Is your SV still fun?

[socommk23]

ive had my bike for 4 years now...done 45k and its still going strong.
cos of the weather i tend to not rag it all that offen and get used to it and start to think nothing of the performance.

then that one good day comes around..so i go to my fave back roads and give its legs a stretch...wow!
i tend to forget whats it real capabilities till she roars like a duc and the front jumps up on the slightest sniff of a hill or bump!
its great!

im not getting rid of it any time soon!

http://upload3.postimage.org/118883/R0013309.jpg (http://upload3.postimage.org/118883/photo_hosting.html)

and this is after just teasting the new 06 blade, that wasnt anywhere near as fun!
v twins in the blood!

how bout you guys? still love your sv?

[Saint Matt]

I do, but I'm definately going straight four next summer if finances permit! After riding an R6 a lot over the weekend, I'm addicted. Plus, my best mate just bought a brand new (well, k4 on an 06 plate) SV1000S fulyl faired and crash bungs for £5.2k, I can't copy him cos thats what I wanted next :( We already both have 1.1 peugeot 106s lol, look like a right pair of idiots then.

[kwak zzr]

ive always had il4's and usually keep them for about a year or so until i get fed up and then i change them, ive had my sv now for nearly 2 years and IF i do think of selling it it will be for another "V" twin but as it stands for the moment its staying.

[Scoobs]

YOUR SV STILL FUN??????

Dunno? Ask Grinch!

[Last Action Pimp]

Yes! i still luv my SV! but i am going to sell it soon and get a XJR1300! and probally a supermoto as well (for a winter hack) :twisted:

[Halonic]

I'm not sure I'll ever get rid of mine, I paid £2.5K for it last year but spent well over a grand on bits for it already, with a current part ex value of around £1800.

Can't afford anything new this year or maybe even next year, so with a further two years depreciation on it, I'll be lucky to get more then a grand for it, hardly worth chopping it in.

So that leaves me with the b-plan, the cafe racer project. The suspension is now Hagon all round, with EBC pads and a "Fuel" exhaust. Now with the addition of some SVS clip ons, a set of Harris rear sets (non adjustable but certainly of the bling), a sigma slipper clutch, goodridge lines, seat cowl, K&N filter and dynojet kit ( and maybe even the Poly26 old school fairing around the single headlamp (http://www.poly26.com/produits/photos/5318.jpg) ), thats about £1-1.2K of extras over the next couple of years, for a bike that will roughly make 50 lb/ft of torque and at most 72bhp. A total outlay of about £4K, a value that will NEVER be recouped

so I sincerely doubt I'll ever flog Daisy, just probably run it "as well as" to the "Prince of Darkness" GSX-R 750 I've always wanted

[DanAbnormal]

I was a little worried at first that buying an SV after owning a Ninja would be a real big step backwards in the smile factor. But my sliders say otherwise. Get out on a good day and much fun can be had on the SV even if the front end is a little wobbly when pushed hard. And the noise is sooo cool, everyone looks! :D

[northwind]

I still love my SV, it might not be the fastest in a straight line but I couldn't honestly care less. I love the way a smaller, less refined bike involves the rider, like I was saying in another thread. I wouldn't say no to a second bike, mind, but at the moment I've only got space for one and there's no bike I'd prefer. And it's not for want of looking! I must have testridden 20 different bikes in teh last year, there wasn't one that I preferred.

[paulthewitt]

my sv still fun??

no.
(it blew up)

i do have to ay though, people made it out to be a beast with loads of power before passing my test. the only ascertainable diferences from the cb500 i rode and my sv are the handling is better, the engine breaking is more. other then that, not much. its a bit of a pussycat really.

[PBx]

Hell Yes :twisted:

[northwind]

the only ascertainable diferences from the cb500 i rode and my sv are the handling is better, the engine breaking is more. other then that, not much. its a bit of a pussycat really.

Eh... It makes almost 50% more power than a CB. The riding position, power delivery and weight distribution are very different too. I wouldn't make the SV out to be some sort of angry beast either but the difference between a CB and an SV should be easily noticable.

[GregK2]

Still love my SV, but alas it is no longer mine. PX'd it for a CBR600F and loving that at the moment \:D/

[Blazingsvbiker]

yes i do after 3 years (btw your bike is off the hook man :twisted: respect)

[Fizzy Fish]

yup - almost three years and it's still delivering the smiles! :D

[paulthewitt]

Eh... It makes almost 50% more power than a CB. The riding position, power delivery and weight distribution are very different too. I wouldn't make the SV out to be some sort of angry beast either but the difference between a CB and an SV should be easily noticable.

ok, so to say there is no difference is a little harsh. it is definatrely quicker, although maybe because it does it so easily and without fuss it doesnt feel as though it is working as hard and going so quick. weight distribution, as said does make it handle better. it is certainlya nice bike, but not the animal a few people had made it out to be.

still love its looks tho, and how it sounds......when its working that is!

Paul

[tomjones2]

the only ascertainable diferences from the cb500 i rode and my sv are the handling is better, the engine breaking is more. other then that, not much. its a bit of a pussycat really.

Eh... It makes almost 50% more power than a CB. The riding position, power delivery and weight distribution are very different too. I wouldn't make the SV out to be some sort of angry beast either but the difference between a CB and an SV should be easily noticable.

Providing you are taking about the old cb I agree with northwind on this, i had a cb500 before my sv and although the cb is a good bike its pretty rubbish when compared with and sv. Apart from slow speed stuff around town the sv(s) is way better than the cb in every area. I would say that the sv is a "proper" bike whearas the cb is a bit more of a learner/commuter tool. I havent ridden the new cb but i don't think it was anything that ground breaking was it?

[tomjones2]

the only ascertainable diferences from the cb500 i rode and my sv are the handling is better, the engine breaking is more. other then that, not much. its a bit of a pussycat really.

Eh... It makes almost 50% more power than a CB. The riding position, power delivery and weight distribution are very different too. I wouldn't make the SV out to be some sort of angry beast either but the difference between a CB and an SV should be easily noticable.

Providing you are taking about the old cb I agree with northwind on this, i had a cb500 before my sv and although the cb is a good bike its pretty rubbish when compared with and sv. Apart from slow speed stuff around town the sv(s) is way better than the cb in every area. I would say that the sv is a "proper" bike whearas the cb is a bit more of a learner/commuter tool. I havent ridden the new cb but i don't think it was anything that ground breaking was it?

[GSXR Carlos]

so you agree twice do you? :lol:

[Ceri JC]

Definately. It is in no way slow, but there are increasingly times where I could cope with more power/acceleration, but it's probably better for my licence that I don't get anything faster.

[kwak zzr]

the sv does everything well and with soul :twisted:

[Peter Henry]

Tom....Give your mouse a tap,there seems to be an echo! :P

[paulthewitt]

Tom....Give your mouse a tap,there seems to be an echo! :P

it's not unusual
sorry

[haggis]

I've had my SV for over 5 1/2 years now.

I think if i was going to get bored of it, it should have happened long ago. :lol:

The SV is a great wee bike, arguably the best. Just like I imagine a Fireblade is a great big bike. Just because it's of a smaller capacity doesn't make it inferior. In fact I can get more of a buzz riding it near it's limit, then looking for improvements, than getting something perfect out of the crate and using only 75% of it's prowess.

I understand folk who use it as a step towards big stuff, but I personally don't need much more.



It's just occured to me - I can't think of anyone here, or elsewhere, who hated the SV and got rid. Does such a person exist? :wink:

[socommk23]

ive always looked at it this way!
BETTER TO THRASH A SMALL CAPABLE BIKE TO THE LIMITS AND GET EVERYTHING POSSIBLE OUT OF IT!
RATHER THAN GET A BIG LITRE BIKE AND NEVER USE THE ENTIRE POTENTIAL OF THE BIKE!

i love my sv and cant see why i would ever change it! id deff buy another one!

[Toypop]

Mine lost the fun in the end - after only 2k miles and 6 months. It is a nice little pussy cat cos you can give it full throttle without anything scary happening so you get to squeeze the most of it.

The problem is though on dual carriageways and the like you can squeeze the most out of it and still be bored.

I found it very scary on lanes though. Any mid sized bike is scarily quick in a confined space but the iffy suspension makes it worse on the SV when it comes to twists and turns!

I wouldn't want any more as a real world bike though. It was fast enough and comfortable enough and being able to fully exploit it without wetting yourself was a good thing!

Paulthewitt, now you have experienced an SV what do you think of my original advice in that thread when you were asking what to get?

[Blue_SV650S]

Only had my SV since Christmas, still loving it. I do tend to get bored quickly, but have no intentions of chopping in the SV for a while as it does all I want from it :)

Even if/when I do move on, I’ll always have a soft spot for the SV now I think, but then I have developed a soft spot for most of the bikes I have ever owned :)

I have ridden V-twins before, but this is the first I have owned (I must have owned in excess of 30 bikes over the years!) so has that novelty factor that might keep me interested for a bit longer too :) I was not convinced at first, but now I have sorted a few nigglies and had more time on it, I think it is a cracking bike now :)

[kwak zzr]

The problem is though on dual carriageways and the like you can squeeze the most out of it and still be bored.

I found it very scary on lanes though. Any mid sized bike is scarily quick in a confined space but the iffy suspension makes it worse on the SV when it comes to twists and turns!

130mph and bored? :shock:

i find the sv handles well, my old cbr only seemed to handle better at very high speeds. as for lanes my k3 is great!!

[socommk23]

The problem is though on dual carriageways and the like you can squeeze the most out of it and still be bored.

I found it very scary on lanes though. Any mid sized bike is scarily quick in a confined space but the iffy suspension makes it worse on the SV when it comes to twists and turns!

130mph and bored? :shock:

i find the sv handles well, my old cbr only seemed to handle better at very high speeds. as for lanes my k3 is great!!

just what i thought!
in the twisties the sv is in its element!
my friends have cbr 600 rr's and on the back roads is where it will show its true colours! they find it hard to keep up! its great!

i dont need a bike that does more that the sv!
cos you cant use it on real roads!
an sv will out do anything else on a proper technical road!

[Saint Matt]

socommk23, your friends are not using their bikes to their potential at all. I would not count myself as slow, on the twisties, I got owned by a mate on a 99 R6, by no means the sharpest 600. I wasn't far behind, and he is a better rider with more experiance, but 2 people with similar skill, one on an sv and one on a double R and the cibber will win.

[kwak zzr]

my k3 has only done 4k miles so the shocks are still quite stiff, i think it handles great! my zzr was a monster in a straight line but in the twistys it was like a london bus!!

[DanAbnormal]

The problem is though on dual carriageways and the like you can squeeze the most out of it and still be bored.

I found it very scary on lanes though. Any mid sized bike is scarily quick in a confined space but the iffy suspension makes it worse on the SV when it comes to twists and turns!



You must have been riding a different bike! Sure the suspension is not as good as say a GSX-R but I've pushed my 650 very hard and I still know there is more yet. It's extremely capable and for the money a bargain little sportsbike. Sure it can get a little wobbly when you hang off and get it right over but I think that's those Dunlop D220 tyres but that makes it more 'interesting'. I very much doubt anyone has used even a humble sv to it's full potential. And it's not like I haven't had my share of sporstbikes (zx7r and gixxer750) but I find the SV can keep up with them all through the twisties, just depends on your riding experience and skill at the end of the day, as with all bikes I guess.

Anyway, the SV is great in my opinion. Huzzah! :D

[northwind]

socommk23, your friends are not using their bikes to their potential at all. I would not count myself as slow, on the twisties, I got owned by a mate on a 99 R6, by no means the sharpest 600. I wasn't far behind, and he is a better rider with more experiance, but 2 people with similar skill, one on an sv and one on a double R and the cibber will win.

Couldn't agree more... But I think the smaller, slower bike generally encourages the best from its rider- bit of a generalisation this but I think a smaller bike teaches you more. If you have someone who got on a CBR6 straight after DAS, compared to someone who got on an RVF4 or an SV650 or similiar, they're much more likely to have learned lazy habits IMO.

Even a suitably sorted SV without the suspension handicap can't match the 600s out of the corners if they're having their necks wrung... But fairly few riders can really make the 600s sit up and beg.

[w1ll15]

im still happy with mine but ive had it since end of jan, and its also still restricted

[socommk23]

only speaking from experience!
and it can in capable hands kick ass!

[paulthewitt]

Paulthewitt, now you have experienced an SV what do you think of my original advice in that thread when you were asking what to get?

it was correct. The sv is not a bike that will catch you out....unless you are VERY stupid (Eg: full lean....full throttle)

i feel i will be very bored very quickly. however, if put in the same position again, i would still buy the sv, as i cannot afford to insure anything else. i also like my body breathing, which if i hopped onto a bigger/faster bike it probably wouldnt be. the first thing i did on the sv was see if it would power wheely.......it didnt. if it did, i think my answer would have been very different. the bike does have good manors tho, uuntil the engine blew up! :roll:

i will definately keep it for a bit.....once fixed. but could be looking for a change next year. money permitting.


Paul.

[tomjones2]

Tom....Give your mouse a tap,there seems to be an echo! :P

i'll get the sound crew to fix it :)

[instigator]

[quote=Saint Matt]Couldn't agree more... But I think the smaller, slower bike generally encourages the best from its rider- bit of a generalisation this but I think a smaller bike teaches you more. If you have someone who got on a CBR6 straight after DAS, compared to someone who got on an RVF4 or an SV650 or similiar, they're much more likely to have learned lazy habits IMO.

Even a suitably sorted SV without the suspension handicap can't match the 600s out of the corners if they're having their necks wrung... But fairly few riders can really make the 600s sit up and beg.

Exactly. This is why I returned to an sv after selling my old one 7 months ago. I seemed to have a hunger for speed, thinking speed = enjoyment. And it does. But not for long. And there's too much at stake. After selling my sv, I got a ninja and everyday on the run back from Uni it was a top speed test, trying to crack 160mph. Only touched 140 but then again, it wouldn't go any faster than that.

The firestorm had power everywhere but I wanted to be able to attack corners better and get a better feel for being in the powerband so got another wee sv to play with. 33bhp as well. Now I feel like I'm learning a lot more than I did with the big bikes (the yzf750r was just TOO quick for me, I couldn't do a thing with it in all honesty - that was my limit. Easy to ride slowly, very difficult to go quick)

I'm happy with this 33bhp sv. A big step down from *ahem* maybe 120bhp but strangely....it's more fun. :)

[minifun]

Hi guys,

Some of you may remember me from about 2 years ago! I had my SV for 2 years (Black naked curvey!), sold it and have had 3 IL4's and have now just bought another SV! (A curvey of course!) I'm more excited about getting back on an SV than I was riding my R6. Even test rode the new R6 last weekend and still decided the SV is more fun!! 8)

Hopefully meet up with some of you soon, I am hoping to make the annual ride out this year!!

Em

[Yarodia]

I still love it :riding:
It's my first big bike and has taught me so much in the time we have been together. I thought about the GSR600 but since seeing it in the flesh have decided it looks like a slug monster from the front. Compared to my SV, there is no competition. I know it has it's little problems but it's still a very capable machine and I know there's a lot more I can learn on the SV.

It's such a handsome thing, i still go out to the back yard just to look at it

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Exactly. This is why I returned to an sv after selling my old one 7 months ago. I seemed to have a hunger for speed, thinking speed = enjoyment. And it does. But not for long. And there's too much at stake. After selling my sv, I got a ninja and everyday on the run back from Uni it was a top speed test, trying to crack 160mph. Only touched 140 but then again, it wouldn't go any faster than that.

The firestorm had power everywhere but I wanted to be able to attack corners better and get a better feel for being in the powerband so got another wee sv to play with. 33bhp as well. Now I feel like I'm learning a lot more than I did with the big bikes (the yzf750r was just TOO quick for me, I couldn't do a thing with it in all honesty - that was my limit. Easy to ride slowly, very difficult to go quick)

I'm happy with this 33bhp sv. A big step down from *ahem* maybe 120bhp but strangely....it's more fun. :)

Wait, why are you riding it restricted? :?

Anywhoo. I have a 636 now as well as the SV. The 636 is awesome, but I still love the SV.

[instigator]

Wait, why are you riding it restricted? :?

Restriction lifts this november mate! :)

*doesn't imply a thing about the power of bikes I've had before, they've all been 33bhp and nothing else!! :lol: *

33bhp is more fun in a way. Want to try a 2t 125 soon.

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Ah, those 140mph capable 33bhp machines eh :lol: