Hi,

    I really am a newbie. I completed the VT rider safety class but otherwise have no riding experience. I'm shopping for my first bike. I was initially looking at a Suzuki GZ250, its small (maybe too small?) I should be able to reach the ground (I'm 5'5") and its in my price range. Then as I was calling around to see who has which bikes in stock I discovered a dealer that has a LS650 (the suzukicycles.com site lists that bike as a S40 now right?) in stock, last years model and is asking $4,000 for it. That would be a stretch for my budget but managabe.

    So I have two questions. One, would you recommend the bigger bike for a newbie? Two, since $4,000 is only $400 off of the original price how much of that do you think is padding? I'm thinking I would like to try to get the price down some more, what would you shoot for?

Thanks a bunch!

-Jaime

I did some research when I dove into these waters and at 5 ft 2 seat hieght was important.   Price was very important since this was my first bike and didn't know if I'd really like riding; boy was I wrong, can't stand driving a car now.
Anyway, looked at the 250 and found that it can hardly get out of it's own way and lacks acceleration(unless you put it the back of a truck).
You can get great deals on the Savage/S40 because if someone buys it as a beginner's bike and doesn't fall in love with it they move on to a V twin  pretty soon.

Dealercost on that bike is $3877 so the spread is rather thin. And yes the 250 is kind of anemic and you'd be looking at something bigger shortly. If you can swing it go for the 650. At least you won't be wishing for more power right away. The 650 has no trouble keeping up on the freeway;)

Whoever said that, never rode/owned one. Also check my post just above yours about dealer cost etc

Aloha Jaime,
Just in case you needed a woman's point of view, the Savage  is a great bike to ride on. Handles easy, yet has a lot of pizazz!
I'm 5' 6" so practically the same height as you. I do have long legs which was a little tough at first till I did a seat modification and added 1 1/2 inch. That worked out better. If you don't have long legs, the Savage should fit you perfect!
If you do, a seat mod is really easy.

do your homework jaime.

And while new with warranty is appealing, nothing easier to learn on.

Also, 1st bike, there's a good chance that you're gonna drop it.  Why get a brand new one?  Shop around for a scratch and dent special.  If you drop it, no biggie.  I know if you get that new one you're gonna scurry in from the rain and dry the tires.  good luck and come on back and sit aspell.

Walk in with $3625 cash, tell them you are looking for an entry level bike and KIND OF LIKE the LS650 and have $3625 to spend ... bottom line, tax and everything.
If they start talking this and that just say "I only have $3625 to work with".  If they say they cannot go down then thank them for their time and get up and start walking out.
They will likely call you to come back and sit down.  Keep in mind that this is the end of the typical riding season and they don't want a bike sitting in the showroom...they need that cash to turnover so they can use it on something else that will make a profit for them, and will frequently take a small loss on the bike so they can put the money into something that will sell for a profit during the winter months.

TRY IT, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOOSE.  BESIDES, IT IS A FUN GAME.  GO INTO IT LIKE YOU ARE PLAYING A GAME AND JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT.

GOOD LUCK

Wait! Stop!  Don't get the 650!  You'll regret it later!

If you've been a lurker here for a while, then you already know that the Savage/S40 can't make it up a hill without you getting off to push.  The tires won't last 100 miles and you'll have to replace the cam chain at least 3 times a month!

Ok, all kidding aside, I have had my Savage for 4 months now and STILL love it!  it's got PLENTY of power for highway travel yet its light enough to be easy to maneuver at slow speeds.  The riding position is upright and relaxed.  The large single cylinder is rugged, robust, powerful and easy to maintain.  I really don't have a vocabulary to adequately describe the bike.  I just LOVE it!