Advice for buying SV650 S

Hi All,

I am very much a noob here and was hoping someone could give me some advice.

I am due to take my DAS tests in April and am looking to buy my first decent bike. I have found a SV650 S X reg (2000) in pretty good condition with about 8 and a half thousand miles on the clock. It's currently SORN but apparently been looked after whilst off the road.

The speedo is in KM so it's obviously an import.

Any idea what the value should be for a bike like this and what I should look out for when viewing it?

Cheers,

Jeff

(P.S. hope I have posted this in the correct section!)

[the_lone_wolf]

8000m is extremely low for a 10 year old bike...

My concerns would be that it's sat unused for extended periods without being properly serviced or cared for

Or that the clocks have been swapped at some point

There's a lot of bikes for sale, I'd be inclined to pass this one over unless it's ridiculously cheap

[Mej]

bike trader is full of bargain SVs at the moment so i wouldnt rush into buying one.

I was thinking that about the low mileage as well. However, it comes with MOT history as follows:

August 2009 8428 miles August 2008 7195 miles
August 2007 6602 miles
August 2006 3698 miles

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Chobblington

I was thinking that about the low mileage as well. However, it comes with MOT history as follows:

August 2009 8428 miles August 2008 7195 miles
August 2007 6602 miles
August 2006 3698 miles

Was it imported in 2006?

If not there should be MOTs for 2003-2005 as well

If it has history then it adds credance to the seller

But at the end of the day it's an import, you may have (not insurmountable) issues with insurance and parts

As above, it's have to be pretty cheap to tempt me away from the other UK bikes on sale

when you say it'd have to be 'pretty cheap', what is 'pretty cheap' for one of these?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Chobblington

when you say it'd have to be 'pretty cheap', what is 'pretty cheap' for one of these?

Not sure exactly, haven't kept an eye on the SV market for a while

Someone with more knowledge will probably be along shortly

Apparently the battery has been on trickle charge whilst it has been off road. What other problems can occur from taking a bike off-road?

Brake fluid full of water.
Siezed stuff especially calipers and ,maybe wheel bearings
Hopefully it had oil in and was started occassionally and I have known ZXR's you pit thier cams whilst being stood and not started.
Exhaust rotting due to condensation build up

Originally Posted by Chobblington

Apparently the battery has been on trickle charge whilst it has been off road. What other problems can occur from taking a bike off-road?

Tyres can get flat spots, if the bike isnt elevated off the ground (like, on paddock stands), and the rubber may deteriorate. Oil in the engine may deteriorate (it does degrade in air like any organic material). Mice can take up residence in the airbox, any fuel in the tank can settle out and cause a gunk to form which can block things up; this is also true of fuel left in carburettors. The chain could rust and you might get seized links and / or tight spots, but if its had lube on it it should be ok.

Mind you, my dad's VFR wasn't run for 11 years before he took it off my cousin. A bit of fresh fuel in the tank, and a power / battery pack...and it fired up ok

How long has it been layed up?