Thoughts and opinions - buying a K3 pointy.

Hello All,

Over the past week I've been psyching myself up about buying a 2003, Blue SV 650. Pointy version.

I went to check it out with a friend on Saturday. Being young and inexperienced, i thought the bike was perfect. Yes there was a bit of rust here and there, but really and truly minimal.

My old man is a seasoned biker of 40 years, so I'd figure he should probably check it out as well, before handing over some bills. He's been over to look at it this morning, and he thinks its been a waste of his time...it goes like this...

> The wheels are corroded, to the extent that they will probably need a respray at some point.

> The exhaust mid pipe is slightly corroded.

> Some of the small link wires/holders around the rear brake hoses are also corroded.


The Stealer wants £2k. He's gunna do a full 'service', tax and MOT it for a year. He's also already dropped £500 off the price.
Comes with a hugger and tail tidy, a rack and fly screen. All things that i would do myself. I'd quite like to colour code the wheels and polish the rims anyway to be honest.

has about 16,000 miles, with service history upto 2006.

Whats the crack...Yay or Nay?

[ophic]

I'd say yay. Cheaper can be had, but it looks like good nick and low mileage, and backed by a dealer's warranty. Corrosion of the exhaust is fairly normal, and small fittings like wire holders always corrode. Check for corrosion of the rear subframe and flaking paint on the radiators, engine and front forks. Mine doesn't have any corrosion of the wheels so i've not seen that before.

With the extras and service/MOT etc, i'd buy it for that money.

id say nay.

dont go spending ur hard earned cash on something ur not 100% on. there will be more, better SV's out there that you will be very happy with.

its very tempting to look at the bike & want it cos it looks the part & ur keen to get riding but why should u end up with the extra cost & trouble.

write down the good & bad points about the bike & see how it works out.

just my thoughts.

good luck

[fizzwheel]

Not sure on the wheels, but mine went like that. If its cosmetic as it sounds, then I woudlnt worry about it. Especially as your considering polishing the rims anyway.

Its normal to see a bit or corrosion on the mid pipe. If you think that ones bad you should see the state of my missus SV thats done 40K in all weathers...

Again if its just a bit of corrosion around the rear brake connectors banjo bolts etc, thats pretty normal to.

It sounds like its just normal wear and tear. Remember the SV is a budget bike and as such it does suffer from rust if its been used in all weathers.

£2K is never ever going to get you a mint bike with no rust on it, its just not going to happen. As such I suspect your dad is being fussy, but without seeing the bike in the flesh its hard to tell. They just sound like niggles to me rather than reasons not to buy.

I'd be more concerned over stuff like the brakes not being seized on, what sort of state the tyres / chain and sprocket are in. Is the engine running sweet with no knocking or excessive rattling from the top and bottom of the engine, is the exhaust clean and not burning oil etc etc than cosmetic stuff. If its sound mechanically wise then personally I'd be making a purchase. I cant see anything from your description that would put me off.

If your not sure, then walk away, but it might be worth looking at some other SV's of an equivalent year and milleage to compare them to the one your looking at...

[lazymanc]

That's a fairly good price from a dealer I reckon. The exhaust is stainless and will clean up no probs with a bit of elbow grease and autosol. Most of the fixings are mild steel and will corrode, but they can be replaced fairly cheaply with stainless 3rd party stuff. Wheels I'm not too sure about but if it's just the finish I wouldn't worry too much about it, you can spray them yourself if need be.

Pictures always hide stuff so it's hard to tell but it looks in reasonable condition for it's age

this person is selling the Bike.

worth a look

http://forums.sv650.org/member.php?u=9107

I have just been over to the shop myself, and had a better look.

>The corrosion is pretty crap on both wheels. It looks like its covered in brake dust, but the paint is starting to come up, i presume where it has been sat in a damp garage for a while. This is'nt too much of a problem as i am not so keen on the silver...

>The engine casings on the right of the bike, and the underside of the front cylinder head and local area is quite messy, from where it has been exposed to the elements.

>The radiator looks a bit messy...stone damage?

>The bottom yoke is slightly orange.

>the exhaust isn't in best nick, but would most likely be replaced anyway!!!


Its easy to make it sound awful, but I don't think its too bad.


Good stuff
It does come with Tax, MOT and 3months dealer warranty (says the man)
I love the colour
Chain and sprocket are in good nick, as is the rear sub frame.
Tyres have decent tread and seem in good condition.
Plus more already mentioned...

...any more thoughts?

[lazymanc]

Originally Posted by BournemouthBen

I have just been over to the shop myself, and had a better look.

>The corrosion is pretty crap on both wheels. It looks like its covered in brake dust, but the paint is starting to come up, i presume where it has been sat in a damp garage for a while. This is'nt too much of a problem as i am not so keen on the silver...

>The engine casings on the right of the bike, and the underside of the front cylinder head and local area is quite messy, from where it has been exposed to the elements.

>The radiator looks a bit messy...stone damage?

>The bottom yoke is slightly orange.

>the exhaust isn't in best nick, but would most likely be replaced anyway!!!


Its easy to make it sound awful, but I don't think its too bad.


Good stuff
It does come with Tax, MOT and 3months dealer warranty (says the man)
I love the colour
Chain and sprocket are in good nick, as is the rear sub frame.
Tyres have decent tread and seem in good condition.
Plus more already mentioned...

...any more thoughts?

Rusty bottom yoke is typical on the pointy, my K3 is the same.

Sounds like it's mostly cosmetic, if you can live with a less than perfect looking bike it's a reasonable price. If you can't, up your budget by £500

[ophic]

Originally Posted by lazymanc

Rusty bottom yoke is typical on the pointy, my K3 is the same.

As is flaking engine casing paint and minor rad damage/flaking paint. Surprised you haven't mentioned the front forks as these are usually in a terrible state too.

[Biker Biggles]

At 16000 miles it needs a valve clearance check and adjust.Make sure thats included in the "service".