got metz mez3 on front which is very good in all conditions, it's just about shot after 5k, got through mez3 and m-1 rears which were brilliant, and have pirelli diablo on rear now which is even better.

Just had some Dunlop D207's fitted and so far they're great, the bike feels more agile, turns quicker, and doesn't seem to "track" white lines and grooves in the road like my MEZ4's did. Oh and the rear looks a lot fatter :D

Newbie here ;)
 

I just bought a beautiful 2002 SV650S, and I am hearing from this disscusion thread that the Avon & Bridgestones tires are very nice tires. I am about to buy a set (the cheaper one probably:) and I don't know what size to go with for the front/back. It has a 160 on the rear now, and some random guy I met, said I could fit a 180 - 200 on there. Is this true?!?!?,,, and if so, should I do it? I don't know anything about bikes, yet, but I am learning. TIA!!!
--BTW-- I was also wondering if anyone could recommend any improvents to the bike, that I could gain some good power without doing anything to crazy (aka. new motor or something)? Exhaust is going on the bike after tires, and I don't know which to go with, and if I should get a slip-on or a full system.

Sorry for ALL the newbie questions. I promise my next post will be less annoying :)
-matthew

I'd stick with standard sizes (120/60 and 160/60) for tyres.

Re: exhaust, you'll get LOTS of opinions on makes, but whatever make, I'd say go for road legal cos you have to cut the pipe on the SV and a road legal will save you hassle with plod and at MOT time.

Great
 

Super... Thanks for the info. Does Renegade make a good exhaust? I personally think they look wonderful on the SV.

Tyres
 

I put a set of Michelin Pilot Sports on mine, I dont rate them much, any views on them?

the biggest size u can fit on the sv rim is a 170 section tyre but i would strongly advise against it, there are a number of reasons for this

1. u go round a corner, bin your bike into a hedge, insurance assesor comes out and says "oooo deary me those tyres arent the correct size im afraid that could have caused your crash" subsequently shagging your chances of a succesful claim

2.when u fit a wider section tyre onto a smaller rim it can cause the tyre to go more oval shape/deform leading to a different contact patch on the road when leaned over, leading to poor handling when pushed hard, ie going round a bend at 70mph the back will slide out causing a lowside crash

3. adding a wider tyre at the rear will also cause your turn in speed to be reduced(slower) and that is one of the sv's good quality's

if u want a bigger back tyre fit a gsx-r600/750 rim and tyre onto the sv, but personally i wouldnt bother unless the parts came to me for free :D

Avons v Bridgestones
 

vtwin - you said the Avons lasted better than the Bridgestones - are you talking about BT010s or 020s....?

Im replacing the crappy MEZ4s and was going to go for the 020s as thats what I had on my last bike, but if the general consensus is the Avons are better and last longer then will go for those instead!

Cheers

D207's are superb.....talk about giving me extra confidence! Wicked tyre choice...should have switched years ago

Bought my bike a month and a half ago 2nd hand, untill they wear out I'm running a MEZ4 on the front and Bridgestone (020 I think) on the rear. Not quite decided what to run next, there's a good chance it'll be bridgestones all round, although maybe Avons. I know running mis-matched tyres isn't a great plan, but frankly, I'm not riding particularly hard yet, and I haven't got the experience on bikes to be able to tell the difference yet.