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View Full Version : SV650 Owners...what are the advantages of owning one?


chiangbANG!
03-04-07, 12:56 AM
See title. What are the perks and the cons of our SV's?

Stu
03-04-07, 01:00 AM
Quicker than walking.

chiangbANG!
03-04-07, 01:01 AM
clever *******

Spider
03-04-07, 01:32 AM
See title. What are the perks and the cons of our SV's?

Perks- you get to talk to us bunch of chimps!

Cons- you get to talk to us bunch of chimps!

i`m not helping much, am i?

Nitzer
03-04-07, 02:39 AM
Pros: Good allround bike, easy to maintain, reasonable prices for parts.

Cons: Mirrors are crap and weedy rear brake.

Hope that helps! I'm sure others will add more :D

Tris
03-04-07, 06:08 AM
Regulators die with monotonous regularity

Moffatt666
03-04-07, 11:31 AM
Pro: You get to look cool without the horrendous insurance associated with sports 4s


Con: Everyone says "the SV's a girls bike"

Flamin_Squirrel
03-04-07, 11:41 AM
...and weedy rear brake.

No it's not. Greace the brake lever pivot, this should help.

Davies
03-04-07, 11:41 AM
Con: Everyone says "the SV's a girls bike"

They'll be the ones that have been over-taken in the twisties by one :smt019

northwind
03-04-07, 01:30 PM
Pros- the SV's a girl's bike.

No, hear me out :) I love the SV, I could afford to buy and run most bikes but I prefer the SV for my uses, in its own right. It's a good package at a top price and has tons of untapped potential to boot. But there's other advantages...

There are no expectations on an SV. On a litrebike, if you're not fast, you get mocked. If you are fast, well, you're on a litre bike so nobody's impressed. On an SV, if you're even half quick people are surprised. It's good to be the underdog :)

Also, the SV's very durable, and very inexpensive for what it is- I'd love a Mille but I'd baby it, I'd be afraid to track it, or ride home in the snow, or ride across a riverbed when I find a broken bridge, or leave it parked in dodgy areas. If I bend the SV then I can fix it cheaply, most likely, and if I kill it or lose it then gettign another isn't going to be the end of the world. I'd sooner have an inferior bike that I can use without question than the best bike in the world that I'm afraid to lean over, or let out of my sight.

thor
03-04-07, 01:38 PM
Even people who don't know bikes think they are cool.

chris8886
03-04-07, 03:09 PM
great fun to ride (had my first proper warm run on it yesteday!! :D )

not great suspension or brakes!

kwak zzr
03-04-07, 03:56 PM
good all round bikes, good prices, cheap to run and insure.

steveg
03-04-07, 05:27 PM
cheap to buy & run , however really fun bike to ride .Good everyday transport & still fun on the right roads.
As previously mentioned no pressure to ride fast , however in the right hands can show up a lot of sports bike riders .
Cheers Steve

kcowgergmm
03-04-07, 05:48 PM
No it's not. Greace the brake lever pivot, this should help.

what kind of grease would you use for that kind of application

kcowgergmm
03-04-07, 05:53 PM
To answer your question the pros are good usable power great for back roads or commuting cons running on the highway it lack top end power. but it depends how important that is to you. I really love it i just wish it had a harder pull above 100mph

John 675
03-04-07, 06:09 PM
not great suspension or brakes!

suspension defo not the best from the suspension box, but breaks?? cant fault them i think they are spot on, they arnt really budget break system and are used on lots of good bikes, i also believe the rear break is used on the triumph daytona 675 also, might be wrong so dont qoute me lol, :p

Biker Biggles
03-04-07, 06:19 PM
Does pretty much everything you want in the real world,and does it on a tight budget.You can easily spend twice as much but you will only get 20% more bike for that.

scorpion
03-04-07, 06:21 PM
Bombing around on a budget and having other bikers on more expensive bikes say "Nice bike mate" at the lights:)

Demonz
03-04-07, 06:38 PM
My thoughts - the best thing is they sound great (as a twin should). They are affordable as a first bike, useful as a commuter, good for scratching in the weekends, fast enough to poke fun on twisty roads. There is also a big support/user group with plenty of affordable mods available to make them look and handle like your dream bike.

Cons - If you grow to like straight line speed you will grow out of it. Looks can do with another revamp.

LeeSV
03-04-07, 07:01 PM
Pros - flickable as a 125, gives you the fun of having to work that little bit harder when keeping up with sports bikes, very easily run for its capacity, cheap insurance, lovely note with a full system on, plenty of mods and extras available, cheap to race.

Cons - the front forks have NO mercy when pushed, the back one isn't that great either.

Tim in Belgium
03-04-07, 07:26 PM
Cons - the front forks have NO mercy when pushed, the back one isn't that great either.

No wonder my SV doesn't have superbike handling, it's missing a rear fork, I shall have a look for one on fleabay immediately :)

emcf
03-04-07, 07:27 PM
my thoughts of the sv as a new biker (4 months of almost daily riding so far:D)....

pros - cheap, sounds great (especially with a new can), looks the business and can fair move quick. easy to maintain too.

the biggest pro for me as a newbie is that i've had the odd skid of the front wheel and other unstable moments on manhole covers/road lines/leaf mush....each time the sv has allowed me to rescue the slip and provided a good amount of feel/feedback so that i safely learned what it feels like when the bike is reaching an unstable position. basically it seems to me to be a great learners bike with a decent bit of oomf in the engine.

cons - i find it gets a bit windy on the motorway, new screen should sort that though.

Duck-man
03-04-07, 07:51 PM
I am like emcf, had the SV for about 6 months and I think its a very forgiving bike (but havent really ridden much else yet...) I have had mine side ways a few times, slipping on drain covers, back wheel locking up at silly speeds (I only had the bike for about a month and didnt expect the traffic to stop so quick and i misued the rear brake, but thankfully not being a "massive" bike i managed to steer it down between traffic with a ton of smoke coming out of the rear rubber oops!! Learnt something that day!)

One major plus is that its sounds sweeeeettt with a new can!! Its a low down thump thump, and when you get the engine spinning up past the 6000rpm its even louder magic1 :D grintastic.

It seems to be very easy to work on and if you do have problems there is always someone on here who has done it afore and can sort you out! :D

Great bike!

Cons - I do wish it did have a bit more top end, but i didnt buy it for straight line speed i love being able to go through the twisties!! :D

Villers
03-04-07, 08:06 PM
Pros: Sounds good with a race can (veeeery nice), good fun knocking about town and below 80mph, cheap as chips, people who dont know about bikes think they are cool, looks good with a bellypan

Cons: Poor build quality, poor suspension, gutless above 80/90mph, a lot of stigma as a beginners bike (unjustly I as I feel about that), clunky yokes, poor finish, need to cut the exhaust to fit a can, looked down upon by the IL4's and outpaced.

I dont think they are in anyway as flickable as a sports 125, sorry to disagree with whomever made that comment.

As you all probably know mines making way for a 636 anyway, I enjoyed it when all i wanted to do was potter about after my accident but now find it a bit boring/worrying for blasts out when I want to ride harder. Don't believe in buying a bike and sticking the front end from a better bike on it, then a rear shock from a better bike on it and so on and so forth either, so we just arent compatible anymore :smt062

LeeSV
03-04-07, 08:40 PM
No wonder my SV doesn't have superbike handling, it's missing a rear fork, I shall have a look for one on fleabay immediately :)
Rear shock, sorry .. its been a long day. *yawn*

mclarenmike
03-04-07, 09:59 PM
Pros: SV650.org - it may sound a bit clichéd but this forum provides loads of invaluable advice and was a big reason I ended up going for an SV. Am I the only one? 8-[


Cons: It keeps spending all my spare cash :)

northwind
03-04-07, 10:50 PM
I didn't fully appreciate how good SV650.org was when I first joined it, but at the time I was really swithering between SV and Hornet. I basically pitched Hornet's Nest vs SV650.org, and the .org came out on top, by a fair old way. No offence to the Nest, by the way, it seemed a fine site.

Davies
03-04-07, 11:15 PM
Yep, totally agree that the suspension is a bit if of a dog, especially at the front, but a combination of progressive springs and 20w oil has seen my front end improve 10 fold.

I've found my SV to be ok on the motorway too. I told a good friend that my front end was wobbling at +100mph.....he said relax your arms....job done, problem solved :thumbsup:

I must admit though I've been wanting a faster bike for some time now as I feel that if I push the SV anymore I'll end up hurting either myself or her.......but after this weekend in the twisties I won't be giving my baby up anytime soon :D

ells
04-04-07, 06:20 AM
Lot of interesting comments.

Up sides
I only use the SV for limited mileage each year. I have a main bike I use. Why use the SV - its FUN, yep FUN. For a little bike its got a lot of poke and ridden well will surprise many bigger bikes. Its chuckable, you can really throw it about in the twisties.

Down sides
Guys sorry to say this but the finish is diabolical. Corrosion is rampant. Chrome headlight rusting, exhaust on its way out. The general stat of my SV at 11,000 miles is terrible it should still be mint.

:)
Ells.

northwind
04-04-07, 11:23 AM
Guys sorry to say this but the finish is diabolical. Corrosion is rampant. Chrome headlight rusting, exhaust on its way out. The general stat of my SV at 11,000 miles is terrible it should still be mint.


Build quality's poor, but I've never heard of an OEM SV exhaust corroding through, never mind after 11000 miles... They get surface corrosion but that's pretty much as far as I've ever seen it, and even that tends to be localised to the front header.

Alpinestarhero
04-04-07, 01:50 PM
Better than an IL4 when restricted. Much better. Waaaaay better!

Cheap to own.

Lotsa engine braking - makes mid corner braking safer!

It comes in a yellow curvy version, which is the coolest motorcycle ever built.

The sound!!!!!!

The fact it spawned this online community.

A really really easy to ride bike that builds confidence for the novice, yet offers cheap laughs for experianced riders


Cons you say?

Build quality isnt that great, but what do you expect for a bike thats less than 4 grand new?

Eerrrr...comfort, I guess. But then if you want a comfy bike, buy a BMW.

Matt

The Basket
04-04-07, 01:59 PM
Odd question
All bikes have good points and bad points and at some point you buy and get on with it.

As long as you accept the Sv for what it is and buy with eyes wide open then there can be no disadvantages

rob13
04-04-07, 09:41 PM
Pros - loads to list, looks, bolt on availability, sound, mid-range kick, light and easy to throw about, cheap, good on fuel, low ins

Cons - Gotta agree about build quality although if you keep on top of it it should be ok. Suzuki cheesy bolts. Front forks

Think if im going to do anything else to the bike itll be prog springs and new fork oil. Ive owned the bike for 2 years now and im as happy if not happier than the day i bought it as its proved to be everything i asked for.

The only criticism i would have would be that mine is now a bit of a tarts handbag and with my high can im a bit stuck for luggage capability

kcowgergmm
05-04-07, 03:38 AM
the other good thing is you aren't compensating for something like most sport bike guys are

John 675
05-04-07, 08:31 AM
good on fuel,

is honestly have to disagree with this bit, BUT. . . thats probably because im relentless with mine and im always fast and leave it in lower gears as apose to sitting in 6th doing 40Mph i always seem to be filling up as soon as the light starts flashing, but might just be me :smt033

Ceri JC
05-04-07, 11:39 AM
Pros:

Being able to park pretty much where you like (chained up of course) and not worry incessantly about it being nicked,
The cost of insurance isn't stupid,
Cheap to service/repair,
Easy to work on,
Faster than many rider's abilities,
Looks nice,
Reasonably practical and comfortable,
Fairly forgiving of novice riders,
Crash well,
Generally reliable.

Oh, lest I forget, the look of suprise/indignation on the faces of a pair of chaps on expensive litre custom race reps (including a Ducati 999) as you overtake them and proceed to put so much distance between yourself and them over the next 4 miles that you manage to stop, fill your tank and be about to pay at the petrol station at the end of the road by the time they catch up. :D

Cons:

Standard shock doesn't last very long,
Standard fork springs are a bit rubbish,
You need to fork out £20 for a fender extender,

Of course, the above can all be rectified for a £200 or so.

Less "cred" than a bigger/faster bike (quickly rectified by showing up riders on said bigger/faster bikes).

A bigger fairing would be nicer for touring/long distance (but I manage without one and ride a reasonable distance regularly).

Suzuki's aftersales "customer (couldn't) care (less)" attitude.

Corrodes a bit (although TBH, it's not as bad as some people make out and similarly, lots of Honda's components don't actually survive British winters that much better)