Modifications for £££???

[ASM-Forever]

Basically my bike is pretty stock and the initial plan was to leave it that way and upgrade to sports-600 in a year or so. However i have had a change of heart and have decided to spend a few £ on it. Money sitting 'idle' in the bank account and i have already satisfied my ISA limit :)

So i was thinking along the lines of:

Can
Shock
Front end upgrade(GSXR?) or cartridge/springs
Anything else...feel free to recommend it!

I have a can in mind....nice scorpion has caught my eye but tbh i am pretty clueless with regards to the other stuff.

Can anyone recommend a good shock and price(new/2nd hand) I noticed a ZX6 shock in the for sale section(ebay linky) is this any good?

Also what sort of impact would the above have on my insurance as i would declare it?

Cheers Mark

[STRAMASHER]

Buy a bigger rear sprocket, maybe 2 or 3 teeth more.£20. Absolute top speed? Bah! Acceleration is what its about!

Its cheating but its only 20quid! Your speedo will read optimistic but you will be giving it the big hee-haws to notice.:smt077

:)

[rictus01]

Front forks are a must, rear shock and a can is money well spent as well.

If you go up more than a couple of teeth you'll need to change the chain (the naked one has a couple more links), after that you'll have to choose what direction you want to go either performance or cosmetics.

Performance, cams, full systems,air filters, re-jetting, big bore kits

Cosmetics, Custom paint, decals,mesh, chrome, alloy bits, loads of stuff out there.

Hope that helps.

Cheers Mark.

[21QUEST]

Cheap can- £120
Depending on how much you;
weigh springs/oil £70-£100.Hyperpro progressive springs is a good compromise for road IMO.
or if you have a pointy get the Matris catridge conversion £300
Rear shock Of another bike or £400-450 for Ohlins etc

Then just enjoy the ride. Time to sell your bike, take bits off and get back roughly have your money back. Suspension mods will get you enjoying the bike more than any engine mods will.


Ben

[the_lone_wolf]

Its cheating but its only 20quid! Your speedo will read optimistic but you will be giving it the big hee-haws to notice.:smt077

:)
would it affect the speedo? thought the reading was taken from the front wheel and not engine revs, otherwise your speed would drop to zero with the clutch in shirley?:confused:

[Carsick]

^ you're correct, speedo on all SV650 models is front wheel driven.

[rictus01]

^ you're correct, speedo on all SV models is front wheel driven.

Although of course if you do the GXSR front end convertion you'll need an inventive atlernative as you'll loose the front wheel pickup.

Cheers Mark.

[jambo]

would it affect the speedo? thought the reading was taken from the front wheel and not engine revs, otherwise your speed would drop to zero with the clutch in shirley?:confused:

As stated, front wheel driven speedo on the SV, but even other bikes with rear wheel driven speedo tend to take a reading from the front sprocket which will still spin when the rear wheel is turning, even if you pull the clutch in.

[Cloggsy]

Can - Buy cheap, buy twice... My choice would be Remus Revolution :!:

Fork springs & fork oil, a must too IMHO... No need for progressives though :!:

K&N Air Filter - Yes why not, its lifetime guaranteed (you don't replace it after every 8000 miles like a standard one; just clean it & re-oil it ;))

Rear shock - Just fit a GSXR1000 standard shock, the one I got off eBay was excellent for £35 :D Cleaned it, fitted it and the difference in feel was massive :!:

[fullstop102]

I would love to put the double can on my SV think it just makes the bike look so much more sporty

[Sudoxe]

C:!:

K&N Air Filter - Yes why not, its lifetime guaranteed (you don't replace it after every 8000 miles like a standard one; just clean it & re-oil it ;))



When has one of your bikes done 8000 miles?! ;)


The Can is good for (espically for london), front forks and then if your doing the milage, putting in a K&N as a service item, as and when you need to replace it. It's not worth upgradeing the air filter just for the hell of it.

Dan

[ASM-Forever]

Rear shock - Just fit a GSXR1000 standard shock, the one I got off eBay was excellent for £35 :D Cleaned it, fitted it and the difference in feel was massive :!:

The way i was thinking it seems a bit silly to spend £400(?) on an Ohlins shock as i dont really have any intention of putting it on the track, as opposed to a ZX6 or GSXR shock that will cost what....£40-£100??? Is the GSXR shock the best i can 'salvage' from another bike?

How do insurance companies take to these modifications...i suppose i better ask them :)

Cheers for the replies so far...keep 'em coming!

[northwind]

^ you're correct, speedo on all SV650 models is front wheel driven.

No it isn't ;) Not any more anyway :) The speedo swaps for different front ends are all pretty straightforward now, there's various good options out there.

But, I wouldn't do it on a bike that you plan to sell on, even if it'll be a couple of years... Cartridge emulators and the Matris kit both retain the stock forks and will be resellable when you sell it on, so probably make more sense there. Likewise, if you can find a used Ohlins, WP or Penske (or similiar) rear shock it's a big upfront expense but they hold their value. I could probably sell either of my shocks for more than I paid (though the Ohlins has had a bit of investment in it on servicing etc). On the other hand, an SV with a GSXR or 636 shock in it could put some buyers off, since it screams BODGE! (it's not, it's a great mod for the cost, but still)

But suspension's where the big gains are for the SV IMO, the engine's sweet as a nut and the chassis's as good as it needs to be, the suspension's not bad but it's the worst part of the package. It's not like with the Bandit 6, for insteance, where it's all more or less on a level- the suspension's abotu as good as the engine and the frame, so upgrading one leaves the others as a limiting factor.

[ASM-Forever]

Cheers Northwind...so what sort of price should i expect to pay for a brand new quality shock and what price 2nd hand?

Cheers Mark

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Best to invest in a bespoke shock imo. I had a GSX-R shock on my SV - it was an improvement, but still crap :)

That said, I've got a GSX-R shock to sell if you want it... :-dd

[phil24_7]

Which would you say was better, the zx shock or the Gixxer shock???

[Stu]

Thought it was zx for curvy, GSXR for pointy i.e. you don't have a choice.
Also I believe GSXR shocks are the same new (£45) as they go on ebay 2nd hand.
Am I wrong?

[Flamin_Squirrel]

Thought it was zx for curvy, GSXR for pointy i.e. you don't have a choice.
Also I believe GSXR shocks are the same new (£45) as they go on ebay 2nd hand.
Am I wrong?

'tis what I paid for mine.

Ill even sell it for £40! And it's recently been rebuilt too ;)

[phil24_7]

Squirrel, was yours £45 new??? Is that a genuine Suzuki part or some other manufacturer?

Why are ya gettin rid?

Im new to all this (although I do know the suspension and my riding ability are the limiting factors!) so dont know the pros and cons of a gixxer rear shock upgrde!

[socommk23]

if your with M direct a sus change IS a modification and wont insure you for it! they wouldnt me.
so others may be the same.

[northwind]

Cheers Northwind...so what sort of price should i expect to pay for a brand new quality shock and what price 2nd hand?


New, a lot... Used, less :) I paid £220 for my Ohlins used, but you have to take into account setup costs. I knew the one I was getting needed regassed, but the spec was otherwise OK for me, it was still on the factory setup. If you're a heavier guy, you'd want it resprung and revalved to suit, and that adds various amounts of cost depending on where you buy. New is... £430? Something in that order. Likewise, if you buy a shock that's been rebuilt it might be built for a heavier guy than you. A guy on SV Rider bought a Penske that had been built for a 19 stone rider, he was 12 stone :) Like having a steel bar fitted. And frankly, spending £200+ on a shock and having it not work is a waste of money.

Hagon are cheaper but frankly, for a reason, they're not as good and the combined damping adjustment's not ideal. I'd rather buy better and used, myself.

Also be very wary of buying a shock that needs a full service... I have a WP which I got for £50, but it needs a full rebuild, and that's not cheap at all. It'll still be an good buy if I decide to use it but it's not the immense bargain it seems at £50, the real world cost is going to be more like £200.

I really like the zx10R shock for the curvy, it's a solid upgrade and very cheap. Is it as good as an Ohlins or Penske? No. But then it costs less than the box an Ohlins comes in :)

[ASM-Forever]

Is there a difference between the ZX6R and ZX10R shock?

It may be academic as i know someone who may have an ohlins shock for me, but i want to keep my options open.

[thor]

Tyres

decent tyres!

[ASM-Forever]

Too true! I have always been a fan of BT020's and if they make them for the SV will use them. If not then i guess some ME6's or Diablo's.

[northwind]

Is there a difference between the ZX6R and ZX10R shock?


Dunno, it's just simpler- I believe all the ZX10R shocks work, while some 636 ones don't :) I'm still trying to find someone who's used the 05 onwards 636 shock, since I reckon it'd fit and it's a far better shock.

Oh yeah, they do 020s in 120/60 and 160/60 but the Roadtecs and Stradas do the same job, but better. I've got an 020 on the rear at the moment (came with a wheel I bought) and I've been pleasantly surprised by it, considering what an old design it is- when they were first out they must have seemed like black magic. But better tackle's come along now, the Roadtec's grippier and lasts longer.

[seano]

Would a standard 2004 gsxr 1000 shock fit a 2001 sv?

[r4ce_e3nd]

No, I think it's too short.

[northwind]

Yeah, I think it'll physically fit- if memory serves that's what we put in Matttheloony's bike- but he lost a bit of ride height and the install was, frankly, a bit rough. Better options out there...

[BILLY]

Would a standard 2004 gsxr 1000 shock fit a 2001 sv?
I tried one in mine and the spring is to wide and caught on the swing arm!!

[northwind]

I tried one in mine and the spring is to wide and caught on the swing arm!!

If it's the same as the one we tried, it only happens at full extension and it's not too troublesome when it does, as long as you turn the spring to make the most space. I wasn't exactly delighted with the fit but that was what we had so we made it go. You could shave a little off the spring base plate, but frankly I wouldn't, I'd just get a round peg to start with :D

[svrash]

Too true! I have always been a fan of BT020's and if they make them for the SV will use them. If not then i guess some ME6's or Diablo's.
I've just fitted Michy pilot road 2s, soooooo much better then the 020 and i've always used the brigestones but thought it was time for a change and a great choice it was, i love them:cool:

[seano]

Cheers for the advice I think I'll go for something else then.
Ta.

[svryanpompy]

if your still after a can

got a viper race can on ebay what the buy now is £30 i done all the mods so it fit the sv better have a look