consumable upgrades

[yorkie_chris]

HEL are fine IMO.

Ginger, my reply about upgrading consumables missed out the totally f##kin obvious ... and that is that the first upgrade needs to be a pair of good quality tyres.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Personally I'd go penske rear, just because of how much range there is in penske parts, meaning you could easily set up one for another bike if you change.

Hyperpro springs... hmmm. Springs is springs. If you want decent, go for some cartridge internals.

Hmmmm, thats me sucked in by marketing again then. Do progressive srpings not provide as much of a benefit as Hyperpro claim then? Must be a bit better than a linear spring, the principal seems sound enough to someone with my limited knowledge.

What do cartridge internals consist of then? and how much?

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

HEL are fine IMO.

Ginger, my reply about upgrading consumables missed out the totally f##kin obvious ... and that is that the first upgrade needs to be a pair of good quality tyres.

I think KG has Pirelli Diablo Strada but sure he'll be along to confirm soon.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

HEL are fine IMO.

Ginger, my reply about upgrading consumables missed out the totally f##kin obvious ... and that is that the first upgrade needs to be a pair of good quality tyres.

Thanks to all for your responses. I am quite happy to use oem parts if there is no discernable improvement / benefit. However as stated even someone of my limited experience and ability noticed the "difference" in suspension and braking against some of the test ride bikes.
As I said at the outset this is an exercise to generate a list of recommended upgrades for the consumable parts of the bike but only when they reach the end of their natural life.

Us Jocks are even tighter than you yorkshire lads

I didnt find the standard tyres a problem until i'd replaced them (worn out) and stuck stradas on, then felt the difference. However as the SV was my first bike the standard tyres were probably more that adequate for my riding ability.

rear sprocket Not an upgrade, the OEM stuff is fine. Maybe change the ratios a bit Purely for more acceleration lower top speed???? And do you only change the rear sprocket ratio?
front brakes Braided lines + HH pads will sort them. HH???, why not calipers? What about the discs?
rear suspension Stick another bikes shock in there. Or pay mental money for an aftermarket. Which other bikes shocks fit???
front fork springs Get a heavier spring + oil kit. Complements the improved brakes very nicely. I assume you mean higher viscosity for the oil and increasing the N/M value of the spring, do you know the original figures / recomended improvements for these (remembering I'm a big lad) If not I'm sure I can find them.


Thanks again to everyone who replied

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Hmmmm, thats me sucked in by marketing again then. Do progressive srpings not provide as much of a benefit as Hyperpro claim then? Must be a bit better than a linear spring, the principal seems sound enough to someone with my limited knowledge.

What do cartridge internals consist of then? and how much?

Hyperpro claim a lot of b0llocks about progressive springs. They claim that a linear spring has a natural frequency, it does, but with oil in the forks this is an overdamped system, you'll never get the resonance they say is so dangerous. About the only difference in harmonics between progressive and linear is if you drop a spring on the floor it goes "bong" instead of "bing". Hardly dangerous.

The problem with progressive springs is in the damping action. How do you valve for progressives? You'd need a system with loads more rebound damping at the bottom of the stroke. Not gonna happen.


Stock SV stuff is a "damper rod" fork, which is the simplest, cheapest type of fork. Damping is produced by forcing oil through holes. The problem is with fluid going through a hole is the resistance is a function of the speed squared. So if you double the speed of travel, you get 4x the damping force.
Result is the fork is soggy as owt under braking, but locks up hitting a sharp bump.

A cartridge has lots of washers in it, the edges of the washers can flex, but only one way (meaning seperate rebound and compression damping action). The springiness of the washers means you can adjust the low speed action to be quite stiff, yet still have compliance for bumps etc.

The traxxion AK-20s you can get replace the stock internals entirely. They're about £500. Ceri JC has some similar things, Matris I think. Ask him how much his were...


rear sprocket Not an upgrade, the OEM stuff is fine. Maybe change the ratios a bit Purely for more acceleration lower top speed???? And do you only change the rear sprocket ratio? Yes you can get some more acceleration, it doesn't really affect top speed because a standard bike won't reach the redline in 6th anyway. Only change the rear sprocket, decreasing the size of the front wears chains out quickly.

front brakes Braided lines + HH pads will sort them. HH???, why not calipers? What about the discs? You're stuck with the calipers because you said you didn't want a GSXR hybrid . The OEM discs are fine, or a set of EBC prolites or other cast iron ones would be an improvement. Stay away from wavy discs.

rear suspension Stick another bikes shock in there. Or pay mental money for an aftermarket. Which other bikes shocks fit???What SV you got? ZX6R for curvy, or a K5 ish GSXR one for pointy.


front fork springs Get a heavier spring + oil kit. Complements the improved brakes very nicely. I assume you mean higher viscosity for the oil and increasing the N/M value of the spring, do you know the original figures / recomended improvements for these (remembering I'm a big lad) If not I'm sure I can find them. The easiest way is to ring maxton and say "I weigh x stone and want some springs that work" Or go for a full internals swap with traxxion dynamics, matris etc. Linear rate springs are the only option if you are thinking of putting decent internals in the forks. Progressives will do if you're just wanting to improve it a little bit for cheap.

[Paul the 6th]

+ 1 for ebc hh pads and braided lines (hel were ghey but worked once fitted to the bike)

+ 1 for maxtons - they sorted my front end out amazingly and have since sold the springs to xXbadgerXx on here - he rang me up swearing and telling me he "F*CKING LOVE THEM MATE, I F*CKING ANNHIALATED A YAMAHA THUNDERPRAT ON THE WAY HOME" - really make the front feel like it should

+ 1 for better tyres. The dunlop d220's which come as standard should be banned. I was always a bit sceptical about sticky sports rubber but since I've got the sv1000, I've been waaay impressed with the continental road attacks. If you're after more mileage, avon storms have a good rep and give better grip than the dreadlops

+ 1 for beowulf cans - look great, sound great without being obnoxious and made in england

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

+ 1 for beowulf cans - look great, sound great without being obnoxious and made in england

Also a very sound and helpful bloke who runs the place.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

The problem is with fluid going through a hole is the resistance is a function of the speed squared. So if you double the speed of travel, you get 4x the damping force.
Result is the fork is soggy as owt under braking, but locks up hitting a sharp bump.

Ah, so that explains the SV's big clonk off the front forks whenever you hit a pot hole then.