5,000 and counting.

The first 5,000 miles.

Just thought that I would do a brief review of how the 2016 SV has shaped up over the first 5,000 miles of ownership, bloody marvelous, the end.

Ok so a little more detail then. Firstly so as to give some context, I am 63 years of age and have been riding since the age of 16 both professionally and for leisure averaging about 10,000 miles per year so as near as damn it I have ridden close to half a million miles in total.

All types of machines have been owned and ridden over the years, sports bikes, tourers, adventure, maxi scooters, modern classics in truth I cannot think of any area of road based motorcycle that I have not had the privilege of trying over the years (I even once had the dreaded Harley, but don’t tell anyone).

So the SV, if there was a Nobel price for motorcycle power units the bloke who designed the SV engine should be a walk over and in it's latest refined guise is better than ever. Indeed I honestly believe that for “real world” present day road use there is no better unit. It has bags of character, linear delivery, it is smooth, has an enviable reliability record, has more than enough power to be of great fun and more importantly it is useable and accessible (if you have had the “pleasure” of riding a big sports bike lately you will know that they are totally useless to the road rider) It is a slim unit and very economical, I get anywhere from 60 to 75 mpg depending on mood and circumstances and not a drop of oil has been consumed. The now recommended 7,500 oil change intervals are very welcome but I still did a oil and filter @ 4,000 very easy and as I fully intend to hang on to this bike for some time it’s getting pampered. In standard form the induction sound is most welcome but I have recently added a “Fuel” end can which I am currently running with the baffle fitted and it has added to the joy that is riding the SV.

The handling is light and and accurate and has never given any cause for concern. A very big improvement, especially in the wet was made with the fitment of Michelin PR4’s. The standard fit tyres felt a little wooden so my rationale was for the sake of some £200 the true potential of the bike could be enjoyed and I was not wrong. Suspension could be improved but it is not a priority at this time as I find the standard equipment fine (12 stone).

I did however have a big issue on the comfort front, the ergonomics of the bike were spot on for me but the seat was torture. It became uncomfortable after about an hour then it was all downhill after that. I had the seat refoamed and slightly remodelled by Core of Lincoln and it is no longer an issue. It did however raise a little problem as the seat would now absorb water through the new stitching. This has now been addressed and cured with the application of a Silicon tent seam sealer, result.

Initially I was a little disappointed with the brakes but they have improved measurably as the miles have added but some alternative pads will be tried later on. The ABS is effective and non intrusive.

The addition of an MRA screen has been very positive making cruising on or about the legal limit very comfortable.

In conclusion I now have a bike costing not a lot over £6k that I would happily tackle any duty from touring to commuting to back road tomfoolery without hesitation confident in the fact that I would enjoy every single mile.

Geoff.

[Craig380]

That's a good-looking bike, and the seat really complements it. Glad you like it.

Originally Posted by macamxthe1st

If there was a Nobel prize for motorcycle power units, the bloke who designed the SV engine should be a walk over.

Completely agree. Even now, after well over a year on my K6, I'm still coming up behind a car that's doing around 50mph, giving it a little extra whiff of throttle, breezing past, going to change up to 6th and ...... finding I'm already in 6th

The instant grunt at almost any revs is excellent, as it the way it goes when you do give it some beans.

Excellent write up and I couldn't agree more with everything you said, especially regarding the seat!

I've just had mine re-done by Tony Archer but I've no idea how big an improvement has been made as someone has my rear caliper hanger at the moment to match for fitting a gixxer back wheel.

I noticed that he had put a layer of polythene between the outer cover and the foam and guessed that this was to stop the foam from getting wet, just a different way round it.

Do you do any "two up" riding? That's my only complaint about the bike really. Not quite enough go about it then, perfectly adequate when I'm by myself but with the boss on the back I'd like a bit more oomph to save dropping gears and the inevitable helmet clash, rib digging and lecture at the next stop. It has been suggested that I could just drive a bit slower, worth a shot I suppose?

You got a way to go till she is really "broken in"; http://imgur.com/7lS0DcP

[John1411]

Currently I'm getting about 200 miles easily when adding the miles done since refill onto the range to go. Have you ridden the bike until both the petrol pump sign and the last fuel level dash are flashing? Done it only the once and just after then the range display went ---- IIRC. I suspect that the range is to the both flashing, giving hopefully another 20 miles before I'm pushing the bike!

Any comments on my thoughts regarding the "range".

Did it this morning, both pump and segment flashed @ 207 miles.

Geoff.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by macamxthe1st

Did it this morning, both pump and segment flashed @ 207 miles.

Geoff.

thats impressive considering the tank is smaller than the pointy.

[John1411]

Originally Posted by macamxthe1st

Did it this morning, both pump and segment flashed @ 207 miles.

Did the range to go go to zero, or was almost a zero when they both flashed Geoff?

Out on the bike today and a mix of riding speeds saw a consumption of 15 miles per litre, which gives a range of 207 miles, except I reckon to get at least an extra litre in the tank if I take a minute to dribble the fuel in after the fuel has reached the screen type of baffle at the bottom of the filler neck.

Originally Posted by John1411

Did the range to go go to zero, or was almost a zero when they both flashed Geoff

Failed to check that, will do next opportunity.

Geoff.

Just checked it, both icon and segment flashed @14 miles range. Range continued to count down.

Geoff.