Tyres and stuff

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I bought a '99 SV650S just before Christmas and am having a few problems- firstly, she's not started twice- just a sparking sound from the battery and barely trying to turn over- the first time, I'd ridden her home from the dealer with no problems and on Xmas morning (minimally- not taxed you see), then left her for a couple of days and she wouldn't start- I took the battery out and my bro popped it on a charger, then it went back in- she started fine. I dropped her this morning (managed to put her down safely) just outside the flat (new rider, wobbly start...) and the same thing happened, despite having started first thing. The battery is new and there's charge there- the lights and alarm work fine- though obviously these don't take the same amount of power as the starter. I thought that perhaps the engine was flooded, but she went over in the gales the other day (see below...) but started fine after this and the first time was before that anyway.

Any suggestions? I've got a warranty with the dealer, but don't want to have missed something really stupid.

Also- the rear end doesn't feel at all stable on roundabouts- she seems to be slipping out quite easily- though the tyres passed the MOT last week, I fear she may need something a bit better than the ones on there- any suggestions for suitable tyres?

Finally- this one really gutted me,-she got blown over in the gales the other day and the right fairing's cracked where she landed on the indicator- any ideas on where to get a replacement panel- there's nowt on eBay at the mo, and what should I expect to be paying?

I really can't wait to get these problems sorted and take her out for a proper ride- but nothings easy is it?! When I put her down this morning, another SVS rider was passing and stopped to check I was OK- it's nice to be part of a community where people do give a damn- all the cars and cyclists passed me by- even as an experienced car driver, other drivers are often loth to stop and help...

Not asking much then...! Answers on a postcard please...!

the d

About the fact that you think it's sparking, is this a clicking noise heard from bike? A rapid clicking happens when the starter relay is firing, but the battery doesn't have the juice to push the starter motor.

I'm not aware of the SV's being fitted with one, but your lack of starting after a drop is possibly a tilt switch, kind of an automatic kill if you drop the bike. If you have one of these (I'm pretty sure my '06 doesn't) the usual trick is to turn the ignition on, and flick the KILL on/off a few times to reset the tilt circuit.

If it started for a while, then wouldn't again, I'd suspect the regulator/rectifier isn't working right (I bought the bike & they forgot to plug it in). Get it checked by the dealer as a starting issue, shouldn't cost anything labour wise if you have a warranty with them.

The tyres, horses for courses, I run on Metzler Z6 Roadtecs & love them, but other folks use other rubber, the forum has a handy search function.

The fairing, unlucky. Try the For Sale section of the forum, and you could look into some plastic welding toto bodge fix. I'd put some crash bungs on there too, to save it next time. I'm just in the middle of ripping up some of my garden to concrete some anchors in so I can tie the bike down when it's not in the garage, my bike will NOT be falling over in the breeze!

Don't worry too much about dropping the bike, it happens to everyone, really. I've dropped bikes in bushes, dropped a bike when trying to put it on the centre-stand, almost dropped it getting off to pay for fuel, all sorts of hijinks.

Welcome to the forum!

[northwind]

I would get the seat off and check the battery connections are firmly down- sounds daft but I had the negative connection come slightly loose, and the bike still ran perfectly, had lights etc, but was very hard to start. Could explain your sparking sound- usually I'd say that was the starter relay clicking, but not if the motor was turning over. Certainly implies a short or bad connnection somewhere. Also look at the side of the frame where the seat bolts in, sometimes those bolts rub into the wiring.

Panels can be tricky... They're on Ebay all the time but getting one in good shape and the right colour can be harder, and respraying puts the price right up. If you want it looking mint I suppose there's a case for buying new. On ebay you can pay anything between a couple of quid and £50, it's pretty random But, what I'd advise you do for now is bodge it back up and leave it as it is until you're a lot more comfortable on the bike. If you know how to do plastic welding, you can get it solidly fixed and just a little bit ugly, so it'll work just fine and if you do happen to drop it again, you won't need yet another panel.

And get some crash bungs

Last thing, tyres... Have a look and see what's on there, could be anything really... If they really are old bad tyres, as they might be, personally I'd bin them- but I'm very used to good tyres, and take them for granted now. There's nothing actually wrong with even the worst tyres you're likely to have fitted as long as you ride within their limits, but that's a) no fun, and b) not helpful when you're learning.

But find out what they are and go from there

[mattSV]

Welcome to the madhouse

Battery most likely to be the regulator/rectifier however have you checked that you are not leaving the key in the 'P' (parking light) position - I got a call from my brother in law on Xmas morning when he could not work out why my nephews new moped would not start, I went round there and found it left in the p position - luckily it also had a kick start

Tyres - what tyres are on there at the moment, and have you checked the pressures - also check that the rear preload has not been cranked right up. Metzeler Z6 Roadtecs are an excellent allround tyre, loads of grip and good wear - expect to pay around £180-£200 for a pair, fitted.

What colour fairing are you looking for - keep an eyeout in the forsale section as they do come up from time to time.

HTH

Matt

[Viney]

welcome. I can only echo the above comments. However, with regards to your tyres etc, 2 things. Check the pressures. As a start try 33psi in the front and 36psi in the rear. They are the stock settings for the bike. Some tyres run higher, but unless we know what rubbers fitted to the bike then we cant say for sure. Also allow your tyres to warm up. Again depends on whats on there, but a cold tyre will not grip as good as a warm one. Also, you say you are a new rider. No without trying to sound condesending, its not over exhubrance on your part? Just a thought.

As for pannels. A new side pannel, the most expensive on the bike iirc, is about £95 or there abouts.

If you dont get the starting problem fixed then get it back to the dealer pretty quick.

Hi & welcome.

Firstly, sorry haven't a clue when it comes to bike electrics so can't help there. Warranty?

Secondly, two drops in as many weeks is a warning not to get new fairing panels for a while. Either plastic-weld or soldering iron the ones you've got and get some new ones when you're sure you're over the beginners wobbles. Don't worry if it looks a little dodgy, many of us are wearing beginners battle scars (I've still got mine from 5 1/2 years ago ) but then I refuse to buy new panels and the right colour doesn't come up when I have spare cash. The fact that the Mrs is having my SV when I trade up in Spring confirms my plans to keep the existing panels on even though they are cracked - I'm possibly interested in some fairing lowers though

Thirdly, what tyres an age old question but as has been said - check pressures are correct and don't push 'em too hard until they're warmed up. Also, if the bike is still fitted with the stock Metzeler MEZ4 rubbers then bin the things as they are just pants, I really noticed the difference going over to Metzeler Roadtec Z6. Oh, and take it easy this time of year because the roads are slippy as hell.

Cheers for all the help guys- I actually thought about a tilt switch- remembering that I accidentally pushed the kill switch when she went over in the gale (when she started again)- I'll be storing her in a less exposed place in future. I'm gonna check the service docs for it as well ref the regulator....

It sounds like a cross between a rapid clicking noise and a sparking noise...

A crash course in bike maintenance then- could be worse I spose.

Good comments about keeping the fairings as is (only the right side is damaged) for now.

Tyres I'll look into- my first wet ride to fill the tank last night meant I wasn't really pushing her....

Originally Posted by thedonal

Tyres I'll look into- my first wet ride to fill the tank last night meant I wasn't really pushing her....

I'm around 10k miles into riding on the SV, and I don't consider myself pushing it*. I've also backed off a LOT due to the time of year. Roll on the play time, erm, I mean summer time.

Ride careful on your new steed!

*Others may disagree re: powersliding off roundabouts - not my fault, and dropping it after a jump start - completely my fault. I've also been known to ride where both tyres slide & giggle like a school girl, non of this however is important - honest!

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by thedonal

It sounds like a cross between a rapid clicking noise and a sparking noise...

I shall bet you a shiney english pound that you have a flat battery. Does the bike stand or has been standing for a long period and not get used ?

If so its probably the alarm draining the battery. It happens the best way to stop it happening is if you have a garage with an eletricy supply is to purchase an "Optimate" you can then plug the battery into the optimate and it'll charage the battery if its flat and then monitor the battery to keep it in tip top condition. They cost around the £30 mark and are IMHO well worth it.

But the regulator / rectifier is notorious on the older curvey SV for faling. Sometimes it would start sometimes it wouldnt even after a long ride. Theres a few checks you can do if you are handy with a multimeter that'll tell you if its charging or not. Use the search facility on the site and you should hopefully find the relevant thread.

The cold weather really is a strain on the battery, the SV has being a twin has a lot of compression and it needs a fair bit of turning over. As your battery is new I doubt its the actual battery thats causing the problem.

Sorry to hear about your drop. It happens... Just take your time and ride steady, the roads as you've probably found are really slippery at the moment.

[Biker Biggles]

Hi.Another vote for checking your battery connections and getting an Optimate.