First run out

Howdie - I'm new around here.......very new in fact :

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=177795

I passed my mod 2 on Thursday last week and my trusty steed arrived the same day. Good timing?! There's a pic at the bottom of my bike. Hope you like it!

Anyway, I did my first decent run (150 miles) over the weakend and thought I'd post my thoughts/experiences. Probably old news to a lot of people but it's new to me, and I'm like a kid before Xmas! Want to tell everyone but the Mrs, kid and the dog are bored hearing about it, so you lot are getting it.

I live in Kirkcaldy and my parents have a wee holiday home in Dunkeld. There's various ways of getting between the 2 but I wanted to combine a bit of motorway, twisty roads, roundabouts, junctions, etc to basically continue my learning from my lessons/test. Could have done it all twisty B-roads and could have done it all on motorway but opted for a combination of the two..........

http://g.co/maps/z38ks

Basically it was ****ING it down on Friday but the weather was decent on Sat & Sun so I went regardless. Varied between showers and downpours all the way up. Shock came when I turned on the A9 onto the wee road that goes to their place and there was 1/2 inch of snow on the ground! Proper crapped myself and had to go slow. Walking speed in fact. Nevermind - got there ok which is the main thing.

First impressions of the bike are great. I learnt on a ER6-N and whilst similar on paper, they are totally different. The SV has NO (and I mean NO) steering lock compared to the ER6. The first few junctions were interesting to say the least. No problems though - just not as easy as the ER6. By the time I got there and certainly by the time I got home I was fine with it. Might pop to an industrial estate though for a wee practice just to keep the basic skills fresh.

Secondly the riding position is proper different. On the ER6 I was sat up but on my SV I'm practically lying down. This is cool but my forearms and hands hurt a wee bit but the time I got up North. Nothing major though but something for me to think about before doing any really long distance stuff.

In addition, the fuel consumption seems really good. I filled on Friday with the light on and it cost me £18. I've done 150 miles and the lights still off. Great success!

Lastly, the bike is f*cking rapid compared to the ER6. Obviously I didn't nail it on the lessons but coming off a roundabout and getting up to 70 was radically different on the ER6 vs the SV. Sounds lovely too.

On Saturday I drove along to Crieff and back. Nice wee ride and it got me up to a decent speed on the bends. I'm still no racer but I'm now a LOT better than I was the day before. Easily keeping up with traffic and overtaking where appropriate. Much more confident. Route is here :

http://g.co/maps/ec4pq

Enjoyed the day. Very sunny and passed loads of bikes. Clearly a popular road. Loved it.

Today I came home and used the same route as Friday. However, with it being dry and my confidence/ability/bike familiarity being 100 times increased since Friday I opened it up a bit more and was flying really smoothly along.

Loved every minute of it. I personally think the SV is a PERFECT bike for someone like me. I'm just out of my DAS and am 31 so I don't want to ride a "kids" bike but am also aware that anything sporty is going to get me in bother. The SV looks the nuts. Very very aggressive and sporty but with circa 80bhp it's fun but not lethal.

I love it.

K

Good write up of a good run!

Take your time to get the confidence levels up - and don't worry, the aching arms and wrists will reduce over time ... but the sore airse will normally help you monitor time!

I'd come from other bikes but I could barely move after my first Sunday ride on the SV.

So on that note... Hopefully see you out and about on a run some time!

[Artful]

Nice write up Kev.

Good to see you are enjoying yourself and confidence is growing.

Great roads up that way too.

Bike looks very nice.

Hopefully you will be able to make the next run.

[TheRamJam]

Excellent stuff boss!!

Enjoy the bike and hope to see you on a few Org runs soon

[appollo1]

Hello


Good Evening


and Welcome


glad to see another satisfied SV owner enjoying their bike. ride safe

[Blue Flame]

That first proper ride is what really get's you hooked.

Originally Posted by kevduncan

This is cool but my forearms and hands hurt a wee bit but the time I got up North. Nothing major though but something for me to think about before doing any really long distance stuff.

On this point. The chances are you are stiffening up your arms and gripping too tightly. Try and relax the arms (slightly bent). Gripping the tank with the knees helps.

Ride safe. This is the start of the learning curve.

Edit.... thought for a minute there that you had knicked my dog !!!

[STRAMASHER]

Good read.
My first bike had 12 bhp and I regarded it as a 2stroke fleeing machine, so its always makes me smile when I read what it feels like unleashing a proper powerful bike like an SV...... etc I would imagine!

What Blue Flame says is the top tip for getting a bit more comfortable and being in better control. It will also come with experience... a lighter grip on the bars , looking further ahead etc.

The only thing I might add is riding with the balls of your feet on the footpegs. Spreads the weight of you more evenly and aids control in the corners. Oh and try lowering/turning down round the bar the clutch and brake levers, this also helps the comfort and control aspect.

Take your time as there is no end point cos you never stop learning on them (one of the reasons I can't keep off the things!)

Wee Rover there looks a bit guilty, has he "christened" a wheel yet?

Bike looks lovely, have fun and ride safe.

It's good fun this biking lark, isn't it?

Aye - wish I'd done it sooner.

K