Got a friend looking at an SV650S. Tell me more.

[Quick281]

I know enough to know that they are popular bikes, plenty of aftermarket, lots of great things said about them etc etc.

My friend is looking at picking one up as his first bike. He looked at some gixxers in my year range but he didn't want to spend that much money. We spent several hours today at a huge used bike warehouse and he felt that the SV650 and the Gixers fit him well for a rather short person. I assume they are almost the same beyond motor differences? He found a nicely priced 05 or 06 with low miles for around 4500. He is thinking about looking at it on Monday and bringing it home if possible. Is there any thing specific on these models that we need to know about beyond the normal things to check when buying used?

I also sat on my 06 50th anniversary R6 I wanted and it felt so awkward. :( I will need a test ride and some time before my Gix becomes a track whore and I get another street bike.

[Mr Lefty]

the diff between the SV and the GSXR is much more than just motor... the suspension is much better on the GSXR... but the SV will be a bit more comfortable to ride (once you change out the stone seat)

SV is a good bike IMO for a first bike... but can still get you in to trouble if you get too cocky. a lot of people here started on SV's... the first bike I ever rode was an SV... and it was gonna be my first bike up until I found the awesome deal I did on my ZZR.

get him in to the MSF course... and remind him that his budget for the bike includes the gear (often forgotten).

[Quick281]

the diff between the SV and the GSXR is much more than just motor... the suspension is much better on the GSXR... but the SV will be a bit more comfortable to ride (once you change out the stone seat)

SV is a good bike IMO for a first bike... but can still get you in to trouble if you get too cocky. a lot of people here started on SV's... the first bike I ever rode was an SV... and it was gonna be my first bike up until I found the awesome deal I did on my ZZR.

get him in to the MSF course... and remind him that his budget for the bike includes the gear (often forgotten).

He is probably my only friend that I could trust with taking the right approaches to this sort of things, despite my bad example with starting on my bike. But for 4 grand, who wouldn't take my route? :D

He has set aside a budget of 1k for gear, including a helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots. Since I still have a learners permit, he and I will probably sign up for a MSF course together when we can. I would love to do it now that I have all the time in the world but alas I am broke.

What parts are interchangeable between our bikes? I saw a couple threads on the SV forum talking about suspension swapping.

[Mr Lefty]

Hey I'm right there with ya... I wanted an SV but couldn't pass up my bike a year old with only 618 miles and a $500 Arai Helmet thrown in for $4999 OTD...


I know that the suspension between the GSXR line and the SV's are interchangeable... but I don't know if there is a year range... (ie only 00-03 can be used for the SV):idk:

I'm pretty sure your suspension can still be used on a SV but don't know for sure... that's a question for the SV folks.

[SoFlaSV]

The SV is a great bike for a beginner or veteran.

I will never get rid of mine.

You can swap the rear shock and entire front suspension from the GSXR to SV.
I've done both, before I bought a Penske for the rear.

[Quick281]

The SV is a great bike for a beginner or veteran.

I will never get rid of mine.

You can swap the rear shock and entire front suspension from the GSXR to SV.
I've done both, before I bought a Penske for the rear.

Was it a big improvement over stock? (The factory gix stuff)

[SoFlaSV]

It does give the adjustabilty the factory set up lacks.

[Quick281]

So we picked it up the other day and I rode it home for him.

All I can say is wow, what a great bike! Feels very light and very forgiving yet still a blast to ride. I felt right at home on it with the more aggressive handlebar stance and within a couple miles I felt right at home on the bike.

I think he was also pleased to see me riding it and hear of my great praise. I am now a big fan of those bikes. Getting back on my bike a bit later on the evening made it seems like a whole new, much more sensitive beast.

[Mr Lefty]

when you say not a big fan of those bikes... what do you mean? naked's? V-Twins? :idk:

I know when I rode cutty's SV after riding my ZZR... fuck that thing vibrated like crazy! :lol:

[Quick281]

when you say not a big fan of those bikes... what do you mean? naked's? V-Twins? :idk:

I know when I rode cutty's SV after riding my ZZR... fuck that thing vibrated like crazy! :lol:

Damnit, that was typo! And I really enjoy the bikes is what I was going for. And yes, it does vibrate like crazy.

[Cutty72]

when you say not a big fan of those bikes... what do you mean? naked's? V-Twins? :idk:

I know when I rode cutty's SV after riding my ZZR... fuck that thing vibrated like crazy! :lol:

Must be why comonboys likes it so much :whistle:

[rogue]

Did he get the S model or the naked? They're geared a bit differently. The naked has one less tooth...or is it the other way around? :scratch: I have the S and have ridden a naked once.

If he's short, how big is he? Is he a lightweight? Some people say that the SV's suspension is shitty, but I've found that lightweight people, especially just starting out, do fine with the stock suspension. My ex put a gixxer rear shock on his and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two bikes, except that the gixxer shock made the rear sit just a little lower (I'm very short so I'm extremely sensitive to height differences :lol: ) He wasn't a true lightweight, but not a heavy guy...average I guess....but is an aggressive rider. He did fine with either set up, although he said he could tell only a small difference between the two shocks (gixxer vs stock).

I do suggest using a heavier fork oil. It's pretty simple to change out, just a little time consuming. Even with my lightweight I could tell a difference between stock oil weight and what I've got in there now and think it's worth doing. It's cheap front suspension help. Now I feel the front end is firmer over these rough washboards they call roads here. :lol:

A heavier person (as in ALOT heavier than I) may eventually need better suspension. Although I suppose it's possible that a firmer suspension can help give more confidence in the bike, like a short person lowering a bike so they can touch better (I don't like mine lowered and do just fine at stock, but I can barely touch).

A bike should be set up for the rider. If he feels it will help give him more confidence & help become a better rider, then go for it. For right now though, stock should be fine.

Oh yeah...I still have the gixxer shock I bought for my bike. I never had it installed since my weight and riding style couldn't tell a difference between my stock and the exes gixxer shock.

SV's make an excellent beginner's bike, IMHO. You can still get into trouble on them, but they're definitely more forgiving than other similar or bigger bikes. I've been totally happy with mine and will have her for another couple of years at least.

svrider.com has some excellent advice. But be careful of the die hard *you MUST do this to the bike* people. Everyone's different. Tell your friend to have fun, be safe, and do his own thing as far as mods. ;)

[rogue]

when you say not a big fan of those bikes... what do you mean? naked's? V-Twins? :idk:

I know when I rode cutty's SV after riding my ZZR... fuck that thing vibrated like crazy! :lol:

I happen to like the vibration..... :whistle:

[Quick281]

Did he get the S model or the naked? They're geared a bit differently. The naked has one less tooth...or is it the other way around? :scratch: I have the S and have ridden a naked once.

If he's short, how big is he? Is he a lightweight? Some people say that the SV's suspension is shitty, but I've found that lightweight people, especially just starting out, do fine with the stock suspension. My ex put a gixxer rear shock on his and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two bikes, except that the gixxer shock made the rear sit just a little lower (I'm very short so I'm extremely sensitive to height differences :lol: ) He wasn't a true lightweight, but not a heavy guy...average I guess....but is an aggressive rider. He did fine with either set up, although he said he could tell only a small difference between the two shocks (gixxer vs stock).

I do suggest using a heavier fork oil. It's pretty simple to change out, just a little time consuming. Even with my lightweight I could tell a difference between stock oil weight and what I've got in there now and think it's worth doing. It's cheap front suspension help. Now I feel the front end is firmer over these rough washboards they call roads here. :lol:

A heavier person (as in ALOT heavier than I) may eventually need better suspension. Although I suppose it's possible that a firmer suspension can help give more confidence in the bike, like a short person lowering a bike so they can touch better (I don't like mine lowered and do just fine at stock, but I can barely touch).

A bike should be set up for the rider. If he feels it will help give him more confidence & help become a better rider, then go for it. For right now though, stock should be fine.

Oh yeah...I still have the gixxer shock I bought for my bike. I never had it installed since my weight and riding style couldn't tell a difference between my stock and the exes gixxer shock.

SV's make an excellent beginner's bike, IMHO. You can still get into trouble on them, but they're definitely more forgiving than other similar or bigger bikes. I've been totally happy with mine and will have her for another couple of years at least.

svrider.com has some excellent advice. But be careful of the die hard *you MUST do this to the bike* people. Everyone's different. Tell your friend to have fun, be safe, and do his own thing as far as mods. ;)


Rogue, thanks for your very insightful post! He has a SV650s model, black and yellow. I am not quite sure what his weight range is but I would guess between 170 to 200, short dude but has some muscle on him.

When I rode the bike there were a couple of things that worried me. A) The brakes catch at the VERY end even with lever adjusted but I assume that could be fixed with a good brake bleeding. The front brakes on my Gix are feeling odd and the two of us may have a brake bleeding day at some point.
B) When I would get the on the brakes the front seemed to dive a lot. I suppose it just scared me more than anything because I have only ridden my bike and it doesn't dive quite as much. If the heavier fork oil would help with that, then it may not be a bad idea. Of course, that isn't to say anything is wrong with it as much as those were areas that stuck out to me as someone on a more forgiving bike.

So far I have made several trips up to his house just so we could go ridding. Its 30 miles each way, but completely worth it to be with him as he learns the paces. He is getting comfortable and learning to deal with the Atlanta area traffic well. I let him lead so that all of our moves are done at his pace and he won't feel any need to keep up with me.

It has been fun to watch a whole new world open up to him. I am just glad that I can be around to help him with things as he proceeds. On his first day I would just run around the driveway as he was doing small laps to practice turning and there was at least one good time where I had to run and catch the tail of the bike before it fell over. The entire time of course he panicked, the bike was reving up in first gear and he was hanging onto the clutch with me screaming "DON'T LET GO!!!". We laughed it off and remain glad the bike didn't send us both through the wall in his garage. :)

At any rate, I will post up with any questions he may have and I already sent him a like to that SV site. He isn't much of a post whore but I know he will lurk around and find out the goodies.

[rogue]

Rogue, thanks for your very insightful post! He has a SV650s model, black and yellow. I am not quite sure what his weight range is but I would guess between 170 to 200, short dude but has some muscle on him.

When I rode the bike there were a couple of things that worried me. A) The brakes catch at the VERY end even with lever adjusted but I assume that could be fixed with a good brake bleeding. The front brakes on my Gix are feeling odd and the two of us may have a brake bleeding day at some point.
B) When I would get the on the brakes the front seemed to dive a lot. I suppose it just scared me more than anything because I have only ridden my bike and it doesn't dive quite as much. If the heavier fork oil would help with that, then it may not be a bad idea. Of course, that isn't to say anything is wrong with it as much as those were areas that stuck out to me as someone on a more forgiving bike.

So far I have made several trips up to his house just so we could go ridding. Its 30 miles each way, but completely worth it to be with him as he learns the paces. He is getting comfortable and learning to deal with the Atlanta area traffic well. I let him lead so that all of our moves are done at his pace and he won't feel any need to keep up with me.

It has been fun to watch a whole new world open up to him. I am just glad that I can be around to help him with things as he proceeds. On his first day I would just run around the driveway as he was doing small laps to practice turning and there was at least one good time where I had to run and catch the tail of the bike before it fell over. The entire time of course he panicked, the bike was reving up in first gear and he was hanging onto the clutch with me screaming "DON'T LET GO!!!". We laughed it off and remain glad the bike didn't send us both through the wall in his garage. :)

At any rate, I will post up with any questions he may have and I already sent him a like to that SV site. He isn't much of a post whore but I know he will lurk around and find out the goodies.

You're welcome.

Check the brake pads when you bleed the brakes. (which reminds me, I still need to bleed mine). Another thing that may be what you're feeling that's different is the brake lines. IIRC, the gix's have better lines, although I'm not positive..and the brake line is just a suggestion. The only other bike I've ridden alot to have an opinion on a difference in the braking between two bikes is a cruiser...and cruiser brakes feel different to me than my SV's and therefore, not really even a comparison.

The reason the front end bows down like that is because of the forks. The forks are alot different than the one on your gix. Again, there's other mods that can be done to make the SV's front feel similar to the gix's, including doing a front end swap that seems to be pretty popular with the SV riders, getting heavier springs and different dampening rods, and the heavier weighted fork oil helps too, or at least it seems to have helped mine a little.

Watching someone open to the world of motorcycles is awesome! I got a little TTR dirt bike and taught my kids how to ride. It was awesome to watch them learn and see the expressions on their faces as they learned and enjoy riding. Watching my son pop his first wheelie was hysterical! Of course, he didn't know that's what was going to happen. :lol: We told him, "pull the clutch, hit the throttle, then let go." He did and almost came off the bike, but managed to keep it upright. His eyes were as big as saucers. :lmao: We told him, "that's what you DON'T want to do." :rofl: Good times :dthumb:

Parking lot practice is most excellent. I still do a few practices every once in a while although I've been riding for a while. It helps, especially with ER braking. :dthumb:

[Quick281]

That is awesome about you're children. I was telling some friends to day that when I finally have kids, they will be exposed to all the mechanical mayhem they want.

Over the weekend for my birthday my friend and I just rode around Atlanta into the early morning. It was a great chance for him to feel the bike out on the highway and get used to everything without the intimating presence of traffic. We had a blast and are hoping that we get a good trip in when the weather clears up.

So far his main concern is exhaust, he thinks he has settled on the M4, and I am sure when the time comes he will dive into the suspension stuff too.

[Phenix_Rider]

when you say not a big fan of those bikes... what do you mean? naked's? V-Twins? :idk:

I know when I rode cutty's SV after riding my ZZR... fuck that thing vibrated like crazy! :lol:

:lol: yeah they do. The P-Twin in the 650R is much smoother.

Did he get the S model or the naked? They're geared a bit differently. The naked has one less tooth...or is it the other way around? :scratch: I have the S and have ridden a naked once.

A bike should be set up for the rider. If he feels it will help give him more confidence & help become a better rider, then go for it. For right now though, stock should be fine.

The difference in ergoes between the naked and faired SV is pretty extreme. The naked bars are MUCH higher, and the pegs are a little lower.

svrider.com has some excellent advice. But be careful of the die hard *you MUST do this to the bike* people. Everyone's different. Tell your friend to have fun, be safe, and do his own thing as far as mods. ;)
Like Trip! :whistle:

That is awesome about you're children. I was telling some friends to day that when I finally have kids, they will be exposed to all the mechanical mayhem they want.

Over the weekend for my birthday my friend and I just rode around Atlanta into the early morning. It was a great chance for him to feel the bike out on the highway and get used to everything without the intimating presence of traffic. We had a blast and are hoping that we get a good trip in when the weather clears up.

So far his main concern is exhaust, he thinks he has settled on the M4, and I am sure when the time comes he will dive into the suspension stuff too.
Don't try for a really long trip yet- and make sure you take a lot of breaks. The drone from slab riding hurts physically and mentally. Your mind starts to get lazy when everything is ticking along at 80+, and vibration and wind blast can really sap your energy. Plus it's far too easy to keep cruising when you hit an area with lower speed limits!

Oh yeah- I wouldn't spend too much on blingy mods yet- chances are still high he'll drop it, and that type of exhaust hits the ground fast.

[OreoGaborio]

Great bike, works for riders new & "old"...

*looks at the bike in my avatar*....

makes a decent race platform, too :D

[rogue]

[QUOTE=Phenix_Rider;131699
The difference in ergoes between the naked and faired SV is pretty extreme. The naked bars are MUCH higher, and the pegs are a little lower.


Oh yeah- I wouldn't spend too much on blingy mods yet- chances are still high he'll drop it, and that type of exhaust hits the ground fast.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't talking about the ergoes, but yeah, it's a pretty extreme ergo difference between the naked and the faired.

And I agree about no blingy mods yet. Nothing sucks worse than putting a pretty piece on the bike and then dropping the fucker like a dumbass.

[Bassplayer]

Sv ftw:dthumb:

[Switch]

I have one for sale...

[Particle Man]

Feels very light and very forgiving yet still a blast to ride. .

sounds about right. :rockwoot:

[Looni2ns]

Sv's are great bikes. LOVE mine. Oh, and blue is faster. ;-) Most of the time, folks on the boards that I frequent don't really recommend the SV as a first bike. Most recommend the Ninja 250 or 500, or GS500. All of these bikes have a lower deat height so you can flat foot comfortably, yet have more than enough power so you can enjoy learning to ride and not be run over if you venture out on the busier roadways.

With the SV, you have to be careful of the throttle and the low end torque. The throttle is quite touchy, and since he's a new rider, he needs to be careful. Low end torque is great as it gets you going very quickly. Down side to that is it can get a new inexperienced rider in a lot of trouble very quickly.

He reallys needs the MSF as soon as possible. Depending on where you are in ATL, there's Honda in Alpharetta, the HD dealerships through their Rider's Edge Program, and other sites in the metro ATL area. Check out the DMV website for the complete list of sites.

SVRider.com is a great place for technical and riding information. There is a quite a few of us in ATL, especially on the NW side around Mayretta.

[ChipperJones]

The seat is horribly uncomfortable after a bout an hour or so, but other than that they are awesome bikes,

[Particle Man]

Holy thread resurrection ...

And:

http://prtclmn001.smugmug.com/Other/Motorcycle-2010/DSC08957/825032183_vxTTb-L.jpg