I am a woman in my mid 40's have been riding for about a year and a half now. It has always been a life long dream of mine to own a motorcycle. Growing up, my brother had a mini bike that I was not allowed to learn how to ride no matter how much I begged. Finally in the spring of '05, without ever driving a motorcycle, I took a motorcycle safety course and got my motorcycle license.

I started on a '05 Kawi Ninja 500 and put over 8K miles on it last summer alone commuting to and from work (53 miles each way). It is time for me to upgrade. I have done a lot of research on all of the mid-sized sport bikes and I am impressed by all of the positive reviews on the Gsxr's. I am having a hard time choosing between the Gsxr 600 and the 750. Does any one know the difference in gas milage or other performance features? Horse power is not as big a concern as torque. I ride from Sonoma County, CA to Lake County, CA over some steep and winding roads. Your personal opion also matters to me.:)

THX,
Lisa

Im 6ft and 225 lbs and have an 06 600 and lack of torque has never been an issue. Both the 600 and the 750 will drink more gas than your 500. Perhaps you should consider an SV650s especially seeing that you will be commuting.

I am trying to get away from the vibration of a v-twin. My average speed on my commute is about 40 MPH and my 500 can shake at those speeds as I suspect the SV650 would also.

If torque isn't an issue with the Gsxr 600, I would save about $1500 buying the Gsxr 600 over the 750 and some on the gas milage.

I understand that I will loose on the gas milage over my current 500 with either Gsxr. Even if I loose 10 MPG, I am still over double the gas milage of my Pathfinder and have a whole lot more enjoyable commute to boot.

THX,
LisaJ

all i gotta say is i have had 600s but im in love with my 750. i couldnt ask for a different bike. its all in how you feel on the bike more than anything.

there is deff no lack of power on the 600's. both bikes are amazing. for commuting the 600 will get you there fast enough lol. use the $1500 you would save and buy some parts for the bike...exhaust,frame sliders.

For commuting, don't underestimate the abilities of a 600 or a SV650. I never noticed any extra vibration over the GSXR. :scratch

Thanks for all of the advice. I will post what I end up getting. Right now I am leaning toward the Gsxr-600.

if ur gettin it for commuting and fun on ur way to work...just get a 600...

u'll be happy....and gas milage isn't bad unless ur always running above 8k rpm's.

I love my 600! I'm very content with what it can do. I have not had it to it's fullest power and trust me, my bike has plenty of balls! haha Good luck with your purchase!

I am a woman in my mid 40's have been riding for about a year and a half now. It has always been a life long dream of mine to own a motorcycle. Growing up, my brother had a mini bike that I was not allowed to learn how to ride no matter how much I begged. Finally in the spring of '05, without ever driving a motorcycle, I took a motorcycle safety course and got my motorcycle license.

I started on a '05 Kawi Ninja 500 and put over 8K miles on it last summer alone commuting to and from work (53 miles each way). It is time for me to upgrade. I have done a lot of research on all of the mid-sized sport bikes and I am impressed by all of the positive reviews on the Gsxr's. I am having a hard time choosing between the Gsxr 600 and the 750. Does any one know the difference in gas milage or other performance features? Horse power is not as big a concern as torque. I ride from Sonoma County, CA to Lake County, CA over some steep and winding roads. Your personal opion also matters to me.:)

THX,
Lisa

I bought my first gsxr (of several) in 88... I sometimes took it to school, but very very rarely. It was then very much a racebike with lights -- and today even more so. For weekends and some travel (yes i did travel with it in europe of all things) it is a OK. For commuting.... well it is worst than commuting everyday in a ferrari. Sure some people do it, but i dont see the point.

Anway, if you are set on it, the 600 is certainly not as "torquey" as the 750, but there not THAT much difference. Now compared to a twin, it has none. Nevertheless the 600 is silky smooth -- a bit more than the 750. You should be pleased with the 600 in every aspect.

For commuting I would recommend a 600 w/ 520 conversion.

But to tell you the truth though, if I previously had riding experience I would've bought a 750 instead. People are right, the 600 really lacks low end grunt. I have to give it a good twist to really get the bike going. But if you're not big on the speed thing then a 600 would be good enough.

Get a 1000. It vibrates a bit but you will enjoy it. :-)

I would go with the SV for the commute.
Its a more comfortable ride postion like the 500.
But if ya had to chose 600 is all ya need.

i'd say the sv650, insurance would be cheaper also because its not a sportbike...

I have had a 600, a 1000 and now my 750. I think the 600 would be your best bet to start out on.

Get a 1000. :-)

get a 750. thats all i got for transportation and i love it.

I was looking for a 600 when I bought my 750. It was a great price so I had to get it and I am glad I did. I've had 600's in the past and I really like the feel of the 750. I don't know if it's any faster than the 600 or not. They both go faster than I'll ever go. Just something about the way it feels and sounds. I love it.

Get the 750 LisaJ.....they'll feel identical until you twist the throttle and so why not have something w/ more power. Plus resale will be better IMO as there are a million 600's for sale but not many 750's.

Good luck

Get the 750 LisaJ.....they'll feel identical until you twist the throttle and so why not have something w/ more power. Plus resale will be better IMO as there are a million 600's for sale but not many 750's.

Good luckThis true. 750s can be tough to come by.

I would go with the SV for the commute.
Its a more comfortable ride postion like the 500.
But if ya had to chose 600 is all ya need.

Diddo....

I started out on an 04 Kawi 500 and it was a dramatic difference when i moved up to the 600. The Kawi was definately a better commuter bike (wish i would have kept it just for that)

I know exactly what you mean by the vibration but you have a parallel twin, not a V. I have never rode a V so i'm not sure if it has the same amount of vibration as the parallel twin.

All in all you should test ride both the GSXR and the SV! I think the SV will be a lot more comfortable for a long commute.