definitions

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by Bike27

Suzuki certainly don't do the 2016+ SV styling any favours with the stock tail and exhaust

...didn't bother me. and the bike rear wheel throws up so much dirt that I wanted every bit of the tail.

Originally Posted by Bike27

still i'd be very interested to hear the jury's verdict if it turns out my bike is indeed fugly and i'm just deluded

it's modified to your taste and if you like it, that's all that matters.

Incidentally, if you have a dual seat you should have passenger footpegs, it's an MOT failure without. Whether an MOT inspector would pick it up is another matter. You're supposed to make it impossible to carry a passenger if you've removed the pegs - by fitting a cowl for example.

If that's a Pyramid hugger, I recommend you remove it and reinforce it otherwise it will break like this:



It is constructed by plastic welding/glueing the upperhalf to the lower half, you can see where the laminated pieces meet (red circle). For my second one I epoxied some rubber sheet between the upper and lower sections (on the inside, of course) but replaced it with a more functional hugger later. The first Pyramid hugger failed after about 6 months.

[Bike27]

Originally Posted by Seeker

...didn't bother me. and the bike rear wheel throws up so much dirt that I wanted every bit of the tail.
.

The tail didn't bother me so much either when I had the topbox on but as the bike is stock, to my eye the styling is fairly nineties looking from the front and moving rearwards right untill you get to the exhaust and tail, both of which would have looked a bit unusual in that decade I feel.

Although I'm still a bit undecided on the MT07 styling, at least the whole look "gels" more in my opinion.

I agree that the stock tail will be far more practical in wet weather, I'm hoping to largely avoid that on mine now - horses for courses.

Originally Posted by Seeker

Incidentally, if you have a dual seat you should have passenger footpegs, it's an MOT failure without. Whether an MOT inspector would pick it up is another matter. You're supposed to make it impossible to carry a passenger if you've removed the pegs - by fitting a cowl for example.
.

Thanks for pointing that out, I shall probably find out next year when the first one falls due.

Might have known that once and it certainly makes sense a bit like the indicators rule - if you have no indicators but still have the switch - it was always a fail, as your indicator "system" was classed as defective. I seem to remember just taping over the switch got around that one. I wonder if a bit of barbed wire taped over the seat would help?

Not too much pain involved refitting the pegs at MOT time if needed, taking them off has actually shed a not inconsiderable 1.5kgs (given we are only talking pillion pegs). Although - on second thoughts - as I now plan to keep the SV long term, the thought of having to do that every year would involve considerably more pain. As I've still got the old seat I suppose I could glue a home made cowl to it especially for MOT time - I dare say I could do a reasonable job by cutting up an old bucket

It is indeed a Pyramid hugger, would be good to get it off for a clean in that area anyway, so thanks for the warning. I haven't examined it closely recently, but it appears to have held up ok through the whopping 2250 miles I've covered as well as an unknown number of the 1641 miles the previous owner covered......so erm I suppose that's better than nothing.

What hugger did you replace it with Seeker?

[Bike27]

Originally Posted by Seeker

It's modified to your taste and if you like it, that's all that matters.

I know.

However, as judgement has been passed down on the previous generations, it seemed wholly reasonable to me that after 4 years on sale similar judgement could also now be passed down on the current generation. I theorised that perhaps the provision of further photographic evidence could assist in the passing of such a judgement, so I took it upon myself to provide some.

Alas, perhaps even a veritable avalanche of such evidence might not be enough to lead to a suitable pronouncement now, as if it can indeed be true that even after 4 years on sale no judgement has been reached so far, I fear the real issue may be total apathy.

[Seeker]

I've had 2 curvys - I think the curvy was the best looking of all the SV models. The box frame sections of the pointy looked too large to me, out of proportion. I didn't like the colours nor the sloping headlamp of the Gladius. The AL7 is, perhaps, the best motorcycle I've owned in terms of performance, economy, comfort (except seat), reliability. Is it the best looking in my eyes? No. Is it ugly, no. I don't like all the plastic bits that run below the tank - I think the blue frame/white tank was the best looking paint scheme (so far).

Everytime I look at the MT07 all I see is that enormous catalytic converter/silencer box, most pictures of the Yam are shown from the other side. The AL7's cat and silencer looks far more balanced to me.

My riding began round about the time multi cylinder bikes started appearing - generally the exhaust count matched the cylinder count and they were chrome. I can't have this anymore because chrome is a nasty chemical and old bikes were polluters - the pieces added to modern bikes to fix these things often make them ugly (to my eyes). I still think the Kawasaki H1 in two tone green is the most beautiful bike ever made although, arguably, the least practical.

Hugger? I fitted a RedFox hugger from a Gladius - it was the biggest I could find! https://www.red-fox.com/huggers/suzu...ladius-huggers
RedFox say it won't fit the AL7.

[shiftin_gear98]

Bike27 - Borderline Fugly.

If you had black wheels, it'd be less Fugly.

[Bike27]

Originally Posted by Seeker

I've had 2 curvys - I think the curvy was the best looking of all the SV models. The box frame sections of the pointy looked too large to me, out of proportion. I didn't like the colours nor the sloping headlamp of the Gladius. The AL7 is, perhaps, the best motorcycle I've owned in terms of performance, economy, comfort (except seat), reliability. Is it the best looking in my eyes? No. Is it ugly, no. I don't like all the plastic bits that run below the tank - I think the blue frame/white tank was the best looking paint scheme (so far)............

I still think the Kawasaki H1 in two tone green is the most beautiful bike ever made although, arguably, the least practical.

Before buying my AL8, I took a good look at the Gladius - online where it was safer.

I still had to lie down for a few hours afterwards though

Cheap shots aside I felt I could have probably learned to live with the sloping headlight, it was the huge slablike footrest hangers I really detested



There's no doubt a Gladius can offer stonking value, but I knew I'd end up wanting to rebuild half of it in the end (just for superficial styling reasons) and after the hassles of my 390 duke I wanted something I could just get on and ride.

Of the naked SVs I like the latest one the best (when modified to my taste )

(I used to own a naked curvy)

I just think comparing faired and unfaired bikes is a bit like comparing apples with pears, I do think a faired pointy can look really good, especially with the full fairing and black frame beams.

Not crazy about the black plastic panels between tank and frame on the current SV either, it's a major reason why I was more drawn to the black and red colour scheme than the white and blue one (which I certainly liked) as naturally the black panels are less obvious.

No idea what I would pick as "most beautiful bike ever made" but yes, a two tone green H1 is a very strong contender - agreed !

[svenrico]

It's all a matter of opinion of course but I can't stand so called tail tidies which spoil the look of any bike I think.
I think the rear end of my 2020 SV650A looks ok and want to keep it for aesthetic and practical reasons. I am starting to think the original silencer looks a bit big and bulky although the shape is ok. The strange patterned plastic panels under the tank are just weird - what were Suzuki thinking ?

[svenrico]

'Everytime I look at the MT07 all I see is that enormous catalytic converter/silencer box, most pictures of the Yam are shown from the other side. The AL7's cat and silencer looks far more balanced to me.'
Yes, the current SV650A exhaust system has a cat and silencer that look like a 'proper' motorcycle exhaust and not something off a scooter like the silencer box with fake silencer as used on a lot of other current bikes.

[Bike27]

Originally Posted by shiftin_gear98

Bike27 - Borderline Fugly.

If you had black wheels, it'd be less Fugly.

WooHoo !!



it's great to know where circa £700 of styling mods - seat / ridiculously priced screen (see other thread) / carbon can / exhaust hanger / tail tidy etc. etc. can get you.

Best mate who like me has been riding since the late eighties and has had a fair few bikes over the years thinks it looks "aggressive and cool". He's currently kind of back in the late eighties (he owns a FZ750) which to anyone under 40 looks like this:



So I reckon anyone can agree he understands what a motorcycle should look like

Hmmm.....Aggressive / Cool / Borderline Fugly probably a bit like an MT07 then

I reckon you could be on to something with the black wheels comment SG. The frame finish is superb, the wheels not so much. black or graphite grey might be a future option.

[Craig380]

My AL7 has the blue tank with big white stripe, black frame & wheels. Suzuki's wheel paint is dog-egg, whatever the colour. I really like the look of the Gen 3s: the MT-07 is too 'Transformers' for me and the XSR just looks like it was dragged through a breakers' yard backwards. Oddly, I like the MT-09's styling.

I do love the original half-faired FZ, though.