It's been just over a year since I purchased my first motorcycle, gsx650F!(of course.)
So for those of you who are new to motorcycles or the 650f, this review is made for you!
I started off with the basic motorcycle safety course. This helped me a great deal, since much of my riding is commuting. I strongly suggest you seek out any basic riding course if you are new to motorcycles, especially if you plan on spending time in traffic.
I've been very lucky in that I live in East Tennessee, most of the main highways and back roads are in good, to great condition for motorcyclist. The main roads are straight and clean, while the back roads are full of twisties.
My 08 650f is completely stock, nothing has been changed....yet.
For the commuting:
The 650 is smooth, it is nothing like what I expected. I was thinking the bike would be rough, and stiff and hard to keep straight at highway speeds. 60 to 70mph. Even behind a semi with the wind wake the bike is easy to control.
The 650 has a smooth powercurve, meaning if you roll on the throttle it's not going to flip out from under you, but it does build up speed FAST! and it's constant, no sputtering just full on raw power. It does suffer at higher speeds though, do not expect all that power to be there when you're in 5th or 6th gear going highway speeds.
You will also find that you're RPM's hover around 5.5 to 6.5 at highway speeds in 6th gear. At first this bothered me, but I have come to like it, as it makes for great engine braking.
I find the weight of the bike is not at all noticeable on the highway.
If you like touring and know you will spend alot of time on highways then you will love the smooth ride this bike offers.
The stock seat makes my butt feel like two cinder blocks after 3 hours of straight riding though. I strongly suggest replacing the stock seat with something better.
The mileage is great, I can ride at highway speeds for at least 3 hours before wanting(not needing) to fuel up. You could probably go for longer, but I rarely let the tank get down to low.
Noise isn't a problem, I get more noise from wind buffeting on my helmet than from the engine.
I have not noticed any type of vibration from the handlebars, but it is clearly there if you look at your side mirrors, everything behind you is a jumpy blur.
City Riding:
In the city, doing the stop and go, it may take some time to get used to the weight of the bike. This is not a light crotch rocket. I have had a few "surprise" shifts into neutral going from 1st to 2nd and only once going from 4th to 5th.
Shifting gears did seem loud to me at first, if you're new to motorcycles it may seem louder than usual to you. If your bike is new it may take some time before shifting "quiets down." I guess the loud "clunk" went away after my first 500miles.
This is not a very loud bike, the stock muffler does a good job at keeping the noise down, unless you rev the RPM's up past 8k then it get's loud!
The brakes are great and have plenty of stopping power. Engine breaking is great as well, just let off the throttle and the bike immediately starts to slow down.
I've noticed that, in stop and go situations, shifting is easier between 5 and 6k RPM's, at least going from 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Clutchless shifting is very smooth, and my little knowledge of motorcycles makes me wonder if this safe for the bike, I still do not know, i'll have to research, but I do know it's alot smoother than using the clutch.
Misc:
The side mirrors seem to be to short, I tend to see more of my shoulder than what's behind me.
The stock headlight is next to useless when using the low beam. I always leave it on high beam, even at night. The highbeam light isn't that bright either..another mod for my wish list.
Comfort is great, but does get a bit tiresome for my wrists after an hour or so in the city.
Your legs are bent slightly behind you, depending on your leg length I'd guess, but you do not sit on the bike like a cruiser where your legs are more in-front of you. This hasn't bothered me since the bike uses handle bars and not clip-ons. You do sit upright, but I find that I tend lean forward and put my body weight on my hands sometimes. I'm writing this up to just bad posture or being tired. I did notice this alot more when riding 2 up. Any stopping would put all the weight of the person on the back straight to my wrists, there is no back rest, so I guess this would happen regardless.
The bike handles great in twisties, but I have found that I struggle a bit with very tight turns at higher speeds, i'm marking this one up to my inexperience though. This is my testing ground...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksqcUSQydqsThat's not me, but it shows the road I was on.The bike does sit a bit higher than I thought. I have been beside some smaller cars where my head and shoulders were well above the roof of the car cab. This is mainly due to sitting upright and not having to lean forward.
The design does look like the bike should be on a racetrack, and you're going to get alot of looks and people calling it a "gixxer."
The stock muffler is HUGE!!! I seem to get more comments on the huge muffler from other riders. I've had some ask me where I ordered it from. I had to explain that it was all stock, even the muffler. I guess in a pure design sense, the muffler is large to even out the visual balance of the bike. Personally, I don't mind it, I've grown to like it.
If you want a supersport bike that drips with power and breaks your neck when you roll on the throttle, this isn't the bike for you.
If you want a sport/touring bike that is smooth, alot of fun and has plenty of power for the highway as well as the back roads, then you want the 650f. The price is right, the look is beautiful and ride is smooth!
Every time I take my bike out of my garage it's nothing but pure fun. The smooth ride and smooth power is perfect for what I want in a motorcycle.
