2006 SV650 - What immediate work needs doing?

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Nice bike.You can check the chain yourself and no abba stand required.Make sure there is at least 3cm up and down slack in the middle of the lower chain run.That bit just behind the footrest in pic 5.Dont be tempted to overtighten it.Too much slack is better than too little.It needs a bit of oil on it at all times or it gets dry and will quickly wear out.
Practice checking the engine oil level.Hold it upright and work out a way of looking at the level in the sight glass.Get in the habit of checking that regularly.Some SVs use a bit and running low will destroy the engine.££££Ouch.Other than that just ride it and enjoy.

+10

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by garynortheast

Put ACF50 on with a cloth. You don't need a lot. Spray a little on to an area and then use the cloth to wipe it on/spread it. It works everywhere - metalwork and plastics although you are well advised to keep it away from the brake discs otherwise you may be in for a nasty shock when you try to stop.
Generally if you are going to ride the bike over the winter I'd advise giving it a thorough clean and then use the ACF50 on it. No need to keep reapplying it, if the bike gets particularly dirty just rinse it down with cold water so any salt doesn't become activated by the heat of warm water. You can always give it the odd reapplication over the winter just to keep the protection levels up, and then in spring, give it another good clean.
Make sure any areas of broken paint get a good treatment, it's a very good rust neutraliser/inhibitor.

What Gary says.I keep a Microfibre cloth I call my ACF50 cloth.Spray some onto it and use to wipe whatever as a protective coating e.g plastic/chrome/coolant pipes etc.

However if you also want to cut down on possible electrical failures you can use it sparingly into ALL electrical connectors and bulb holders.It's absolutely one of the best ever service treatments.
One very important place to use it is by removing the rear fairing and clean and treat the large Stator connector,the one with the three thick yellow wires.

It was originally developed by the Lear Jet company and we use it in the Aircraft industry.

Tip:The plastic pipes that Aerosols like this come with are too long and get flicked off a lot.Just cut one in half and keep the other half as a spare.

Warning...stupid question, but the manual doesn’t tell me this.

Imagine I want to tighten my chain. Which way would I screw the two adjuster bolts. I’m thinking left so that the axle moves back, but I don’t wanna mess this up...

Thanks!

[Adam Ef]

You do want the axle to move back, yes.

[R1ffR4ff]

Looking from the rear of the bike forward you tighten the Allen bolts clockwise to pull the chain back(1999 Curvy).The manual recommends the slack to be between 20/30mm at the middle point on the chain where it can be moved the most with the bike on the Side-Stand so the chain/Swinging arm is under normal road tension.

I double-check that the distances on both sides are equal by using a tape measure from the Centre of the Swinging arm bolt to the centre of the Axle bolt.

So long as you get the chain slack between 20/30mm you will be OK and a slightly slack chain is better than too tight.Most Youtube videos have the bikes on a rear Paddock stand so it's not super critical so long as you are between 20/30mm at the slackest point.

This should help,

[Biker Biggles]

The most common mistake is to overtighten the chain.If you really need to take up slack you will find that a very small adjustment of the screws tightens the chain a lot.About a quarter turn is usually plenty.

[Red ones]

The 20-30 mm adjustment is when the bike is in the side stand. If you do 30 mm adjustment on paddock stand then the chain is too slack. This is because the swingarm pivots about a locus rearward of the front sprocket. It's best to do the drive chain adjustment on the side stand and aim for 20-30mm slack.

If you tighten by 0.25 turn on one side make sure you do 0.25 turn on the other. So long as the wheel was once straight, the threads on the adjusters will then pull the wheel back evenly. This way you only need check the wheel is true after is has been taken out/replaced for tyres, sprocket etc.

Thanks All! I will adjust the chain on the side stand.

I guess I'm still a bit confused...my adjusters (2006 sv650s) are bolts, not allen key. Now would I turn this clockwise or anti-clockwise to tighten. My brain just can't compute it...

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by korre

Thanks All! I will adjust the chain on the side stand.

I guess I'm still a bit confused...my adjusters (2006 sv650s) are bolts, not allen key. Now would I turn this clockwise or anti-clockwise to tighten. My brain just can't compute it...

This videos shows it.You tighten the chain using a clockwise motion on the nuts,

I took my adjusters out and took any corrosion off them with a wire brush and greased the threads

[Craig380]

Turn the bolts clockwise to tighten - and just to be doubly clear, carefully find the tightest spot on the chain, i.e. the spot with the least slack, and set the correct tension at that point.