Originally Posted by Jimellow

I just got back from a Suzuki dealer. Their sporty bikes were more comfortable across the board.

The Suzuki GSX650F was the most comfortable bike I've been on so far, and the SV-650 was also comfortable, though not as comfortable as the GSX650.

For my body type, I find the Suzuki's to be comfortable across the board (even at 1000cc and up), whereas I found the Yamaha's to be uncomfortable across the board, with the FZ6 being the sole exception.

The Suzuki GSX650F was $6999 new, and despite it being a very nice bike, I still intend to buy used for my first bike. The used bike market seems to be noticeably smaller than the used car market, so finding one of the bikes on my "list" in used form could be a bit trying; but I'm in no rush, and I'm not keen on buying a new motorcycle at this point.

The sales representative at the Suzuki dealer said Honda's generally have a similar body style, so perhaps I'll be able to find a few comfortable Honda's as well. I'll likely check out Honda and Kawasaki dealers as the week progresses.

----- Added the following just now, and it was merged -----

I've been doing some searching and research about Suzuki's and I have a question I was hoping to get some help with...

I found a used 2002 Suzuki GSX-R600. How much different would that be from a GSX650F?

In the link ghoastgirl1 originally posted, the advice presented is that "Honda CBR anything; Kawasaki Ninja ZX anything; Suzuki GSXR anything; Yamaha YZF or FZ anything" are really, really bad bikes for beginners. Yet, the person that wrote the article recommends a Suzuki GS500 as being a valid starter bike.

Does the "R" make that much difference, or is it the 600cc aspect? I felt very comfortable on the GSX650F and gathered it had less low end torque than the SV-650, which ultimately results in needing higher revs to get speed, but I am curious about the difference between a 2002 Suzuki GSX-R600 and a 2007/8 GSX650X.

Realistically, I'd prefer not to drop seven grand on a new bike, but if I can find one a few years older for half that, or better, I'm more likely to consider it, providing it isn't hugely different than the newer model I sat on today.

Thanks!