sv650 versus sv1000

[evertheoptimist]

anybody rode both the sv650 and the sv1000 whats the difference in the handling capabilities ? whats the difference in fuel consumption etc....

[kwak zzr]

look the same but completely diff to ride, the 1000 seems a bigger bike with slower steering and double the power! if u ride it hard the MPG is poor, if you ride economical then they seems to do the same MPG as the 650.

[leatherpatches]

Double the power? Double 70bhp is 140bhp. The 1000 has around 110bhp, which is a very different figure.

In answer to the original post, they are similar in that both use v-twin engines and therefore develop their power at relatively low revs. After that they are chalk and cheese. About the only other thing they share is the name.

Best to test ride both and get on the sv1000 forums to see mpg etc.

In short, the 1000 is going to be more expensive to run - without question. It will use a little more fuel, tyres, chain and insurance. Neither are crazy bikes and if you factor in depreciation into the equation, both are so cheap to buy either new or second hand that they are both really cheap over time for what they are.

[Mr Toad]

as Kwak says

The thou is very deceptive - it feels slower/more relaxed, but is actually going a lot faster than what the 650 would be doing under the same circumstances. At 5k revs when running in the 650 it was doing 65mph, but the same on the thou is 85mph, although it feels more like 65. It's got a lot more power, but it's almost easier to ride - by that I mean that it seems to require less effort . The suspension is a lot better, but then it has to be as the bike is heavier. Corners are best planned, rather than just throwing the bike round them a la 650 style :grin:

[leatherpatches]

The suspension is a lot better, but then it has to be as the bike is heavier.

Certainly wasn't on the one I used for several months. Most owners seem to agree that suspension is one thing that lets down the 1000 and gets upgraded quickly.

[evertheoptimist]

Thanks for the replies, well the bike I was looking at was the sv1000 sz special edition which i believe is about 124 bhp. with standard cans on. Havent got a clue about the suspension. was more concerned about the handling than anything else.

[leatherpatches]

Suspension = handling

(oh, and tyres and a few other things)

[tomjones2]

From a two hour ride of the thou its is a lot heavier, vibes a lot and get very hot. Its also very easy to wheelie and deceptively fast, personally I am not used to heavier bikes so it felt a bit odd. The one I was on hadrubbish brakes though and the sales man though the engine breaking would make up for this.

[Ratty]

Mr Optimist

I have a 1000SZ which I have owned for over a year. Before that I had a 650SK3 for over three years. I prefer everything about the thou. The handling was poor at first but it needed new tyres because the one it had on were miss-matched and rear was worn out. With new tyres, the bike was still a handful so I returned all the suspension settings to book. Some fine tuning after that and I?m now very pleased with the ride and handling. She was ace on the track apart from ground clearance but I should have taken the hero blobs off. The brakes are miles better, the forks don?t bang and clunk and I can now ride for hours without needing an ar5e transplant.. The 650 did steer quicker but without going back and trying one again, I don?t think its that much. Insurance is cheap pound per pound /foot and if you worried about fuel consumption Id buy a GS125. Yes, they do get hot.

I use Pilot Power 2CT.

Ratty

[yorkie_chris]

Suspension = handling

(oh, and tyres and a few other things)

Not exactly, technically the thou has miles better suspension and running gear, cartridge forks, 4 pot brakes etc.

However, you could say the 650 "handles" better because it's more flickable and easier to chuck around.

The thou is more relaxed to ride fast, but there is a definite fun factor of an ill-handling bike, if it feels fast then it can be fun without getting banned everywhere.

[evertheoptimist]

Thanks a lot guys ill order some pilot 2ct and hope for the best , fuel consumption is not a major issue as if i have no money I wont put petrol in her.

[yorkie_chris]

If you're thinking of running a thou restricted then ask girth what it's like in comparison.

[petevtwin650]

I personally would just get the restrictor off and then you will have over twice the power you have now.:D

The 650 can be made to handle really well with not too much money thrown at it, although this may all be pointless now as you may well have sold your 650 anyway.

The thou is a fair bit wider at the back. Will that be an issue access wise ETO?

[Alpinestarhero]

I personally would just get the restrictor off and then you will have over twice the power you have now.:D


+1. If you are restricted; best thing to do is wait till you are derestricted, spend a while getting used to 70 bhp, before taking on board another 40 horses and a truck-load more tourque.

I never did ask girth what a 33 bhp sv thou is like

[markmoto]

Ive had three pointy sv650s and am riding a 1000 at the moment is to early to give a full report on it as not riden it enough yet but early indications are not good and i must say i prefered the sv650, it will feel alot heavier think its about 20kgs heavier the motors not as much fun imo, the suspension sucks at the moment although im only just having a play with settings feels very wooden and hard at the moment no feel at all.
If i had the choice id have a 650 with the suspension sorted and you will have a better more fun bike imho.

[suzsv650]

my dads got a SV1000 and my brothers got a SV650

the 1000 is taller and wider than the 650 however when you ride the 650 I find it easier to lean it over and get good lean angles and the 1000 just doesn?t seem right... not sure what it is but it just a little bit strange...( probably cos its taller)

however the 1000s power is obviously good and is a very good match to my R6s power.

oh and the 1000 sounds awesome!

[markmoto]

the 1000 just doesn?t seem right... not sure what it is but it just a little bit strange!

Exactly thats what where i am with it.

Does sound well though il give it that :-)

[21QUEST]

Hmmmm, don't know about the 1000 being taller. I have both(curvy) and the 1000 is easier to flat foot(well almost). Current 650 is taller at rear but even as standard, the 1000 did feel taller.

I also don't think it actually feels that heavy. Infact almost feels like it carrys weight better when been pushed around....sure it's heavier but no surprise there hehe.
I guess when you've owned a ZX7R sports bike which weighs in at over 200KG dry, everything else is Uber light :p

Like Mototech, I've not reall ridden the 1000 much :rolleyes: I think part of the problem is folks wanting to 1000 to give them the same amount of "comfortability" they have become accustomed to.

Saying that I really like the 650 and have decided, no matter what decision I take(for now 1000 is staying), the 650 is not going anywhere. I was going to get a third bike but will not, now. The 650 will be used for all...it's only a bike ;).

The 1000 is only needed for touring/long distances, in my case. My 650 handles very well and he only thing I can really see the 1000 or indeed any other bike giving me is more power. Do I need that exra power.....99% of the time, NO.



Ben

[21QUEST]

Regards, not feelign right, I believe goes back to 'comfortabiliy' and also when bikes have adjustable suspension , there is a tendency for previous owners to muck up the ususpension.....heck some brand new bikes come off the show room with settigns all over the place ;)


Ben

[markmoto]

. Do I need that exra power.....99% of the time, NO.


Very true

[ThEGr33k]

When I test rode the 1000 the suspension was VERY badly setup, (infact it was on the Falco too... Am I the odd one wanting the back end so stiff?) which didnt help with the handling at all, felt like I was on a bouncing castle but a bit of pre-load and some more dampening would have sorted that no doubt...

The engine felt ok, it shifted when you gave it some boot, but the one I rode made some dodgy low speed knocking noises :S. It did feel a lot smoother than the 650's mind.

It deffo felt taller than my 650 no doubt, it felt more like you were drapped over the bike rather than sitting in it like it felt on the 650.

The brakes on the one I rode were TERRABLE! My 650's felt a tonne better.

Im guessing the one I rode needed some TLC to be honest but in the end I didnt bother with the SVthou, it didnt feel right for me.

[evertheoptimist]

Yes pete I have sold the 650, but access will not be an issue with the 1ooo, so anyway ill give the thou a go and if i dont like it i can always sell it and go back to the 650, though i was half tempted to keep the 650 for running round town on etc...

[evertheoptimist]

ps im not thinking of running the thou restricted as ive passed me test now.

[Ratty]

The SZ is a good choice. Enjoy

Ratty

[mattSV]

It pays to get the suspension on the thou set up properly, I had mine done by an ohlins technician which made a big difference

[the_lone_wolf]

ps im not thinking of running the thou restricted as ive passed me test now.
without knowing how old you are, have you checked how much insurance on an SV1000 will be before you buy?

[northwind]

I've not extensively ridden the thou but I did a couple of decent sized test rides. Totally agree with everyone who says it's very different from the 650. The suspension definately is better, it's pretty much unmissable, but still not especially good- I wouldn't leave it stock if I had one. The rear shock in particular didn't impress, and I hear the adjustment's not very effective. It'd really benefit from an upgrade here, to let the engine off the leash. To me it did feel heavy, and that was back before my 650 got so light. Not overly so, but still noticably weighty.

The engine's brilliant, but not for me, I like puny little engines :smt003 Having said that, it's not all about speed, the extra grunt made it absolutely lovely for unfamiliar roads, any gear would do just about. Made me very interested to try the big Vstrom, I think this engine in a tall chassis could be pretty godly for real world riding.

It's slower handling... I reckon you could do a lot about that with a spot of geometry work and maybe a 170 rear tyre instead of a 180, if it annoys you, but then you can do the same with the 650. This wasn't a problem though, it's still easy enough to hustle about but it takes a little more effort. I'm being quite unfair here because my 650 turns stupidly fast (faster than I can use in fact) But, it's more stable and better on the brakes and in bumpy corners than a standard SV.

So, I didn't really like it. I thought it was really good at what it did, but like a lot of people I really wanted it to be a bigger 650, and it's not that at all. And I'm not really a fan of what it does, but that's just personal. Very good bikes though.

[petevtwin650]

Yes pete I have sold the 650, but access will not be an issue with the 1ooo, so anyway ill give the thou a go and if i dont like it i can always sell it and go back to the 650, though i was half tempted to keep the 650 for running round town on etc...

That was a quick sale ETO. Reckon you should have kept your "little" bike for the local shopping trips. You might just miss it in a few months.

Good luck with your thou hunting. :D

[evertheoptimist]

Yes there was a lot of interest in the bike on e-bay as there are not so many around restricted to 33 brake, so the bikes gone south now to dagenham so maybe the southern groups get new member soon.

Got me new sv thou sz today and was just like the comments on here, I now know what they mean though. Its very different bike from the 650 you can't throw it round the corners like you can on the 650, and doesnt like low speeds engine becomes klunky but when you do give it some revs it responds beutifully, and pulls away really really quick . You can put it in 3rd gear and use it as an automatic if you want. Seat is really nice n comfy, they must have put extra foam in there. Think its more like sports touring bike than the 650 as its a real mile eater on the motorway.Suspension seems ok to me, there was no klunking going over the speed humps and also has steering damper. Sounds absolutely fantastic and a really nice looking bike, although the one i bought was a bit scruffy so am having to work hard to bring it back up to scratch. But over all im really pleased with it and I'm sure I can get used to the differences over the long term.

[kwak zzr]

i agree with the comments on the thou but if deffo grows on you, i had handling issues with mine but it was the first bike i got my knee down on and ive owned allsorts, cbr6 included. when i said double the power what i meant was "feels like double" i know its bhp figures but in the real world its how it feels on the road isnt it. i can honesly say when/if i sell my sv1000 i will miss its sound and torque the most.

[kwak zzr]

your new sv should do about 92mph in second lol :)

[markmoto]

Managed to put some miles on my thou today and as kwak says it does grow on you, i took it around my favourite tyre scrubbin in circuit first to get a feel for the bike and the new tyres as ive never ridden contis before and wanted to slowly up the pace as i got used to both. I have to say i am liking her more the more i ride her (Coughs) it definately takes more effort to get it around corners etc but then thats half the fun you have to take it by horns and muscle it around abit whereas the 650 is alot easier to ride in this respect due to its lighter weight. As northwind says the suspensions definately better than the 650 more composed over bumps while its cranked over but can get abit of a wobble on but this is nothing to worry about just makes it more challenging to ride which i kind of like.
Im not sure what i need to do to the suspension to get it how i like it, the shock definately to hard so will try a gixxer shock springed for my weight and go from there.
Wasnt sure i was going to like the contis but again they are growing on me seem to have plenty of stable grip.

So alas she will be staying with me for the forseeable future and hopefully enjoy many many fun filled miles :cool:

the comfy/fast but blando fazer 1000 is definetly going.

[Ratty]

We should do an SV Thou meet at the Cat & Fiddle :p

Ratty

[petevtwin650]

Blimey, you don't hang around ETO. Even more so now you have the thou.;)

Looking forward to seeing it in the metal.

With regard to comments on here about the steering. Why not take off the damper? I bet Suzuki only fitted because of the TL anyway. Anybody done it?

[ThEGr33k]

Blimey, you don't hang around ETO. Even more so now you have the thou.;)

Looking forward to seeing it in the metal.

With regard to comments on here about the steering. Why not take off the damper? I bet Suzuki only fitted because of the TL anyway. Anybody done it?

Insurance is the issue tbh. If they earn you took it off then VOID :(

My mates damnper dont seem to do anything except sit there (no resistance to steering) and he does get head wobbles pretty bad he tells me. :( So from what I know id say keep it.

[yorkie_chris]

No it isn't void, it's just like any other mod.

[ThEGr33k]

No it isn't void, it's just like any other mod.

What so I can put a PCIII on without having to let the insurance know?

It ed be good if I could as Ive been asking if they minded for a bit now (asked twice) and they dont get back to me about it... :rolleyes:

[yorkie_chris]

No, as I understand it, if you damaged a third party then they would still pay out to the third party, but then if they had evidence that the undisclosed mod had caused the accident, they could do you over for the costs.

So, just declare your mods is the simplest way, that way there's no room for arguement.

It's only ever going to be a factor if you damage a third party anyway.

[Girth]

Ola!


I'm here now. The SV Thou really does benefit from a professional suspension set-up. Just had mine done, was thinking of selling the Thou previous to doing this and all i can say now is WOW!! What a bike!

It does everything i want, its a bit quick, chuck it into a long sweeper and and just stays the and goes faster.

Compared to the 650 it seems heavy but once you get used to it, its an awesome bike. Gearbox seems super smooth compared to the 650 aswell.

How you finding it now? You liking the faster speeds on lower gear like Kwak says?

[northwind]

No, as I understand it, if you damaged a third party then they would still pay out to the third party, but then if they had evidence that the undisclosed mod had caused the accident, they could do you over for the costs.


:thumbsup: You also get a nice shiny badge that says "Insurance fraudster" which makes getting insurance in the future much more interesting.

[evertheoptimist]

Yes am getting more used to it now took it for a run to Bassets Pole tonight there was one or two (thousand) bikers there. Opened the throttle up a bit to quick a couple of times and very nearly took off, so need to watch that lol dont want to end up sitting on the tarmac watching bike go off in distance.

[kwak zzr]

where was u at bassetts? we were there in a disabled parking spot behind the pub :) saw loads of sv's.

[markmoto]

What sort of stuff did they do to the suspension gid just adjustments?

[yorkie_chris]

Probably dialled in the standard settings ;-)

[evertheoptimist]

I just got a spot on the main road into bassets from the north A453 and had a wander round looking at the bikes, nice Busa there with big wheel. Didnt actually see any sv's there but rather like looking for trees in a forest.

[petevtwin650]

With regard to comments on here about the steering. Why not take off the damper? I bet Suzuki only fitted because of the TL anyway. Anybody done it?

Insurance is the issue tbh. If they earn you took it off then VOID :(

My mates damnper dont seem to do anything except sit there (no resistance to steering) and he does get head wobbles pretty bad he tells me. :( So from what I know id say keep it.

No it isn't void, it's just like any other mod.

Ok ThEGr33k, your Falco doesn't need a steering damper, why should the SV? It was only the odd rear suspension that neccessitated the retro damper fitting on the TL. The SV has more relaxed geometry. Ditch the cr@ppy damper which will not be speed related, and give it a whirl, I reckon. Your mates bike must be set up wrong IMO especially as he says the damper doesn't do anything anyway.

As for insurance. Dodgy one. If they thought that not having the damper had contributed to the crash then they may try and wriggle out of at least part of the claim. However, as the damper is tucked away, a previous owner may have removed it and the present owner not even be aware there should be one.

Why only third party claims YC? :confused:

[yorkie_chris]

As for insurance. Dodgy one. If they thought that not having the damper had contributed to the crash then they may try and wriggle out of at least part of the claim. However, as the damper is tucked away, a previous owner may have removed it and the present owner not even be aware there should be one.

Why only third party claims YC? :confused:

If you've informed them you've removed it then they've no grounds to moan, even if you remove a damper then tankslapper it through a busstop full of lawyers.

Ignorance isn't really a defence though, what would be next? "turbocharger mi'lord? Previous owner must have fitted it...." With how insurance works I don't think that'd wash.

Third party claims, because if you try to make a claim on YOUR insurance for YOUR bike, and they won't pay out, tough $hit! Buy another bike! You damaged it, you fix it.

BUT If you damage a third party and have problems with insurance then things can get very nasty if they have grounds to believe undeclared mods caused it.

[petevtwin650]

If you've informed them you've removed it then they've no grounds to moan, even if you remove a damper then tankslapper it through a busstop full of lawyers.

Ignorance isn't really a defence though, what would be next? "turbocharger mi'lord? Previous owner must have fitted it...." With how insurance works I don't think that'd wash.

Third party claims, because if you try to make a claim on YOUR insurance for YOUR bike, and they won't pay out, tough $hit! Buy another bike! You damaged it, you fix it.

BUT If you damage a third party and have problems with insurance then things can get very nasty if they have grounds to believe undeclared mods caused it.

But the insurance company may well not cover you with damper removed. It's a lot different to a can which doesn't change the way a bike works generally.

No ignorance isn't, but I bet a lot of SV thou owners don't even know it had a damper fitted until they thoroughly cleaned the bike.

Agreed it will be worse if you have a third party claim as that may well go through the insurance, however it's still not good if you can't claim for your own bike.

[yorkie_chris]

Don't see why not, they'll cover for totally different suspension.

It does depend on your insurer though, all I'm saying is if you want to remove the damper then make sure your insurer is informed to avoid complications.

If they won't cover for that, you can always put it back on...

Personally I don't think a bike like the falco which appears fromt he specs to have fairly sensible geometry should need a damper.

[petevtwin650]

Don't see why not, they'll cover for totally different suspension.

It does depend on your insurer though, all I'm saying is if you want to remove the damper then make sure your insurer is informed to avoid complications.

If they won't cover for that, you can always put it back on...

Personally I don't think a bike like the falco which appears fromt he specs to have fairly sensible geometry should need a damper.

They will cover for different suspenders, although why you don't have to have an independent check is odd, but you are actually removing something that the manufacturer added as a "safety device"

And totally agree about the Falco, plus I didn't have any issues with my one, but that's my point, the Sv thou is a similar bike.

Anyway. Can an SV thou owner remove theirs and post up their comments. Hopefully not from a hospital bed.;):D