Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

This is not a review as such but just my opinion on the ongoing "so called weight issue" with this particular bike , in most every forum ive been to in regards to this bike ( GSX650F Suzuki ) most all ive read about is how heavy this bike is and why do they make it so heavy ! One even mentioned "its disgusting in this day and age that SUZUKI would make a modern bike of this weight "...........
Well it seems like a lot of people will more than happily get on any forum and read something someone wrote " one persons opinion" (in this case the weight of this particular bike) and jump on the band wagon and blindly say ......yeah this bike weighs a ton and its ridiculous that they would make it like this......(and in most cases) without ever having ridden it or probably without ever having laid eyes on it ! I guess some people just find it easier to find a negative comment and make it there own so they can have a nag knowing that they may have back up ?

Anyway enough of the negative : from some one who dosent pretend to be an expert but has many years ridding experience, the weight of this bike (216KGs from memory) has not been one bit of an issue for me and i dough that it ever will be! It wasn't built to be a super sports bike where weight savings is very important ! in fact if this bike weighed less than it does i dont think it would be the same " Fantastic road hugging machine that it is" and it hugs the road very very well and the truth is it feels very nimble to ride , corners nicely, feels very coordinated, and also feels very stable in windy conditions (BONUS) ive heard people say its hard and heavy to maneuver by pushing it (unassisted by the motor) "well hellooo" most bigger bikes are!! and motorbikes arent designed to be pushed !

The bottom line to this post is that reading from the net nearly put me of buying this bike as i thought i was talking to people who had actually ridden it and had issues with it , turns out they had never even seen it !! ......If your interested in this Great bike and go searching the net for information , just remember there a a lot of so called experts around who are just that , and there opinion is just that "an opinion" Go ride the bike yourself - Push the bike yourself- and im sure you'll be pleasantly suprized .

This post is not aimed at any particular person! Nor is it designed to start a war over the above mentioned statements, Its just my humble opinion.

Cheers

I agree, the only issue with the weight i've found is when your on the freeway travelling about 180km/h+ and you split the traffic , i tend to find the weight factor comes into play, the bike tends to slighly run wide , and you can feel the weight as you try to arrest it when you try and move it over.

The other time the weight comes into play is when you take a hairpin bends quickly, you've got to be careful not to drop the speed when your shovling the front into the hairpin or the bike feels like it might fall from under you, especially when the bikes got a full tank.

Because the bike weights over 220kg , i find the best way to overtake is to drop it back to 3rd or 4th and then gun it. If your cruising in top and you want to overtake quicky you feel the lag, by dropping it back you compensate for the weight and make it easier to overtake especially if there are 4 or 5 cars in a row.

The fact that it is so heavy is one of the reasons i like it too.

I haven't noticed the weight, honestly. I'm coming off cruisers though and my last 3 bikes have weighed about the same.

just to add a little more to the discussion, i like the weight of the bike, especially when it is windy, spending most of the time with a pillion the bike is sure footed and gives great confidence, only when you get gale force winds (England) does the bike begin to sway a little, winds of about 60-70 mph. Where i live in the North East of England, stong winds are a common feature.

Pops

I don't consider it heavy at all. Most of the guys that are saying its heavy are the ones riding GSXR's and FZ1's and such that have titanium and aluminum form top to bottom and have virtually no steel in them. Most all of my bikes have weighed around 400-500lbs so in my view its about average. Besides a little extra weight helps on longer road trips with being stable and easier to handle.

I've read people opinions on the bike about the weight on forums ,and it copped a flogging ,this was even before it had been released in any country .
These Experts must be good.... to see what a bike is like from a picture .
Its all in the weight distribution and its very very well balanced.
The Bandit 1250 weight is heavier then our bike ,and its rated as one of the best all rounds in the world ,sure its got more power ,but this bike has some get up and go ,"don't worry about that !!!!!!!!!!! ".

The guys that ride super sports 600-1000s ,think any bike over 165kg is heavy ,ever seen the weight of a MV Augusta .

The weight is not a problem for me ,only if you got to push it up hill but when do you need to do that.
But to be honest IMHO ,this is not a great "city" bike ,like if you lives in New York city ,and need to dart in and out of traffic a lighter bike would be a better option if your riding 90% in traffic and the city..some thing like a Kawasaki 650.
And I just moved to a freakin windy area and my first ride on the freeway to get here it was pissing down rain at night and its was blowing good winds and it was ROCK solid ,I got the right bike for the roads I will be commuting on and we got lots of twistys in the area.

As a new rider and owner, the only time I have ever noticed the weight is when I am backing out of my garage. Other than that, i've never noticed it being "heavy."
I think this link sums up the weight issue..it's more about the rider and not the bike, it's not a magic wand..not gonna make a better rider no matter what type of bike it is...


http://ridelikeapro.com/html/videos.htm

I'm still breaking mine in, but I can tell you right now that the extra weight is going to be a plus for touring this thing. It doesn't get blown around much at all. It seems to acquit itself quite well in the twisties too. The weight doesn't look good on paper, but you just don't know it's there in real world riding.

Anyone that says this bike is heavy (gxir squids) should try my previous bike: 2005 Kawasaki Concours - 800 lbs dry... add 7.5 gallons of fuel and 200+ lb rider and you got 1/2 a ton!!!!. Had this bike fall on me once and I had to turn into the green hulk to get it off me . Talk about a work out when trying to whip that thing around some twisty mountain curves. Still got blown around in high winds since I was basically a wind sail with full fairings and tall windshield. I rode a Ninja ZX6R and felt like I was going to get blown off the road in a 20mph crosswind.
The GSX650F I think is the ideal weight - not as heavy as a hog or concours but not so light as to be a danger in windy conditions.
Let the battle begin
Dwayne

I just completed my MSF basic rider course woot..and after spending 2 solid days of riding a suzuki 250 in 100+ heat I can tell you, the extra weight of my 650f was very welcomed! I felt like I was glued to the road in both city and highway speeds. Being able to back up the bike on a slight incline at a gas station was no problem. Stopping quickly at 40mph + I did not notice the weight difference at all compared to a 250's weight.
Just keep in mind i'm still a beginner, but things like difference in weight and handling really stand out to me since i'm still building up my skills.

I pay attention to weight! But more important to me is seat height. I am 5'8" and have a 29" inseam. I have rode the GSX650 at Bike week two times and loved it. I currently have a 650 Ninja, about 100 lbs lighter than the GSX650. But I can say the Suzuki is faster,smoother,better brakes, and is much more comfortable to ride.

During the last four years I have had a VTX 1300C,1700 Roadstar,SV650,C50,FZ1,1500 Vulcan. As you can see I have had a hard time finding something I liked good enough to stay with. At present in addition to the Ninja I also have a 900 Vulcan LT.

I am considering the GSX650 and would trade off the Ninja.

sorry for the long post, I got carried away.

PS all of these trades can be real expensive

Holy cow ,thats a mixed bag .
I almost brought the Kawai 650 ,To small and plan looking IMHO.
I considerd a FZ1.
Owned a M50.
I thought long and hard about the SV650S.

Im really happey with the GSX650F.

as I have stated b-4...

I have owned an FZ6 (no tq, gobs of top end)
Suzuki Bandit 600 (back when they were "re-designed) 2000 I think...maybe 1999....
2001 bandit...

and now the GSX650F. I use it as my primary means of transportation. (gas prices suck bawlz)...anyway, after putting 300 miles on it in 3 days, I can say that the ergos PWN the FZ6, the torque is actually usable...no need to rev the snot out of it...And the weight...heh, 30 mph crosswind = a fart in a hurricane...can't even notice it.

I am taking it to the track on saturday to see what it can do the 1320' in. (1/4 mile for those that don't know). I ran my bandit 600 to a best of 12.7@104.

this will be a REAL test of strait line performance compared to the competition. I have yet to see "TRUE" 1/4 mile times from a magazine test...sooooooo, I'll do it myself...Curiosity is killing me!

Kodiak -- any updates from the track test for the 1/4 mile?

track day is tomorrow...looks like its gonna get rained out though I'll defiantely post up as soon as I run it