700SC vs 700ES

[WYDOPN]

I had some time now to ride and enjoy both of these machines so I thought I would give some feed back on how they compare.

The ES



The period correct Vance & Hines pipe and stage 3 jet kit, make this thing snarl like a mean wild boar. It is rev happy up to 10k and pulls hard and strong through every gear. The ES definitly has more raw power at your disposal and sounds pi$$ed off all the time. The progressive springs tighten up the front end quite nicely and it seems to grip fairly well even in tight stuff. A new rear shock would aid tremendously in performance. It is an absolute blast to ride..

The SC



The SC is so much more refined and the shaft drive is so quiet and smooth. Pinning the throttle in third feels like a stealthy missle. The speed is much more decieving than the ES. It too is rev happy at 10.5 and just wants to go at any moment. I have to admit the Honda is much more compfortable to mount, I have to make myself get off the thing. The 16" front and rears combined with the progressive springs give it a slight edge in the corners as well.

Overall who wins? That is a tough one, considering they are bikes in the same class there personalities are night and day. The GS kicks and rears like a restless wild stallion where as the Honda sprints like a thorougbread race horse.

I cant decide which I prefer... they are both incredible machines to ride.

[flynavyj]

great looking bikes, and nice review. I've never had the privilege of riding either...I wouldn't mind finding a 700S, they seem to demand a few pennies though, and it'd honestly fit in very similarly to where my SV currently is in my lineup. A different cruiser might be in the works at some point, but i probably only need one naked sportbike at a time. Thanks for the post.

[WingNut]

Awesome insights, seems to me like the two bikes are a perfect reflection of the design philosophies of the companies who made them, as far as I understand it... wish I had some of your dilemmas 

[spiritof86]

You are a lucky guy!  The "ES" model GS Suzukis have always been one of my favorite bikes!  Before I die I would like to have a GS 1150ES.

[WYDOPN]

You are a lucky guy!  The "ES" model GS Suzukis have always been one of my favorite bikes!  Before I die I would like to have a GS 1150ES.

You mean like this? I have ridden this one it is a beast

[hppants]

Looks like the GS offers a little more wind protection?  And the rear disk must stop better than RWB.

But with the shaft and hydraulic lifters, the 700s has to get the maintenance edge.

To a purely unbiased judge, this one would be tough to call IMO.

[spiritof86]

You are a lucky guy!  The "ES" model GS Suzukis have always been one of my favorite bikes!  Before I die I would like to have a GS 1150ES.

You mean like this? I have ridden this one it is a beast

YES!!!

[Dtp700s]

The GS kicks and rears like a restless wild stallion where as the Honda sprints like a thorougbread race horse.

That is a great explanation, and funny because it is exactly how I describe the difference between my two bikes. [85 700s & 85 BMW K100RT]  Except in my case, the Nighthawk is the Stallion and the BMW is the Thoroughbred. I guess there are many steps towards both ends of the spectrum!

[gammer]

WYDOPN,

I wonder how your comparison of the two bikes would be if you installed a pipe, jet kit and K&N on the Nighthawk S?

IMO, I think the GS would still be the faster bike. But I can tell you that my Nighawk S has really come alive with the mods mentioned above. And with the cam timing mod, I can feel the front end lifting when accelerating hard in first gear, say around 7000 RPM...the bike feels like its coming out from underneath me.

I'll be honest and say that the GS has the NH S beat in the drive train. The power gain with the chain drive would be noticeable on the bum dyno, for sure.

[JB1290]

WYDOPN, that was just mean posting the 1150ES.

Now I want one of those too.   

[fishball]

There is just something so good looking about that 700es.  It's another bike I had a chance of buying before I finally chose my 650 Nighthawk.  Though the 700es I was looking at looked like it was dragged behind a truck for a few miles.  I think if your refurbished one were available it would have been no contest.