darn competing forums not letting you share information....[:'(]

 

Hey tank, I'm in Grand Forks, not much of a scene up here, are there alot more riders down in Bismarck?

 

Motorcycles riders, yes, 650r riders, no. I have yet to see a 650r around town even though they sold out of them quickly at the kawi dealer here. You college student, base'r, or local of Grand Forks?

 

Anyone ridden it and the 500?

 

Student at UND. We got alot of riders here, mostly CBRs[:'(]I'm looking for a used 500 for my first bike, but not many selling around here.

 

Thats to bad your looking now. I could have sold you mine for 3000, which is a touch more then what I traded mine for. I guess others might disagree with me, but the 650R is far superior and IMO much easier to ride. Not to mention the no nut crunching you get from hard braking on the 500. Damn swooping seats, I hate them!!!. I see alot of people still asking if anyone has ridden both, and for me, I'm very glad I switched. Everyday I ride my 650 I like it more. I rode my 2004 500R for 3 months, it was fun, but kind of small for me, 6' 1" tall 190 LB. The 650 fits me good, and will fit almost any height well with its design.

The 500 was a good bike in the past, but now since the new 650R is out, I think they could do away with it. If your not ready for big power, their will always be the 250.

 

Tank, I should have some added info. for you next week. I am buying the blue 650R on Sunday. Let us know what you find out and what you think of yours once you getit out on the road. Fortunately, we have gottenrid of the snow here, but the cold air and drizzle is still a problem every other day.

 

I rode a 650 andit has much more power that I'd ever need on public streets. Considering it only gets 45-50 mpg (based on the posts I've seen), I definitely prefer the 500 since I will use it mostly for commuting. The 500 is very powerful, very fun,and still gets over 60+ mpg?

If you like racing your friends on long windy roads, then I'm sure you'd prefer the 650. I guess it depends on whether you actually need to get anywhere faster than a 500 can get you there; for me that situation doesn't exist so I'll take the gas mileage.

 

Much faster, more comfortable, way better handling.....need I say any more?! I came up from the 1991 EX500 to the 2007 Ninja 650R and I am sooooooooooo happy with this bike! I just look at it and my heart starts to race..........kinda cheesy sounding, but I love it! I'm glad I made the choice. I sat on the SV650 and it was just nowhere near as comfortable feeling to me.I sat on the 636 and the RR and I felt the most comfortable on this one. The way this rides compared to the EX is so different it makes me feel good that I took the time to learn the EX and move up to the 650 because now I have something to compare.

 

I got the 900 Vulcan Custom -- made the switch from sport to cruiser and I love it, but I still want the 650R in my garage too. I found one at the bike shop that was dinged up a bit and it's selling for pretty cheap.