newby (sorta) sv1k or sv650

[dublintom]

Hi Guys,

I've long been a huge fan of the SV 650 s and 1000s.
Ive had lessons for a while with the John Wheeler school on a 600 comet (restricted obviously) and I have been riding around on a 150cc (granted a burgman type) for the past 4-5 years; so I feel that as far as road positioning is concerned moving to a manual bigger bike shouldn't be too hard.
I have the hang of the gears fairly ok (in reality it takes about a week or two). The thing is, like every other irish guy, I'm screwed by the fact that I need my own manual bike to get my licence.
I figure that in moving to an SV I need to be responsible with the throttle, get gently acquainted with the weight of the new bike and be patient with myself and the bike.
Thing is, I've fallen for the look of the SV1000 with the slightly bigger, wider appearance and the dual cans, never mind the sound.
I have a friend that is learning on a pre-restricted 900 hornet that has been detuned from the factory so obviously there are quite a few people that want to get a first bike but love the look and feel of the bigger bike and don't mind getting them restricted. Is it possible to get the SV1000 factory retricted, and if so has anybody here driven a retricted edition of the sv1000? Any bike I buy I would ideally like to keep for 4 years or so.
I do like the look of the sv650s (which I am aware comes factory retricted and is recognised by aon as a group 6), however there is just something about the 1000.... am I off my trolley ?

all the best

Tom.


P.S. I'm 25 (26 soon) with almost 5 years no claims.

[irl_dar]

Hey hows it going tom!
welcome to the site!
I know what you mean by the size of the 1000cc more meatier etc,
i would seriously recommend the 650 tho,
I was on my sv for 2 years and loved every minute of it,i got a tl1000r not too long ago and found it was a bit too much for irish roads and would have prefered to be back on the sv650,the way i see id prefer to be using 80% of the 650 rather than 40% of the 1000 if you get me,
nothing better than ringing the neck off the 650!
Feel free to comment back on my opinion!
Just get a set of twin renegades for the 650 :twisted:
Let me know if you need any help!
Cheers
Dar

[dublintom]

hey dar,

Thanks for the reply.
Yeh... I was afraid of that. The thing is ... I've heard the SV1000 is a lot more road friendly than the TL... it aint as fast.. more detuned. Any review I've seen says it isn't the fastest thing out there. Also keep in mind that I have to get it restricted to the 33BHP or 25KW output and I doubt il be using either the 650 or the 1000 to the full of its ability.. so i figured at that price i may as well like the look ;)
Do you know of anybody with a restricted 1000 ?
As a first big manual bike, and given that I will be restricted for at least 2 years, I have been told by many people that a big V-Twin restricts much better than a 4.
Again, I greatly appreciate your advice.

Tom.

[WicklowSV]

Hows it going Tom - welcome to the forum. Like Dar I also had the SV650 - was my first bike. Loved it - real easy to ride and very forgiving for a novice like me! :lol: If you want twin cans - Renegade are just one of the companies who do a twin setup for the 650. I have it on mine and its the mutts nutts :-) - sounds great if I say so meself! 8)

I 'upgraded' to the SV1000 last April and its got more power than its little brother and still handles great. But I held on to the 650 as well (insurance for both was only a tenner more!) as its really a great bike. Handles like a dream and is wicked fun on our twisty roads. Still puts a :D grin :D on my face - even after I've been out on the thou'!

I would definitely recommend starting with the 650 and moving onto a litre sized bike once you have more experience under your belt. There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, the 650 in restricted form will actually be quicker than the restricted thou' as its a lighter bike. Secondly, the thou' will be more to insure even when restricted as it's considered more stealable (read 'attractive to thieves'). Thirdly, in terms of cost, the 650 makes much more sense. You'll pay less for the bike itself, less for insurance and less running costs (fuel, tyres etc.) I've not heard of anyone with a restricted thou' - as far as I know Suzuki don't offer a factory restricted version.

As Dar said, using 80% of what the 650 can do can actually be more fun than 40% of what the thou has to offer. Roads over here (I live in Kildare) just dont give the opportunity to really open up a litre class bike. I've had both the SV's out on Mondello and dont reckon I'm much faster on the bigger bike as the tight twisty track really suits the SV650.

If you want any help advice on buying an SV - just let us know....
Cheers
Sean.

[dublintom]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think you are probably right... crawl before you walk before you run. The 650s probably is the right bike. However my dad, a long time bike fan and unfortunate fan of BMW's boxer, is of the opinion that any bike I go for should come with ABS given our greasy roads. He reckons the extra cost of the ABS will (never mind saving my life should i need it) also save me the cost of repairing a dropped bike if wheels lock.
I know ABS doesn't work in corners, only the straight line, but does anybody know if its possible to order the sv650s with ABS?

[alka]

Hi Tom
I know the SV1000 is more meaty looking but if you go for the 650 I dont think you will be at all disappointed, its a great little bike. I bought mine as a stepping stone to a bigger bike but I was so happy with it I dont want to change it as it does everything I want it to, I would strongly recommend it.
As for the ABS I think you may have a problem, I have never heard of it on an SV.
Alan

[dublintom]

In all honesty, do you think it is worth it ... i.e. if it was available to you as a cost option would you take it ?
I have to say its the only thing that would stop me from rushing out tomorrow morning when work starts again and buying an sv. I hear even the 2007 fireblade will start coming with ABS so I would imagine it will slowly make its way across all bikes. My da had a very close call and attributes his narrow escape to the fact that his 1200gs has ABS... something which at the time of purchase he wasn't too mad about buying, however due to a good deal. he took it anyway. Now, I hear this preaching on a daily basis!


Is it really that big an omission on a bike as light and with as good brakes as an sv ?

[WicklowSV]

Most bikes still dont have ABS as an option. Exceptions are the Beemers and some of the Hondas and probably a few others. The SV isn't available with ABS and I've not come across an aftermarket kit to install it. However the new Bandit 650 does have ABS as an option - so it may appear in the SV in the future but when is anyone's guess.

ABS is definitely an advantage - but I don't think its a replacement for learning how to brake effectively. Spending some time in an empty carpark learning the limits of your brakes and tyres is time very well spent. The standard brakes on the SV are pretty good - I eventually added braided lines which really improved the feel and feedback from the brakes.

I definitely wouldn't exclude the SV (or other bikes for that matter) just because they dont have ABS. Its one of many things to consider when buying.

[dublintom]

What a day!
I took a trip around half of dublin looking at bikeshops. I hate shopping with the girlfriend but this was fantastic! Some of the bikes out there are just sheer automotive pornography. It should be illegal!
Anyway....
The point of the trip was to get a look at the sv, sit on it, get an idea of riding position. I saw practically every suzuki and honda bike out there except for the faired 's' version of the sv. I sat on a sv650 and the appearance didn't do much for me, nor did the riding position, it was somewhat too upright for my liking. I know the s version has clip ons and a lower riding position and strangely I think the faired versions appearance is the other end of the spectrum. Its gorgeous. But I didn't get to sit on one.
Of the bikes I saw and sat on ... everything from a 33bhp factory restricted gsxr600 to a bandit.... I thought that the gsxr would be rediculously uncomfortable ... my legs were at my elbows ! Though i do like the forward leaning position. I thought the deauville was too upright and strangely while it looks sporty or of a sports/tourer breed the cbr600f (not the rr) was quite spacious... and I'm 6 foot 2.
Of the bikes I saw today the cbr (available as group 6 factory restricted 33bhp) appeared to be the nicest trade off in riding position, looks, weight ; expensive though. I really would have liked to have had a good look at the 650s. I'm told motomax have one in store so i'm gonna take a trip out there tomorrow. Those of you that have the 650s variant of the sv, is the riding position as agressive as the gsxr or is it more of a halfway like the cbr 600f ?

All the best

tom.

[WicklowSV]

Nice one Tom - good way to spend the day!! Talk about retail therapy :D

No harm in sitting on as many bikes as you can - get a good idea about what's what. I had the older generation SV650S ('99-'02) and the riding position was way more relaxed than a GSXR. Even round town the bike was comfortable - never felt cramped at all. The newer model is a little more focused but have not heard any complaints from any owners. Jump onto the one in motomax and see what you think yerself.

[dublintom]

yeh, bike shopping ... there's no better. Apart from paying back my first major motor loan :'(
Have you had any experience with the latest cbr600f ??? Any opinions .... if the sv650s is of a similar riding position I figure I could have it between these two.

Also, in your opinion is it worth putting money into a tatchem approved alarm (I know aon don't recognise them but carole nash do I'm told) and that may give me a future discount on my insurance let along put off any would be thief.

Tom

[WicklowSV]

Havent any experience with the CBR600F apart from sitting on one in the shop. Must confess I'm a real fan of V-twins - love the low-end torque :shock: , the sound :twisted: , and the fact that their less common than in-line fours 8) . The CBR's sitting position would prob be a bit more forward leaning with a bit more weight on the wrists. But it does have the reputation of being a great bike (its sold loads!) with very good reliability (built by Honda).

When I bought the thou', the previous owner had already fitted a Meta alarm. Came in handy as CN required it as part of the insurance policy. TBH - an alarm will not prevent a thief from stealing a bike. It might wake you up when he's trying to do it though.

The only effective way to deter a bike thief is to lock a bike to something very immobile. I use a ground anchor at home and it gives me way more peace of mind than the alarm does. If I'm not at home, no one's gonna take notice of the alarm, but they might notice an angle grinder going for five or tem minutes (I hope!)

If the alarm gets you a discount, work out how many years it'll take to pay back the cost of the alarm. If you plan on having the bike that long, then its worth it. But the cost of an alarm would buy a very good ground anchor, chain, disc lock and bike cover.

Just my 0.02c...

[dublintom]

well today was interesting.... the sv650s they had in stock was an older model curvy. The sales guy said it had identical riding position to the new 's'.
One thing that struck me about it though (and it could just be particularly to this model) is that the build quality just wasn't up there with the yamaha and honda. It had terrible corrosion on the forks. He said that that particular model was susceptible to that and that the newer one appears to be better built... again I'll take this with a pinch of salt... most likely it had a very uncareful owner but it has kinda put me off buying a second hand old model sv.
I also saw the yamaha fazer (new) naked there... the build quality was incredible and I have to say, it looks terrible on yamaha's site but looks real good in the flesh. ..... the faired version is supposedly quite a looker too.
I'm off to killeen motorcycles tomorrow to take a look at a new 's' version sv.

tom.

[alka]

I bought my sv new in 2003 and I have some corrosion on the forks, nothing major, it depends on how you look after the but I do think that the build quality is a little lower than honda. I have an 1991 nc30 with no corrosion on the forks.
Its not an easy choice but I am sure that whichever bike you chose you will be more than happy with it. Like Sean I am bias to v-twins.
Anyway happy hunting!
Let us know what you choose.
Alan

[WicklowSV]

My 650 suffered from corrosion on the fork lowers as well. Not from neglect though - just the build quality isn't the best. So the guy in the shop wasn't having you on.

The new naked Fazer is a great looking bike alright. Looks well mean. Shame its an inline four though :lol: Best of luck tomorrow - you'll like the new SV...

[dublintom]

Does the new sv650 suffer the corrosion problem as well ?? I often go down to a mates place in Gorey right beside the sea and well.... I don't want my the forks to start corroding/rusting in 2 years!

[WicklowSV]

Nope - dont think so - my thou' has no pitting on the forks at all. It's a 2003 model with about 10K on the clock. So you should be okay with the new model 650.

[dublintom]

Hey guys,

day 3 in the big brother house ;) ... ok so I went out today to bike world.
Had an interesting day.... I was out there before and bitched about the service but today in fairness the girl that was helping me was absolutely fantastic. Couldn't be more helpful.
I also got to sit on the sv1000s... (fantastic might I add), and found the riding position to be lovely.... I was assured that the sv650 is around the same riding position.
However I aslo noticed they stock a manufacturer called 'hyosung'. It essentially is similar to the sv650 in terms of appearance and I was told in actual fact for the most part its a cheaper to buy sv650... same parts most of the way through. Althought I saw a sv650 (naked) 04 with blistering around forks as well which is still worrying me.... with regard to build quality.
Then another bike caught my eye, the Kawasaki Z750 and Z750S... absolutely stunning looking, very aggressive , looks very different to the pics on the website in the flesh.... anyway what I liked about this bike was that it has an ultra modern look, lightweight, and has lots of torque so should restrict well. Any opinions ??

Sorry to keep coming backwards and forwards like this , but its a lot of money and I really appreciate and value your opinions.

All the best
Tom.

[dublintom]

Have any of you dealt with bikeworld... any opinions ?
I'm between two bikes the SV650s and the Kawi Z750S (I know which one you guys would choose ;) ) The SV is group 6 and the Kawi is group 5.
I find both bikes equally comfortable and equally attractive.
In terms of build quality, overall reliability, has anybody here had any experience with kawasaki and the z750s ?
I was told in the shop there that the sv650 had severe build quality problems and that the kawi would be more reliable. The thing is I've since found out that bikeworld is the distributor for kawi is dub (possibly ireland) so that could explain why they were pushing it so much.
I would like your opinions... I've been granted a loan by the bank and am ready to part money !

tom.

[irl_dar]

BIkeworld are kawi dealers so of course gonna try get your money, i dont understand how the z750 is only group 5,sure a simple cdi change and you have a full power bike,ask them for a test drive and see how there attidtude changes!
Cheers
Dar

[alka]

Hi Tom
Just wondering did ya get your new bike yet and what one did ya go for?
I would be intrested to hear the verdict on whatever bike you went for.

Alan

[Michael S]

Best way to renew the look is strip of with Nitro mors automotive paint stripper wire wool and elbow grease. Wash of the nasty Nitro stuff and polish bare metal to your liking then re-spray with clear lacquer. Take your time with the polishing!

All very simple and good to change the fork oil if you have the forks out also.

[SVTONYB]

Tom, have you bought a bike yet.....

Re the pitting on the front forks I have an sv650s curvy and when I saw what was happening to older sv's i bought 2 dunlop stickers and put them down the front of the forks ...... it worked a treat