Lowering a SV650?

Anyone lowered their SV650 using a combination of links, seat and/or any other creative method? If so, how much were you able to lower the bike by? What was your experience lowering the front? How happy are/were you with the ride that resulted?

I am 5'3" with a 28" inseam and currently ride an '87 Honda 450 Rebel which was my first bike. The rebel was a great bike to learn on but my desire for speed exceeded its' mechanical limits.

I really want to move to a sport bike but am having difficulty finding one where my inseam isn't a problem. I would like to flat foot it, but maybe that's just a fantasy. I am most interested in an SV650S. Sat on one yesterday in a shop but had a couple of problems:

1) Due to height of bike and seat I was up on balls of feet (ok truthfully, toes!)

2) Since feet barely reach floor, peg location was directly up against back of calves (is that normal for this bike and does that cause problems?)

Am I destined to be a BOB on a sport bike or is lowering this bike do-able?

Beth

[TSM]

Kate, Samnooshka & Jambo are the specialists at this.

Hi Beth,

I know nothing about lowering the steed. However, I got round the problem of "ducks disease" (backside to near the floor ) with a pair of Daytona Lady Star boots.... I reckon they give me an extra 1.5 inches in height....

Hi Beth, i'm also 5 foot 3 and have a K5. When i first sat on it in the show room it felt really tall so i had it lowered using the longer dog bones and dropping the front forks through. I now can get my feet, not flat on the ground but firmly and safely planted. I have just got used to automatically shifting my bum on the seat as i come to a stop so that i put my left foot flat on the floor as i stop and the right one stays on the back brake. Fortunatly the SV isn't to heavy and is easy to hold like this. I never got a lowered seat but obviously that would make life even easier.

I also understand your comment about the foot pegs being at calf hieght. When i first got the SV my left calf was black and blue because when i came to a stop i had to put my foot down in front of the peg cos thats where it automatically landed. Then as i pulled away the peg caught my leg. I soon learnt to move my leg behind the peg whilst i was stationary.

As for the handling i obviously don't notice anything cos it's all i'm used to but Fizz rides my bike alot and also has an SV, the only thing he noticed was it turns into corners a little bit slower, but nothing that was a problem or made it awkward to ride.

The SV is definatly do-able for you, try and find some one near you with a lowered one and have a sit on it. If you get one i'm sure you'll love it.

Also as mentioned above, Boot selection is crucial, I changed from a pair of Sidi Black Rains to a pair of Alpinestars SMX3's the alpinstars have a thicker sole and its easier to get my foot down now.

Hello! Yep, the SVS is lowerable. I am 5'1" with a inside seam of 26/27" and I managed to lower the SV so that I could get either one foot comfortably flat or both balls of my feet on the ground.

I can also suggest the Daytona Ladystar boots, the built up soles are really handy and they are also excellent all-round boots. You can put longer links in the SV, drop the forks and lower the preload at the back. The lower you have the preload the more bouncy it is though, still ok but something to keep in mind. I actually raised the back up a bit after I got used to the SV. You can also get a lower seat for the SV, either an official lower seat or just by taking out padding of the standard seat.

I would suggest the K4 upwards, I had a K3 and didn't realise its actually the highest of all the SVs, oops. They changed a few things in the model after that and the K4, K5 and K6 are lower to start with.

If you find you are still struggling slightly you could put a lighter exhaust system on the SV. I put a full racing Hindle system on my bike and the weight difference was amazing, it made handling the bike a lot easier.

HTH.

If you are after sports bike why not get a race rep 400 instead of an SV?? They are already ickle, so you should fit on one without modification and it will give you all the sports bike fun. I believe this is why 400s are popular with bitc<stopped mid-flow> … er ladies …

Thanks for all the info everyone. Great help.

Also, can someone tell me if this bike can manage on gravel or dirt roads. Not serious off-roading just the occasional "oops, pavement ends here, eh"?

I'm about 5ft5 and all I've done is lowered the seat and I can just about flat feet on both sides now. I lowered the seat by replacing the foam rather than cutting the existing foam, thought it would be easier like this as I imagine cutting into foam to be quite tricky. I find the seat actually more comfortable now and looks ok although not perfect. the seat is very high and you can get a good 1.5 inches of it. Also I have the K3, I believe the later versions are slightly lower too.

Personally I'd recommend getting a smaller bike like a 400, as good as the SV650s looks, and as much lowering you can do, it's still a big bike, the fuel tank in particular. Smaller bikes are generally thinner and easier to man-handle (or woman-handle ).

Originally Posted by Beth

Thanks for all the info everyone. Great help.

Also, can someone tell me if this bike can manage on gravel or dirt roads. Not serious off-roading just the occasional "oops, pavement ends here, eh"?

I've had a few of those moments and managed to stay upright on my curvy.