View Full Version : Brand new bike
MartinT
03-01-07, 02:19 PM
Hello everyone, I bought a new SV Sport just before christmas, no complaints so far its been great to ride, the only thing catching me out is the engine braking I now find myself going into corners in too high a gear for fear of locking up the rear.
Any tips, or is it just a question of pracice makes perfect.
I would also like to hear from anyone who has bought a brand new Suzuki, did you get an AA membership card, and a label in the front of the warranty book to validate the warranty as I have had neither and the dealer just keeps saying he has to chase Suzuki - should i be concerned?
http://upload5.postimage.org/102204/Picture014.jpg (http://upload5.postimage.org/102204/photo_hosting.html)
welcome to the madhouseStop being so helpful!!
Martin. Nice chocie of bike. The service book should have a label staing all the vitals of the bike. Colour, Frame number, engine size, and various other things. this somes with the bike and should be there, its not a 'thing' you get form suzuki. However, it may been an oversight and just keep on top of your dealer about it. As for the AA card. Wouldnt know. Id imagine that it will come though eventualy. i know that i got breakdown cover and all i got was a card (As in made of card) with a phone number on it for Suzuki assistance. I never used it as i had AA cover for the car. Again, just chase it up, but these things can take time especailly as we have just had the silly season!
Welcome to the site btw and get involved. Ignore hovis, thats really his bike in his avatar
I've had to call Suzuki Assist (and the AA man turned up) after fudging bolts. Figured I wouldn't need the card for a while, so didn't have it.
I called the dealership I got the bike from, asked them for the number, heypresto, bike sorted 45mins later.
All because I didn't have a hammer :(
Nice choice of bike, shame about the colour though. ;) Welcome.
welcome to the madhouseStop being so helpful!!
its a pointy????? the only advice i could have offered was.......sell it and get a curvey...& make sure its yellow :smt019
Welcome to the site btw and get involved. Ignore hovis, thats really his bike in his avatar
:smt019
Mr Toad
03-01-07, 03:06 PM
'ello :D
Clutch in, Blip the throttle, change gear, clutch out
This will raise the engine revs to more closely match the speed of the rear wheel, hence less chance of it locking up. Some higher spec bikes have a slipper clutch that enables you to change down a gear without the rear locking, but on the SV you'll have to do it the hard way :wink:
Takes some practice, but after a while it'll become second nature
netsurfer
03-01-07, 03:18 PM
Clutch in, Blip the throttle, change gear, clutch out
I was surprised to find, while thumbing through the owners manual yesterday that Suzuki actually recommend this procedure :)
Pete
Alpinestarhero
03-01-07, 03:27 PM
I find the engine braking strong aswell; as im a new rider, i've been caught out with the rear wheel making life a bit squiggly in this horrible weather.
A few things that help me are not changing down gear too soon before a corner, but changing down before i tip in. Also, giving the throttle a "blip" before re-engaging the clutch on downshifts helps, as the engine speed is (roughly) matched to the wheel speed.
Not much else to recommend!
Happy riding
Matt
Alpinestarhero
03-01-07, 03:28 PM
Or you can be horrendously clever and slip the clutch yourself...
Matt
I find the engine braking strong aswell; as im a new rider, i've been caught out with the rear wheel making life a bit squiggly in this horrible weather.
I find the engine braking useful if anything, and it takes me some time to adjust to other bikes that don't have it.
Yea I've had the rear lock up just because of downshifting, but that was my own stupidity. Concentrating on a 'tard I'd passed around 700yds back, going round a roundabout in the wet & not thinking about what I was doing. 25-ish mph into first, mid bend. Oh dear :shock: But recovered it nicely & kicked myself a few times for letting the 'tard affect my ride.
T'is all experience at the end of the day, so long as it doesn't kill you, and then you don't get to see the end of the day. Profound, eh?
Dysparunia
03-01-07, 03:41 PM
I too bought one around a month before Christmas.
On my
"Suzuki
Service Record
and Warranty Policy
for your Motorcycle,
Moped or Scooter"
on first page Warranty Registration Details filled in by dealer, with their stamp, page 2 there's a light pink sticker with the model, model code, vehicle identification number, eng. no., and colour details. All pre printed and stuck on.
I'd would imagine that this comes with the bike to the dealer, sound like you need to chase.
Didn't get an AA card, but the same booklet talks about the cover, and implies that one's not really required.
Also make sure your dealer gave you the spare seat and grab rail (which is replaced for the sport version-if you have no intention of taking a pillion you can always flog 'em on e-bay).
Andy
Didn't get an AA card, but the same booklet talks about the cover, and implies that one's not really required.
True that, they don't care if you have a card in your pocket or not. They also don't care if you're the registered owner, and presumably, they wouldn't care (since they never asked me) if I'm insured to ride it (but then, that's really non of their business).
When I called them, they asked for the bikes reg plate, where I was, and a description of why I wanted them to come out. That was it. Then I got a call (within 10 mins) from a nice guy explaining that he thought the call centre muppets had been playing games, asking him to attend to a bike when he hasn't got a bike trailer or training. Fair play on him, so I just told him to turn up anyway as it was so simple to sort it was stupid. He called me again when he was about 10mins away, so I could meet him at the bike.
He did ask me for my membership number, but I told him I didn't have a clue as all the documents are at home, he wrote out a report on the spot, handed me a copy, and waved me on my way, waiting for me to leave before he did.
Pretty good service actually, better than I've had from other break down companies.
So if anyone is concerned about calling them out, don't worry about it.
Clutch in, Blip the throttle, change gear, clutch out
I was surprised to find, while thumbing through the owners manual yesterday that Suzuki actually recommend this procedure :)
Pete
Also recommended in Bandit handbook and to be fair most bikes I've had except my current Triumph, though I do it anyway. Certainly it is there to stop wheel lock up but also excessive wear on the drive so its a good practice to adopt. And... if you treat yourself to a scorpion or CCC can it'll sound a treat too. :lol: :twisted:
Welcome - nice looking bike and I think the colour is ok I had a bandit in silver it looked great cleaned up :)
Alpinestarhero
03-01-07, 03:54 PM
I find the engine braking strong aswell; as im a new rider, i've been caught out with the rear wheel making life a bit squiggly in this horrible weather.
I find the engine braking useful if anything, and it takes me some time to adjust to other bikes that don't have it.
Yea I've had the rear lock up just because of downshifting, but that was my own stupidity. Concentrating on a 'tard I'd passed around 700yds back, going round a roundabout in the wet & not thinking about what I was doing. 25-ish mph into first, mid bend. Oh dear :shock: But recovered it nicely & kicked myself a few times for letting the 'tard affect my ride.
T'is all experience at the end of the day, so long as it doesn't kill you, and then you don't get to see the end of the day. Profound, eh?
Yea, i get what you mean; the engine braking is very usefull, specialy when mid corner and using the engine braking to slow down rather than touching the brakes (i find it safer). I also use the brakes less because of the engine braking being so strong
Matt
Dee4Life
03-01-07, 04:00 PM
Alos bought a new Sport in November, never got an AA card, though did get some stuff from Suzukie re ' Exclusive ' Aftercare, not sure what it entitles you to though !
' Exclusive ' Aftercare, not sure what it entitles you to though !
Discount on suzuki hardware when bought from suzuki dealerships. So cheaper to buy elsewhere then ;)
fizzwheel
03-01-07, 04:16 PM
the only thing catching me out is the engine braking I now find myself going into corners in too high a gear for fear of locking up the rear. Any tips, or is it just a question of pracice makes perfect.
Yep, don't take riding tips from a bunch of strangers off the t'internet. :wink:
You'll get the feel for it after a while its just practice. Remember that you want to get your braknig and down changing done before you enter the corner, that way if the back wheel does lock up you'll be in a straight line so you should be able to catch it again. If you "blip" on the downchanges it will help you out a huge amount. After a while you should find that you get get a feel for what speed is right for what gear under different cirumstances. Remember you'll have to adjust this depending on road conditions, weather etc etc.
Just take it steady and take your time, its really slippery at this time of year.
netsurfer
03-01-07, 05:12 PM
And... if you treat yourself to a scorpion or CCC can it'll sound a treat too. :lol: :twisted:
Funny thing is, this is why I started doing it the minute I began riding my SV - not because of engine braking - no wonder i've not (yet) had any "moments" due to locking the rear :lol:
It allegedly helps reduce transmission and tyre wear too - so thats a bonus :D
Pete
MartinT
03-01-07, 06:24 PM
Thanks for all the replys and advice.
I upgraded from an 8 year old xjs600 with next to no engine braking or power compared to the SV so blipping the throttle when down changing was something I never got into the habit of doing, but I'll enjoy getting the hang of it.
Is it just me or is running in a new bike frustrating?, I just want to thrash it all the time not stay below 5500rpm for 500miles, self control can be so hard sometimes.
You may notice from the picture I have fitted mirror extenders from chewys, they are worth every penny if you find you see more of your elbows rather than what's behind you.
I have also fitted chewys crash bungs, dirt cheap and as good as any others I have seen for 4 times as much, so should do the trick if the bike is dropped although in a heavy fall I think the fairing will crack as they fit to an offset bracket instead of the engine bolt.
As for my warranty sticker the warranty book actually states that the warranty is invalid if the sticker is not present, so I will be chasing the dealer for that.
kwak zzr
03-01-07, 07:09 PM
after a few hundred miles locking up the rear into a corner will make you smile :wink: just one of the good bits of your new sv :thumbsup: welcome to sv650.org matey where you can find out just about anything about your bike from the nice people on here. :D
Peter Henry
03-01-07, 07:53 PM
Find an empty road or car park and practise. Basically your technique should be no different than what you do to slow down when riding in a straight line,or to manouvre around any other obstacle on the road. It could all be a "mental" thing that your a bit nervous about the bend you are about to approach.
Set yourself some visual markers...1.... being the point you want to start your slowing down...2...being the point you would wish all to be slowed and under control ready to squeeze the gas back on as you lean in to the turn. If surface conditions allow you could also do your own turn around an imaginary corner. It will all soon drop in to place fella. Just relax a little. :wink:
drumroll
04-01-07, 09:49 AM
excellent choice of bike!
bought my k6 in july - never got an AA card - just the telephone number for suzuki assist. my dealer said all i need to do is quote the reg number and its all sorted.
Hello all. I bought a naked sv before Christmas. I didn't get an AA membership card but I've already needed to call Susuki Assistance and the AA guy was there within 50 mins. They only required name and reg number. AA guy had all but given up until after 40 mins he spotted the detached clutch cable! :oops: Nice colour btw :)
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.