What to do?

[daktulos]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice - I have a 2000 curvy with very low milage (it was unfortunately off road for most of its life). Apart from its first service, I've always looked after it myself.

While I love it, it's getting to the age where more is going wrong. For example, I have a small coolant leak from the pump, and I don't really have the time or confidence to rebuild the pump myself.

I'm almost tempted to buy a new AL7, but I'd have to put it on the never-never and I guess I'd end up paying the dealer for annual services, too. I've had a look at second-hand AL7s, and the prices seem to be almost as much as new.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of pointies (sorry!) and don't want a Gladius, so what would your opinion be? Keep going with the curvy, look for a good second-hand AL7 or bite the bullet and pick up a new one?

Thanks!

Richard

[Red Herring]

I guess it just comes down to your time management. A "small water leak" is an easy fix that just requires a little time invested by you to learn how to fix it, or time at work earning money to pay someone else to fix it for you....... Buying a new bike requires a similar investment of time. Would you prefer to spend your time developing your skill set or funding someone else lifestyle?

I personally don't own a new bike, and certainly wouldn't buy one on any kind of finance, but maybe I have the luxury of being able to make such a decision. I'm not sure age is a reason for unreliability, ignorance around how it all works certainly is. People seem to have some kind of hang up about spending a few hundred quid maintaining an older cheap bike, yet will happily blow twice as much on "servicing" a newer model. It's just a bike, you get out what you put in.

[daktulos]

Thanks Red Herring. I'm sure you're right - particularly about the cost of servicing. I guess I should investigate the options for rebuilding the pump first.

Thanks again,

Richard

[Talking Heads]

Go on get a new one, you know you want to... :cool:

Due to the superior fuel economy a dealer serviced AL7 can have lower overall running costs than a home serviced Curvy.

Don't know where you're looking at used prices, I've seen AL7s on BikeTrader from £3995

[R1ffR4ff]

Doesn't seem to be that hard a job on the SV.Way harder on my old Honda CXs.

I'm with the DIY crew.If it's low mileage but basically decent then spend some money on building up a good set of tools.They will pay dividends for years.With the help from the many knowledgeable people on forums you will always have someone around to Mentor/Help.

Decent video here,

Dvr50Hl6biE

Extra info here,

http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122809

http://www.sv-portal.com/forums/5-tweaking-tuning-tricking/20448-how-replace-waterpump-seal.html


HTH# :)

[daktulos]

R1ffR4ff - I saw that video, it didn't fill me with confidence that the bearings and seals were fit by a Suzuki dealer! I also found this description:

http://www.svrider.com/articles/feb02/waterpump.htm

I'd be happy to give it a go, but if I get it wrong, it could be catastrophic.

I'm going to get a quote from a local garage and take it from there.

Talking Heads - I don't think I do enough miles for fuel economy to make a difference, but then I found out today my work is moving from East to West London, so it may all change.

Thanks,

Richard

[R1ffR4ff]

R1ffR4ff - I saw that video, it didn't fill me with confidence that the bearings and seals were fit by a Suzuki dealer! I also found this description:

http://www.svrider.com/articles/feb02/waterpump.htm

I'd be happy to give it a go, but if I get it wrong, it could be catastrophic.

I'm going to get a quote from a local garage and take it from there.

Talking Heads - I don't think I do enough miles for fuel economy to make a difference, but then I found out today my work is moving from East to West London, so it may all change.

Thanks,

Richard

Yes I've just read that link and it's very good IMHO along with other info.

See what a few garages say and or do you know any other Handy bikers to help?

It would be a shame to not service a decent SV IMHO.

The other problem people have with motorcycles that have not been used is electrics but it's dead easy to clean and service the connectors using a small screwdriver with some 500 grit paper wrapped around it if need be to remove corrosion from pins/sockets and then spray with Switch cleaner(£3.99 from Halfrauds which is not a bad price) and then Treat with ACF50.

ACF50 is wonderful stuff and does more than it says on the Tin :)

http://www.acf-50.co.uk/motorcycle.htm

[Talking Heads]

If you're going to be battling across London IMO you might be better off getting a CVT scooter for the commute and keep the curvy for fun on days off?
There's nothing like a nippy wee scooter for slicing through traffic, its the ultimate city commuting tool.

[R1ffR4ff]

If you're going to be battling across London IMO you might be better off getting a CVT scooter for the commute and keep the curvy for fun on days off?
There's nothing like a nippy wee scooter for slicing through traffic, its the ultimate city commuting tool.

Damn fine point Sir! :thumright:

[johnnyrod]

My 1999 curvy has more like 50k miles on it, and while it's reliable, the age is showing. I guess some of them are related to mileage though, for example the main connector started to burn out on the solenoid, where the main power wire feeds the rest of the bike. To be honest it's done well though ( and it's done a good few track days plus a few Euro trips, I've had it since less than 1 year old), and if you enjoy riding it then just look at fixing the leak (ease and cost depends on where it is coming from - don't just buy a new pump then see what the problem is, could be just a split hose, I had one of those). New bikes are an expensive luxury, but that's an individual choice.

[Red ones]

New bikes on finance don't have to be dealer serviced. So long as the maintenance is done by a VAT registered garage it will suffice.

I've always run round to a back street mechanic for servicing with exception of when they don't have the flashy tool yet.

[garynortheast]

Keep the curvy and learn how to fix it. They're seriously robust bikes. I have one of the same age which is in daily use with 85,000 miles on the clock. It is dead reliable.

[daktulos]

Thanks for all the comments - I just took it for a decent length ride to the garage for them to take a look at - no more has visibly leaked, so I don't think it's as bad as it first appeared. I'll leave it for now and consider getting it fixed when the MOT is due.

For what it's worth, they said it was a 1-2 hour job for them. As much as I'd like to do all the maintenance, I'm going to leave this one to the experts.

[R1ffR4ff]

It's no uncommon for Water pump seals to leak a little when not used for a while and then seal again when they have got hot and had the coolant around them.It's happened many times on my Old CX500 forum/s.


My 10 Penn'th :)

[SV650rules]

Nothing wrong with Gladius really if you can live with quirky styling, they handle well and are pretty much same engine as AL7 and I believe ABS was available as option.

[Tamsen Cooper]

Got another vote here for fixing it, agreed new shiny bikes are pretty but the curvy SV takes a lot of beating Imo. Thanks for some of the amazing links on the pump, I learnt a lot.