Disclaimer: Unneeded history follows. Skip to the bottom to get to the point Hey everyone, been a long time since I've been on here (I don't expect anyone to remember me, I lurked more than I posted). It's been about a year since I sold my R6 so I haven't had much reason to come around, but now I'm considering getting another bike. I'd probably be looking at 03+ SV's this time around. My first bike was an 04 GS500F and while it had no balls, it was very cheap to insure, to fill up, and it was comfortable. I added a few things to it (It was stock when I got it) but nothing made any real difference. It was a great first bike but left me wanting more. I used to work at a motorcycle dealership as a reconditioner so I got to ride a ton of different bikes. One day I decided that an R6 wouldn't be too bad of a bike to own, so I found one and bought it. It was a blast, it had a full Yoshimura system and I added a GYT-R filter and PCIII USB, integrated tail, shorty levers, sliders, etc. I loved the R6 but it just wasn't comfortable, especially to ride with my girlfriend as passenger. The R6: I sold it to get money to put towards a Subaru, I don't regret doing this at all. The STi is fun ALL year round Picture for anyone interested: However, I've started to miss riding, and it would be nice to have something to keep miles off the STi when I can. I rode a few SV's when I worked at the dealership and I really liked how comfortable they are. The looks of the SV650S/F/whatever the full fairing model is called are right up my alley (I don't like the looks of the Gladius, Ninja 650, FZ6, etc). I feel like the SV would be a lot more comfortable for a passenger as well. The point: Here are my thoughts. I'm looking for opinions, so please feel free to try to persuade me one way or the other. Either option is going to cost me about the same up front, so cost is not an issue. I've been saving my pennies and have a budget of around $3K. Option 1: Put the money into the car. The STi is quick (let's not compare cars to bikes here), but it's got a lot of room to grow. I've already done a lot of work to make the car handle well, it's ready to do some trackdays/autocrossing. Motor wise I've only done a turbo back exhaust and a tune. I can buy a larger intercooler, larger turbo, injectors, fuel pump, retune, etc to get to around 400 AWHP and have an extremely fun car. OR Option 2: Buy a SV650. This has advantages and disadvantages, which I've listed. Pros: - I kept all my gear, nothing is needed except insurance and a bike. - Saves gas over daily driving the STi. - Keeps miles off the STi (big deal to me). - An exciting drive is no where near as exciting as a good bike trip. - I do miss riding. My dad rides as well and it was nice to have a riding buddy. Cons: - Extra insurance policy. Cost isn't a huge problem (My R6 was only $309/year for full coverage plus lots of extra coverage, the GS was 86/year fully insured), but it's in addition to the car insurance. - This is Ohio. I can't shake the feeling that if I buy a bike, it will rain. Every day. - Can't enjoy the bike in the winter. - Time. I work 2 jobs and am going to school full time (done in less than a year). I don't want the bike to just become a utilitarian thing that just gets ridden to work and school to keep the car parked, but that could very well happen. - The STi doesn't get any faster. I'm planning on going to some trackdays, and I'd like to be able to impress myself. Maybe the slower car will give me a chance to improve my driving, but I'd rather have 400 at all 4 wheels than 290 at all 4. So there it is. If you were in my situation, what would you do?
