The Official SV Thread... SV650

Pictures from recent ramblings on my SV

SV in it's natural habitats!

Damn, seeing those pictures reminds me of how much I need a better windscreen. The aftermarket POS the previous owner put on mine makes interstate speeds feel like a tornado.

That's a Givi Sport Tour screen on mine, which has been discontinued by Givi.
Too bad, as it's a very well made, thick screen that fit perfectly, and holds up well to scratches.

Any thoughts on a Gen I (1999-2002) SV650 v/s a Gen II (2002+) SV650?

Other that fuel injection, any other major changes? Do they ride differently? Different power delivery?

I like the looks of a Gen I... but I'm a little concerned with buying a 10+ year old bike.

Gen 2 SV are slightly physically a larger bike. I am 6'1" and felt cramped on my buddy's Gen1.

Gen2 made a touch more HP, but at this level, it makes litle difference.

Gen 2 has a bit larger fuel tank, greater range (I get around 55mpg unless hammering the highway into wind all day)

Here is the Wiki page with all the comparative dimensions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_SV650

Thanks for the info and the link.

Do you think a 10-12 year old SV650 will start showing problems due to age? Even if the mileage is not too high (15k)?

I hope not, because I just picked this one up a couple weeks ago...

Nice looking SV :)

Can I ask how much you paid for it?

PM'd ya...

Does anyone have a picture of how they mounted the instrument cluster on GSXR forks on an 03+ 650n? The previous owner that did the swap bolted the cluster directly to the headlight. :huh Has anyone used T-bolt clamps to clamp the headlight bracket to the forks? I'm on a pretty tight budget but want to make things better than it is.

You can sorta see what I'm working with in this pic.



Thanks,
Jesse

Was this color ever available or is this an aftermarket job?
Anyone?




(It's the 1000cc version)

One other question..

What's the most popular (that should translate as reliable and not the most
expensive) way to make the S model more comfortable re: bar risers?

How much rise is too much (as in - looks stupid)?

I once saw the 1000S with normal bars, and it looked.. wrong.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get the naked version and forget all this
clip-on stuff, but that one in the post above looks nice..

Bike ergo site says I'd have about 38° lean angle on the bike with my
height (5'11"), and I had 15° on my 650R. I'd like a bit more then 15,
but 38 sounds like too much.

But then again, the Futura and VFR, universally praised for comfort..
are around 33-34°. I can do that with 1" risers. More or less.

Here is what I did on my 1000, a bit assymetrical, but it works for me. I simply bolted the right side of the gage mount to the left Ignition switch bolt. It is a larger diameter bolt than the 2 that usually hold the gage, so I think it is plenty strong, although I have thought about making a small angle bracket to bolt the left side to the triple clamp.

The 650's were available in white during the later years of production in the Canadian, UK, and Australian markets for sure (and I assume others). I don't think I've ever seen a factory SV1000 in white, though.

That worries me a bit.
:huh

Took a 2700 mile trip on my SV650 this September, including the Dragon - I love this bike! It's also my daily commuter with 55 MPG. I've put about 7000 miles on it since I got it ten months ago.



Givi 21s, Recon 11 Tank Bag, Givi windscreen, Frame sliders / highway pegs. The pack is a REI tent, sleeping bag, bedroll all rolled into a tarp.






There are some ridiculously amazing roads in Tennessee.

Hello all,

I think this is the time to introduce myself. My name is Radu and I live in Sibiu, Romania with my girlfriend Lore.
We have been modifying, maintaining and riding an '99 SV650S since 2008. Only joined ADV rider recently (this is the first post actually).
A short list of mods made to the bike (maybe not all of them, I don't remember exactly):
-"standard" handlebar and foot peg mounts
-progressive fork springs
-Kawa ZX6R '09 rear shock
-HID light
-better seats
-crash bar
-Kappa K33 sidecases + GIVI top plate
-taller windscreen
-folding pedals
-"custom" paintjob
This being said, we went for a couple of small adventures already:
-small rides through Romania in 2008 - one with a sad ending - I hit a dog and ended up with a broken foot
-a one-week ride through Romania in 2009
-a little over two weeks ride through Croatia and Montenegro in 2010
-a little over two weeks ride through Macedonia and Albania in 2011
-25 day ride through Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, with special destination Caucasus Mountains
I will start writing ride reports soon, hopefully my job schedule will allow this.
Here are a couple of pics, maybe not the best in the world, but they'll do, I guess:





I hope to have a positive contribution here and to share our experiences, good and bad, with those interested.

Cheers!

PS: one more thing I should maybe mention, the bike had about 27K on the meter when I bought it. Now it's at over 80K. No real mechanical problems, only wheel bearings, fork seals, fluids and tires to replace so far!

Welcome to the asylum Radu. That SV looks nice, I like the colours. Looks like you are riding 2-up, did you change your springs? Not that it's necessary, those SVs are reliable enough.

Looks like some great adventures you had with the SV. Im am interested in your Caucasus ride, any more pics?

Thank you for the warm welcome! The fork springs were changed when I got the bike. I had to replace the shock as it was getting too soft (or maybe my luggage was getting heavier and heavier?). I will post the pics in a small ride report soon enough, I hope. BTW, your trip through Scandinavia was awesome too!