Pending SV650 Purchase Advice

Hi, I'm possibly going to purchase a brand new SV650 (Blue).

My nearest Suzuki dealer, Colin Collins in Harrow (N. London), has them
brand new for £3999.

My previous bike was a CB500.

I'm looking for advice on any problems with this bike and recommendations
for an Immobiliser/Alarm to have fitted for a reduction in my insurance
premiums. What tyres does this bike come fitted with as standard and what is
the agreed best all weather tyre for it?

Is there any part of the bike that requires particular attention? I'm a bit
nervous as all my previous bikes have been Hondas which have been reliable
and easy for me to perform maintenance on.

Are there any must have mods?

Thanks in advance

 

They do make them in black now, you know. But still a good choice.

I don't know what they come with over there, here they are fitted with
Metz4s which are crap. I have BT 010s on my SV and they rock. I have
gone through several sets of them in the 4 years I have had the bike.

Change the oil regularly and lube the chain. I have 29,000 on mine and
its still going strong.

Depending on your weight, you may want heavier oil in the forks. IIRC
the bike is setup for someone weighing 135 pounds. I did oil, springs
and emulators in mine. The only other thing I have done is a full
Yoshimura RS3 system.

--
muddy

Testing the limits of gravity since 1947.

icq - 219328929

 

That is an 'S' model presumably? If not, you can get them at least 300
cheaper elsewhere.

 

a sex change.

 

Indeed - though TBH the concept of Curium on something like GSX-R is
frightening.

Still, cheap spares.

 

<warms up IMANASS number>

Good choice of bike though.

S or naked?

On my 2002 model I had 010's from the start - I did this because of
recommendations on this group that the standard tyres were 'crap'. Jon later
purchased an SV650 with the standard tyres and I believe he agreed that they
were, inded, crap. The OE's were Mez4's - if they are no longer Mez4's then
flip wibble do.

So - 010's, or possibly an 010 front and 020 rear - Christofire will be
along shortly to recommend something similar I suspect. 010's definitely
suit the bike well.

Alarm - whatever you can get really - Datatool System 3 seems quite good -
so either that or if they've got a newer version, whatever that is. Check
how much discount you will really get though - it may not be worth it.

Problems? As far as I know the SV is nigh on bulletproof. I had mine 15000
miles and had no problems at all other then the chain going a bit strange
but I have since gathered this is me rather then the bike. The oil didn't
get changed other then at the services and all it got was the occasional
wash.

They crash fairly well too - a new fairing panel cost about £120 - not that
outrageous, unless you're from the North.

The SV is reliable - they would not sell as well as they do if it wasn't.
Maintenance.. well... which year are we talking about? 2002 or 2003?
If it's the carb model then I suspect that will be easier to work on then
the FI model. I would say, if it's new, service it at the dealer until the
warranty is up.
Colin Collins are, on the whole, okay - sometimes.

I changed the plugs on the 02 and whilst the back cylinder is easy to get
at, the front is a complete shit which requires moving the radiator and a
lot of swearing to get it out.

Scottoiler. The SV also sounds very nice with a race can, but on the 02
model you have to cut through the exhaust pipe to fit it - easy job though.
That said, the Scorpion can I got messed up the fueling, causing it to
lurch/stall at rather inoppurtune moments.

Double bubble was quite nice too, but only if you're doing miles on the
motorway really.

 

Curium sounds like one of life's natural Bandit owners, really.

 

Reliability - had mine since March '02, so it's going into its second winter
of commuting without a hitch [1].
Tyres - ditch the Mez4s and replace with B010s.
Mods - on a purely practical front, fender extender and rear hugger keep off
the crap.

[1] Is that tempting fate?

 

in harsh conditions they do suffer carb icing. thats all I can think
of.

 

Ah true - there is that.

First time that had happened I'd had the bike a week... caned it down the on
ramp to the A41 after having spent an or two at Chez Bear Watford and as I
changed gear going into the roundabout everything went quiet...

Suspect the memory of my subsequent phone call to Bear might still raise a
smile were he actually about and not threating bodily harm etc.

 

I assume the FI models don't suffer this

 

Sorry. Yes it is the S model.

 

They do if you put carbs on instead.

 

I got mine in June and it's done 4500 ish miles. No problems, but I
wouldn't expect any yet. The winter has had no noticeable effect on it.

The original tyres on mine were Dunlop D220 ST, which I think is still
the standard fitment. They seemed like a good tyre to me, plenty of
grip etc. (My comparison was 010, 020 combo on a Bandit) However, I'm
about to replace the rear as it's worn out, which I'm not so keen about.
Next time around, when the front has had a bit more wear I'm thinking of
switching to Avons, or going back to Bridgestones.

I haven't ridden a CB500 since my test, so I can't help there.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Bad form etc, but I meant to add, if you fit a Scotoiler, I took some
pics of where the bits go if it's of any use to you.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Problems:
Corrosion - some bits (rear brake arm springs to mind) seem to rust very
quickly - the brake arm mentioned above rusted in only 3 months. The
warranty replacement did the same in about 6 months. That's stayed on
the bike as it works, but just looks unsightly.

Front forks - see mods.

Carb icing in winter - thought to be caused by the thermometer for the
carb heaters being placed above the engine. Routing it to a cooler
location can help apparently. As you're getting the FI model, this
probably won't matter.

Old Gimmers - they come up to you in preference of other bikes and want
to talk to you about it.

I'd say they're easy to work on. Done my servicing for the last year -
now on 30K miles plus, and still going strong.

Up the fork oil weight. 5W was in mine - try 10W or 15W. I didn't
bother with this until about 20000 miles though.

Get a scottoiler, they work a treat.

Tyres - 010s are the best I've used for confidence, feel and general
fun. They have let me do the most stuff without complaining or letting
go. I do like them. I'm currently using Avon Azaro's (ST45/46).
They're not as sticky and they feel like they're sliding a bit more, but
they don't seem to be wearing. They seem quite good in the wet. I
found 020 rears would spin up when giving it beans in the wet, but the
Avons don't.

010s will last 3-4K miles front, 5K rear.
020s will last about 5K front, 8-9K rear.
Avons - I don't know.
Metzeler MEZ4s (which came as OEM on my SV) are horrible, didn't grip
anywhere near like 020's and didn't last much longer than 010s.

Other than the fork oil and the scottoiler (and tyres and brake pads if
you're going to be pedantic) my SV is standard. It's a lot of fun. If
you get one and want to make it more fun look at www.jhsracing.co.uk

For general advice look at www.sv650.org

HTH

 

Mine did this too - Castrol Chain wax/some sort of other stuff that doesn't
wash off too easily seemed to work.
Strange thing is the same part on the GSXR, which looks identical, hasn't
corroded at all thus far.

Does the FI SV even have it? I know the brake arm is gone on the GSX-R's
now.

I think it's you as no one did that to me...

Are you sayng the front spark plug is 'easy'? ;-)

 

It isn't. On the SV it's mild steel, or similar, painted silver. On
the GSXR it's alloy. The SV one corrodes under the paint whereas the
GSXR one won't unless really left in salt.

 

Well, I cut my thumb through the tip (and nail) the first time, so I
quickly devised a way that involved less cutting of hands. It involved
a few bits of wood (of slowly increasing size to move the radiator)
instead of one bit as recommended in the suzuki service manual.

 

Happens to me too, but then it did with the Bandit as well.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked