Radiator, handlebar and brake alternatives? Pointy.

I just picked up an 03 SV650 (in trade for an old race car). I've been riding a B12 (pretty well modified) nearly daily for 3 years, and wanted something a little lighter, slower, and better mileage (and boy is it slower!).

I have a few questions:
This bike appears to have eaten it on the left side, but mostly seems repaired. The radiator is pretty tweaked however. Are the cheap ones on Ebay acceptable replacements, and are there any that fit well that might be a bit narrower (in case I teach a friend to ride it, and I'm sure she will drop it once or twice...yes I will fit sliders first).

The clip-ons are too much for a beginner learning to be comfortable and use the lower back for support: I read somewhere that it is ok to drill out the S yokes for risers. Is this true and are people POSITIVE this won't affect structural integrity? I even have a spare set for my B12 sitting here.

If I do the above, will cables, electrics, and whatnot have enough to slack?

A PO mounted a Buell light/screen to the bike, but it's a bit crooked and since they bolted it between the lock and yoke, it causes the locking pin to not line up with the hole in the frame. Any better options for mounting the Buell light/screen combo that aren't too hard to fab up? I can weld....

Finally: The brakes suck a major one. Any good easy fit options? I'm super spoiled by my ZX14 Nissin conversion on my B12....Can we say one finger lock ups? I don't expect something bolt on to be that good, but I would like to at least get as good as the stock B12s (which I still have in the shed fyi).

I will be doing some routine maintenance on the bike in the next week to get intimate, and see how bad it's been tampered with (or neglected). I gave her a good ride around the block and it seems to track well and feels good except for the really crappy brakes. So far I'm pleased with my trade (the car had been sitting in storage for nearly 3 years).

Thanks for any and all advice.

Welcome along.
For the brakes, have a good clean up and lube. The stock stoppers are good when in good shape. HH pads and braided lines are easy options to firm things up once they are working well.
Give the clip-ons a go for a while, the riding position isn't extreme. And a secondhand radiator will be fine as long as it still holds water.
Enjoy.

The riding position doesn't bother me too much, but I don't want to put someone on it that has never operated a bike before. It's much easier to be safe telling someone to keep their wrist below the bar in case they get snatched not expecting it and hold on, and this isn't possible with the bars so low.

I'm sure I can make the brakes work better (and pads would help of course), but are they ever going to lose the sponge?
Edit: Are they ever going to feel like high end calipers?

my top yoke is drilled, no problems here. longer brake lines, throttle cables, clutch cables and switch gear extensions. I've got quite a rise, a good few inches.

[timwilky]

As others have said, the stock brakes are more than adequate. Any more and the deficiencies in the front suspension would be exaggerated.

They can however require maintenance, pistons and sliders can seize if not looked after. Also of course it is a 10 year old bike. The lines will be due for replacement.

[DarrenSV650S]

Go for a K5 onwards radiator for the narrower shape

punkyp: That seems like a bit more than I would like to do just to put a bar on it. I do love the leverage of my B12 with the Renthal in town, but I can deal... I suppose I can at least look into the cost of the extensions, as I'm sure I'll be replacing brake lines here pretty shortly regardless of the route I take.

DarrenSV650S: Thanks for the tip!

timwilky: I always hear this. "B12 stock brakes are good enough." "VSTROM brakes are good enough." My Bandit weighs over 100 lbs more and I'm confident even with HH pads, new lines, and even a thorough cleaning, will stop significantly shorter (once again, the B12 has Nissin 4 pot radials with a radial M/C). I'll see if the local shop has some Galfers lines in stock, and I'll do the pad/line/bleed/clean route, but I know I'm going to be disappointed in the results. I'm not ready to do a whole front end conversion, but I'm not above it. I do have some gold forks in the corner....

PS: Anyone know the thread dia and pitch of the 2003 master cylinder?

I agree....the SV front master cylinder is pants.......after cleaning plus pads and lines it was still pants. I fitted a Brembo in the end .....about £130 second hand. But then mine is a track bike and not on the road.

[jambo]

Personally if I was wanting to have a novice rider on a bike I wouldn't be after brakes that can manage a 1 finger lock up, but that's just me.

The bike's very different to a B12. The motor's obviously going to make less power, and your B12 is modified to have components well above average. Personally having ridden standard SV650s & B12s from various years, I prefer the SV as it's lighter, and much more agile. I found the B12 to weigh enough extra that it always felt like hard work to get a wriggle on. The motor's lovely though!

You can sell the front end and fit a GSXR set of forks, yokes, 4 pot radial calipers etc if you want to. If you're going to find riding it for what it currently is unacceptable then I'd say just go for that. You can fit k1-k3 gsxr 600 4-pot conventional Tokico calipers with adapter plates using the existing front end. Decide where you want the bike to be and take the fewest hops to get there.

My set up is standard calipers, decent pads & braided lines, stiffer springs & emulators, and I think it stops well. But the 2 pot sliding calipers are never going to feel like the radial setup you're comparing them to.

Jambo

[mikerj]

After getting used to the 4 pot Brembos on my RSV, the standard SV brakes (with original Suzuki pads) scared the crap out of me the first time I rode it in anger To be fair they will stop you adequately, but you have to squeeze a lot harder than you do on a modern sports bike and because of that they are rather lacking in feel. Sintered (HH) pads do make a significant improvement in the bite though and provided the calipers are in good condition then this would be the first step.

Calipers do seize as mentioned, especially on bikes used in the winter and they make already rather wooden brakes absolutely dire, and it's obviously pointless swapping pads if the calipers aren't perfect.