

PS: I´m sorry for my horrible english....in here we speak Portuguese....

Hi all James here from Wollongong in Oz... Had my black GSX for a couple of weeks now and I seem to have broken the drought lol, It,s rained nearly since I got it. Waiting for Oggy Knobs to come out for it and may chop the rear fenber a bit too, apart from that I think I'll leave well enough alone as I am pretty happy with it.
I have been on bikes for around 30 years now, having the last 3 years away from them till my daughter started paying her own car rego lol, so yay, I get another bike for some touring when I can, hoping to do the Great Ocean Road in November, and out for a play on it whenever I can get the time
I saw the soft luggage/ panniers on here too, sorry I forget who's bike, the shop told me they would hit the exhaust but it seems not? Cool, maybe one more thing I might buy then
Anyway, cheers to all and thanks for a great site Sleddog!

Hi jsb and welcome.

I'm in the gong also ,just put sydney under my names as its a world wide forum.
Might see you around or PM me if your up for a ride to the pie shop.

Hi all,
Great forum. I bought a '08 Black/Silver one from my brother a month ago. Picked it up with 1100 miles on the odo. He kept the Harley, sold the Suzi. I've put about 400 miles on it and really love the bike. I've ridden for years, but this is the first bike I've owned.

This forum is full of great information. Many thanks to the guys who set this up.

I just got mine today. 2nd hand, 800 miles, perfect shape!

It's black.

I think it still had the original oil so the first thing I did was oil / filter.

Hi, folks. Found this forum a couple of weeks back & joined, but didn't do this part. So, here we go...I practically grew up on mini-bikes, old beat-up dirt bikes - basically MacGyvered together bikes of all descriptions. I was lucky enough to have a fairly large, slightly hilly vacant field about 100 yards from home where me & my pals could rip around for hours on end. When I was 16, in 1975 (yeah, yeah, that makes me 51 now) , I bought a 1970 BSA 500 Royal Star for the street. After a couple years of that, I somehow ended up back on 4 wheels until about 6 weeks ago. I'd had the itch to get back on a bike for about a year, and like some of you other guys, I like the crotch-rocket look, but not the lack of comfort, and especially not the crazy-high insurance premiums on them - here in Ontario, Canada, at least. On of my son's pals with a gixxer 600, upon hearing my desires, said "You want a gsxf, then". Well, as soon as I went & looked at one, my mind was made up, period. I got my blue over silver 2010 at the end of July, and have loved every minute! Also, this is an outstanding forum - great "How to's", great general discussions. And, I still have the BSA tucked away in a shed! One of these days I'll find the time to tear it down & bring it back to life.

Hello all. I have been looking through this forum for a couple of weeks now looking for information about the 650f. I didn't want to join or post anything because I figured if I did before I had confirmed I was getting one I would jinx the whole thing. Well I just confirmed today that I will be picking up a 2008 GSX 650f, black and gray, used with 2378 kilometers on it, next weekend. I am very excited about this and based on all I am reading here and on reviews etc. I can hardly wait to get on it and ride.

As you may be able to tell by my user name, I am getting into biking a little later than some but yet earlier than others. I am rapidly approaching 48 and my wife (who turns 50 this month) had decided she wanted to get her bike license in her 50th year. I figured I'm not going to ride on the back of hers so I had better get my license too. We have both completed a motorcycle safety course and have had follow up one on one lessons to log some more time in a controlled setting. I know that some of you that posted on the "first bike or not" topic are shaking your heads right now thinking, this isn't a starter bike. I have to say I've struggled with this thought myself for a few weeks now but in the end there were a few issues that made me decide to go for it.

First off is me. I am 6'2" and 245 to 250 lbs depending on the time of day. There is no way I am starting on a 250 cc bike. I rode a number of them at the trainging school and it just doesn't work for me. At one pound per cc it just isn't enough bike to do it for me. As a more mature guy, who respects the power the bike has, respects both the consiquences and what is at stake, I think I will be fine. We have spent hours doing slow speed manouvering and I will do more once riding my own bike, so I feel quite comfortable with it. I know there will be a big difference with the heavier bike, but I feel good about this. It just feels right being on this bike.

Anyhow, I look forward to learning more from all of you and getting to know some of you better. Talk at you later.

Hi, Picked up 2nd hand black GSX650F with a ventura rack & bag a few weeks ago - already put on over 2,000 clicks. The first mod I did and it will be probably the only mod I do was to buy an airhawk2 for my but and back issues - what a mod too - no aches what so ever and can sit in that saddle with refills 8 hours no problems.

I dont see the advantage of modding a 650 motor which is purpose built for touring with a bit of fun sport thrown in, but thats MO.

Raced moto-cross in the 70's and owned two street bikes (Kwaka 750 h2e tripple (race) and b2 1100 kwaka) in the 70's/80's also.

52 years old now and not ridden for 30 + years with family and all. Didnt trust my back to buy a full blown sports bike or 1250 bandit.

But I gotta say this little 650F is a sweet ride for my purpose - weight is good for open road and power curve is really good, gearing is good too for stock. The bike runs P' road 2's and already seen a couple of huge rainy days.

I live in Port Macquarie NSW, BUT, moving and riding to Cairns Queensland for good in 3 weeks - cant wait, 2,500 klm trip with some sight seeing for sure - will go pro some pics and post when I get up there settled in.

I intend getting a 2nd hand enduro too when I get to Cairns so I can go off track to the Cape York Peninsula - travelling all the way to the top end by bike is something I have wanted to do for years.
Anyways, nice to be a member here and hope to read and return some good stories along the way.

Pete.

How about that! - three in row with guys in the neighbourhood of fifty...either never ridden or it's been a donkey's age...wind up choosing a 650gsxf. Next thing you know this model will end up with a reputation of being an old fart's bike!?!