What to look for in a used SV

Originally Posted by Malfunctioning-eddie

aint that the truth - until last year I still had my first bike - a gs125 - my nephew has it now and uses it to chase sheep around on his dads farm - 58,000 miles and still going!

Aaah, the GS. That was my first bike. You may want to consider other bikes such as:

Honda Hornet

Honda Hornet

or:

Honda Hornet.

You can see where this is going.........PM me and I will tell you all.

Originally Posted by HooliganDan

Aaah, the GS. That was my first bike. You may want to consider other bikes such as:

Honda Hornet

Honda Hornet

or:

Honda Hornet.

You can see where this is going.........PM me and I will tell you all.

One of my mates has a Hornet and its a corker of a bike - I didn't want to give it back when I tried it - thing is though I'm looking for something that doesn't mind the occasional 200 mile grind down the M4 to London - in other words something with a fairing I can get behind - call me strange if you like but I just don't beleive a fairing belongs on a Hornet

Not sure how prevelent it is on the ole curveys, but being FI the points don't risk carb icing. Something to consider if you're going to be relying on it every day.

[mister c]

Same as everybody else says really.
Look for corrosion & if you are going to ride it in all weathers than be prepared for some tlc. Suzuki quality doesn't seem to be the best.
I've owned Yams that have rusted away in front of me, so they can be just as bad.
My two penneth worth would be don't buy the 1st one you see, keep your options open a better one always seems to turn up.

Originally Posted by Malfunctioning-eddie

One of my mates has a Hornet and its a corker of a bike - I didn't want to give it back when I tried it - thing is though I'm looking for something that doesn't mind the occasional 200 mile grind down the M4 to London - in other words something with a fairing I can get behind - call me strange if you like but I just don't beleive a fairing belongs on a Hornet

I rode to Nurburgring, Germany on my Hornet. And I ride 60 miles per day to work on the M3. I have a little fly screen which deflects the wind nicely and it still looks great. Of course, horses for courses.

Originally Posted by Malfunctioning-eddie

I've checked a few local dealers out on t'interweb over the last few weeks and to be honest dealers in Wales appear to be really overpriced compared to those on the other side of the bridge - I've seen them asking as much as ?2.5K for a 2000 model - by my reckoning that's around ?500 over the odds even for an absolutely mint bike from a dealer. ***edit**** I'm in Swansea BTW)

This is true, I bought mine used from Fowlers in Bristol, I wanted to buy from a dealer as you get some guarantee, of course you have to pay for it. I sort of bought it unseen, with Fowlers "preping" it for me with the understanding that if I didnt like it then thats OK. I bought a return railway ticket to reduce the self induced pressure to buy.

Originally Posted by Mogs

This is true, I bought mine used from Fowlers in Bristol, I wanted to buy from a dealer as you get some guarantee, of course you have to pay for it. I sort of bought it unseen, with Fowlers "preping" it for me with the understanding that if I didnt like it then thats OK. I bought a return railway ticket to reduce the self induced pressure to buy.

Thanks for that - I'd forgotten about Fowlers - out of interest can you remember what level of scrutiny do they give their used bikes prior to sale? and what sort of warranty did they provide you with (have checked website and its a bit light on that info)?

They have a 1999 SV for sale on there for ?2k - my feeling is that this is a tad high even for a dealer (?1.8 would be realistic in my mind) - of course if its immaculate, has FSH, a few worthwhile mods (ad doesn't really give much info), and comes with a really through pre-sale checkover and warranty then perhaps this isn't too bad - any thoughts?

[SoulKiss]

How about a 2002 Fully faired Curvy for £2kish

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=108055

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

How about a 2002 Fully faired Curvy for £2kish

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=108055

Looks like an excellent deal - although to be honest it'll be about 6 weeks until the commission cheque that's paying for the bike arrives in my bank - so I'm just researching and tire kicking just now - wouldn't want to waste a private seller's time by pretending to be in the market for a quick sale

Out of interest how much, if anything, do you reckon adding the lower front fairings adds to the value of the bike?

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

How about a 2002 Fully faired Curvy for £2kish

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=108055

Won't find a nicer curvey than Quiff's. We can both vouch for Law and Quiffs bikes too, so you know you aren't being ripped off.