Track

If you really like the riding position of your SD then the SV would be a great bike for the track! I know the others are better looking but the SV is so easy to ride and you will be thinking more about your technique than anything else. For a bonus it is great on tyres and that little twin rocks!

the 748 is pretty titchy, i'm pretty small, and found it pretty comfy, but can't imagine it would if you are very tall.
The bike is glorious though, it actually had a very similar feel to the SD i think. obviously it's not quite as pokey, but it delivers its power in a very similar way, and the general tight, mechanical / agricultural feel is the same to me.

When i first rode it, i think i covered about 2 miles before thinking - oh my god, i'm going to have to sell this things asap, it was so god damn painful. but the more you ride it the better it gets comfort wise. I think your body is contorted to such a degree that it actually has to alter to accommodate the riding position, where as bikes that are just a 'bit' awkward leave you eternally achey, the 748 forces you to conform and i found it to be great in town and on the motorway. I did nearly 20,000 miles on it, mostly in London and loved every single one of them right up until the bearings ground me to a halt in streatham and i got off it for the last time (should never have sold it - especially not for the retched 749! - mine was crap i'm sure others are fine).

I can't speak highly enough about the 748, and while i can't afford to own one as a 2nd bike just yet, i will have another soon i hope, in the mean time i'll talk any bugger into getting one while i wait for my time.

never understood the "stones".... what would it be in kg/lb?
i'm 6'3", ~170 lb before putting on the gear... i found R6 ridicolously small, it felt like one of those mini-bikes that dissapear in your crack as soon as you're on it... having said that, the power is nice, it is a IL4 though, so the delivery is much different then v2. SV's are great bikes, my wife has one, and i ride it every now and then, i find it a bit tight for my long legs - this could also be because the seat was cut out lower to fit the wife.
the SV has few advantages: it is cheeper to buy, & to maintain (then Ducati), it is very easy to work on - i love how simple & logical Suzuki's designs are... tons of parts new and used, OEM or aftermarket... and it crashes quite well
that being said, R6 gives you quite a bit more 'kick'...

i do not like Ducatis, so if you are a fan, please stop reading now.
i find them quite unreliable, they cannot take abuse, break down often, are expensive to fix, or replace broken parts after a crash... not a track tool at all, unless you are sposored and they will pay for complete rebuild after every race. they handle great and have good power, but soooo uncomfortable... only good for 10 min rides and displaying in front of a coffee shop - IMO

only good for 10 min rides and displaying in front of a coffee shop - IMO
....

Yeah pretty much right but i think that's why half of those who love em do so. I know you get your hardcore race types who will bang on about the handling etc, but they ain't half pretty!

We think alike

I am after a 748/749 for a track bike. I am leaning towards 748 if I can pick up a cheap one. My plan is to flog all the road kit which goes for good money and chuck a fibreglass fairing on.

I have a mate that races 748's so he can keep it fettled for me.

I have seen some 749's for reasonable money and would love one but the potential servicing cost worries me.

Other than at Snetterton, I have more fun on track with SD/SDR than with my GSXR / fireblade. I think the Ducati would be more of the same. Lose speed on the straights but get them back on the corners. Put some slicks on it and work up to getting an elbow down. Now that would be a great trackday photograph

SV wouldnt be much cheaper really. Buy an ex race one for 2 grand and you are in 748 money anyway. Buy a battered road one and you will spend a good bit making it handle on track.