SV650 Touring capability??

[Wilksy288]

Hi all, im new to the forum! At the moment i ride a Bandit 600 mk1, but want to get a new bike this year. I have always wanted an SV so want to take the plunge and buy one. My question is though, is the SV650 capable of touring relatively long distances or not really?
I have planned a route to tour the coast all around Britain using the closest roads possible over a 14 day period. Mileage is around 3900 miles. Is an SV even realistically capable or not?
The other reason I want to know is because i can only afford to run one bike at the moment so want the best of touring and sporty worlds!!
Any advice would be muchly aprecciated :D

Thanks
Scott

[MisterTommyH]

Don't know about 4000 miles.

I've done 1000 around Scotland. I know someone has done France on a restricted. I'm sure more people have done long distances on it.

[Wilksy288]

Don't know about 4000 miles.

I've done 1000 around Scotland. I know someone has done France on a restricted. I'm sure more people have done long distances on it.

Hi thanks for replying!! Was it relatively comfortable after 1000 miles or not really?? Was fuel consumption any good??

Thanks
Scott

[MisterTommyH]

Fine for me, but then I'm not one of the people who has an issue with the seat. A lot of people tend to, but I've never found it a problem.

The handle-bars are also a little low for some, but there is a comfort kit that you can fit. Again, not really a problem for me.

Didn't really keep and eye on fuel economy.

[Specialone]

Seat can be uncomfortable, as well as bars, but engine is very capable of touring.

You should easily return 45-50 mpg on a pointy.

[dyzio]

If the rider can do 300 miles a day (2 tanks of fuel) every day then the bike will manage it fine.

Hard to say if the bike will suit you though...

[littleoldman2]

The other reason I want to know is because i can only afford to run one bike at the moment so want the best of touring and sporty worlds!!
Any advice would be muchly aprecciated :D

Thanks
Scott

With the SV you will not get the best of anything. It is good at almost everything and IMO more than capable of your planned ride. The question is are you, in that staying as close as possible to the coast is going to take in a lot of urban / tourist type roads, very tiring. I'd give all the urban areas a miss so you have the time to stop and enjoy the view, take a few photo's and smell the flowers.
Do it and enjoy.

[Wilksy288]

Thanks for the replies! Im sensing that maybe i have bitten off more then i can chew with regards to the miles needing to be covered in 14 days!?! If so what would you say a decent mileage in 14 days would be??
Sorry for all the questions!!


Hard to say if the bike will suit you though...

Thanks for replying Dyzio! How do you mean by the bike not suiting me though??

Thanks
Scott

[dyzio]

As Tommy said above, some people complain about the clipons, others don't mind them...
Some love the V-twin, others like something else... you get the idea :)

[mpsricky]

went touring in scotland last year with the old man. I was on and sv he was on his motorised sofa (bmw 1150RT).

Did about 900ish miles in a long weekend (4 days). Most mileage was done over 3 days. I found the sv comfortable for about 200 ish miles before feeling fatigue in shoulders/wrists/butt (did do 280miles in one of the longer days, but was starting to get uncomfortable).

Im 6'2'' alot of people say the sv is cramped for taller riders this may be the case. My bike was standard (apart from heli bars) when i went touring.

As for mpg, I got 180 miles from full to the light, so could prob have got 220 miles to fumes.

[MisterTommyH]

I've done a 360 mile day from Braemar to home and that was tough.

Was tired after 3 days of 280ish. 14 days on a bike? Especially an SV?

[L3nny]

I returned home from the Nurburgring in one go on the SV about 500 miles. I found the SV pretty uncomfortable. I am sure what you are thinking about is achievable, I doubt it will be enjoyable though, especially if you get a few wet days.

[christopher]

I did not far off 800 miles in 15 hours (also returning from the Nürburgring (via Amsterdam), 600 of those were autobahn/motorway), I didn't feel too bad after doing that surprisingly. Then did another 300 (mostly twisty) miles the next day and was a little achy the following day.

The normal consecutive 250-300 mile days on fun roads I don't personally find a problem, but like Tommy said some people find the seat uncomfortable and until you ride the bike you won't know how you'll be on it.

4000 miles in 2 weeks is certainly doable if you're prepared for it, whether it'll be enjoyable is another matter. Make sure you do some high mileage days on the bike before starting it though to see if you get along with the bike.

[Wilksy288]

Thanks for all your replies again!! At the moment i ride a mk1 Bandit 600 and find that quite comfortable on long journeys! I did a trip to Torquay and back along the south coast last year which was about 870 miles over two days and didnt feel too bad!! Has anyone ridden a mk1 Bandit and able to make a comparison with ride comfortability against the SV?

Thanks
Scott

[danf1234]

imo the SV is not a comfy bike. I spent a lot of money on mine trying to make it into a tourer, including a gel seat and an airhawk (cue pi55 take from anyone who was in Porlock).

In the end i bought a Sprint ST. The engine on the SV is brilliant, but tank range and comfort made me change!

[Specialone]

imo the SV is not a comfy bike. I spent a lot of money on mine trying to make it into a tourer, including a gel seat and an airhawk (cue pi55 take from anyone who was in Porlock).

In the end i bought a Sprint ST. The engine on the SV is brilliant, but tank range and comfort made me change!


And i wont dissapoint ;)

Gel seat and an airhawk seat thingy??? you need some more padding mate, or did you have piles?

The sv seat is bloody uncomfortable, its ergonomic design is crude to to say the least.

[danf1234]

Piles tut tut!

[Bluefish]

design.
:rolleyes:

[Tim in Belgium]

I did a 4000 mile trip in 15 days:

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=1294911#post1294911

And a slightly shorter 6 day trip (although starting from mainland Europe):

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=82336

The only real issue is seat/bum comfort on the motorway I found.