Advice for buying SV650 S

[Chobblington]

Hi All,

I am very much a noob here and was hoping someone could give me some advice.

I am due to take my DAS tests in April and am looking to buy my first decent bike. I have found a SV650 S X reg (2000) in pretty good condition with about 8 and a half thousand miles on the clock. It's currently SORN but apparently been looked after whilst off the road.

The speedo is in KM so it's obviously an import.

Any idea what the value should be for a bike like this and what I should look out for when viewing it?

Cheers,

Jeff

(P.S. hope I have posted this in the correct section!)

[the_lone_wolf]

8000m is extremely low for a 10 year old bike...

My concerns would be that it's sat unused for extended periods without being properly serviced or cared for

Or that the clocks have been swapped at some point

There's a lot of bikes for sale, I'd be inclined to pass this one over unless it's ridiculously cheap

[Mej]

bike trader is full of bargain SVs at the moment so i wouldnt rush into buying one.

[Chobblington]

I was thinking that about the low mileage as well. However, it comes with MOT history as follows:

August 2009 8428 miles August 2008 7195 miles
August 2007 6602 miles
August 2006 3698 miles

[the_lone_wolf]

I was thinking that about the low mileage as well. However, it comes with MOT history as follows:

August 2009 8428 miles August 2008 7195 miles
August 2007 6602 miles
August 2006 3698 miles

Was it imported in 2006?

If not there should be MOTs for 2003-2005 as well

If it has history then it adds credance to the seller

But at the end of the day it's an import, you may have (not insurmountable) issues with insurance and parts

As above, it's have to be pretty cheap to tempt me away from the other UK bikes on sale:cool:

[Chobblington]

when you say it'd have to be 'pretty cheap', what is 'pretty cheap' for one of these?

[the_lone_wolf]

when you say it'd have to be 'pretty cheap', what is 'pretty cheap' for one of these?

Not sure exactly, haven't kept an eye on the SV market for a while

Someone with more knowledge will probably be along shortly:cool:

[Chobblington]

Apparently the battery has been on trickle charge whilst it has been off road. What other problems can occur from taking a bike off-road?

[hardhat_harry]

Brake fluid full of water.
Siezed stuff especially calipers and ,maybe wheel bearings
Hopefully it had oil in and was started occassionally and I have known ZXR's you pit thier cams whilst being stood and not started.
Exhaust rotting due to condensation build up

[Alpinestarhero]

Apparently the battery has been on trickle charge whilst it has been off road. What other problems can occur from taking a bike off-road?

Tyres can get flat spots, if the bike isnt elevated off the ground (like, on paddock stands), and the rubber may deteriorate. Oil in the engine may deteriorate (it does degrade in air like any organic material). Mice can take up residence in the airbox, any fuel in the tank can settle out and cause a gunk to form which can block things up; this is also true of fuel left in carburettors. The chain could rust and you might get seized links and / or tight spots, but if its had lube on it it should be ok.

Mind you, my dad's VFR wasn't run for 11 years before he took it off my cousin. A bit of fresh fuel in the tank, and a power / battery pack...and it fired up ok

How long has it been layed up?

[Chobblington]

Cheers guys. I don't know how long it has been off road but am gonna contact the seller and ask. Will let you know.

[wahwah]

when you say it'd have to be 'pretty cheap', what is 'pretty cheap' for one of these?

I'd say don't buy the first one you see, always view them and get someone who knows bikes to give theam a test drive.

I passed my das last summer, bought my sv650s 1999 in october. I spent 4 months looking and looked at several in person accompanied with a friend who had been riding a long time. I'd recommend getting an independant mate who knows bikes to go and give it a once over.

I nearly bought the first one i looked at in person and regreted it for a while, most things were right but it had been lowered to the point it would of been uncomfortable for me to ride over long periods + it had no service history. It was £1500, i paid £1100 with 12270 miles, vgc.

Glad i waited.

[boot]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=148278

[Stuuk1]

I recently sold my sv 2002 model curvy for £1500. That only had 9010 miles on the clock.

Obviously hadnt been riden much before myself... But it never failed to start once, even in the cold winter we had (I didnt ride it much at all, it would sit for 2 months without a single start) and it started first time everytime! So if you want a low mileage bike, i'd go for it!

[Chobblington]

I asked the seller the following questions:and got the corresponding answers:-

1) Do you have any MOT or service info pre-2006 or know the history of the bike?

I have no MOT/service info prior to 2006. The bike seems to have been originally registered in France. The V5C states it was first registered on 13th Nov 2000. Bonanza Motorcycles must have imported it as I have a receipt from the first owner dated 14th Nov 2000 who bought it from them with zero mileage on the clock. Unfort the dealer I bought it off had none of the service history.

2) When was its last service and do you have any service stamps from dealers?

Since I've owned it (26th Sep 2006) my partner Tim has serviced it, so there is no service stamps from dealers since my ownership. So Tim overhauled the brakes and has been doing the oil/oil filter changes regularly. The last time this was done in the last 1500 miles. Tim is happy to do an additional oil change prior to collection if desired. Two new tyres also in July 2007 and new fork seals in July 2008

3) How long has it been off-road?

I SORNed it in October 2009. It's been on a trickle charge all the time since then, and every month it's been started. It always starts first time and the battery is v strong.

4) Does it have any security devices/immobilisers?

No security devices or immobilisers.

5) Has the bike ever been crashed?

Not to my knowledge. The crack in the RHS fairing is down to me. It was my first day out on the bike, and I (gently) laid it down onto the indicator. No other damage, and the crack was so minimal that I just touched it up with matching paint (lively yellow).


Do these answers make it more or less sensible to buy the bike? Any comments anyone?

Cheers,

Paul