back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Hi Guys,

27 years old and only experience with biking was for a year at 18-19 (8-9 years ago)

Had a sv650s, first model which was restricted.

Due to being restricted it was powerless and very poor to ride as you couldn't corner corectly (no engine braking or acceleration mid corner meaning change gears mid corner or going in too hot and having to knock speed of!)

Basically I am comming back to biking and have been looking at various bikes. My aim is mainly some shorts tourning type trips, the odd ride-out at the weekend but need something fun, cheap and able to tkae some soft paniers etc.

I've looked at fazers, cbr6's vfr800's abd also naked bikes with bikini fairings like the kwack z750.

I then got the idea of the sv and due to cost this seems like a good option. Is the 650 enough of a bike or should I go for the sv1000s?

I am 6ft 3 and 200lbs (15.5stone).

price isn't an issue so again do I go second hand or new?

I've spent about 2 weeks looking at various things ont he net for tunning as I love the sound of vtwins. Whats the do's and don'ts when considering an sv. I've heard the front forks are soft, suspension is poor sometimes and that a new exhaust and screen are recommended for longer distance riding


phew that will do for now!! So any help in deciding what I should do along with experiences of other sv riders would be appreciated.

all advice welcome, cheers:smt039

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Grab yourself a 650. More than enough for the road. I've had faster bikes, but I keep coming back to the SV. All you need is uprated fork springs and heavier oil in the forks, anything else is a bonus!

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

not sure what 650 would be like being that tall. have a blast on both. if money is no option for bike/insurance i would prob go to the 1000 just because i could but 650 would be a better learning platform to get your ability back up.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I know far too many peeps that have restricted Svs that don't have any issues with handling etc. In fact theres a certain YC who is still up Scotland getting his knee down on his restrcited SV. You say you only had one for a year, and it was a few years back, so why not try again. My black SV came with it jacked up,as the previous owner had similar height and weight to you, and he racked up the miles on it. I had to take it all off as it was too tall for me. With the right suspension upgrades the SV is a cracking bike. I personally would n't go for a 100o just yet. I'd get back into biking with soemthing a little more forgiving like an SV650;)
I have 2 Svs, both set up completely differently, with two differemt riding styles, you can get a lot out of them, the list is endless

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I'd definately go for a 650 rather than a 1000 with that amount of experience.
The engines are very robust so long as they aren't starved of oil and as you're replacing the suspension (one of the first serious things to go wrong on higher mileage bikes) there shouldn't be any problems with a 2nd hand bike. So my advice would be to buy a fairly low mileage second hand bike for £3000 then spend the rest of your budget sorting the suspension (could even consider getting one with a ride height adjuster if you find the bike cramped) and, if you like the vtwin noise an end can, aftermarket air filter and remap. You should end up with a very capable, fun and nice sounding bike for under £4000. I'm 6'2" and have no real problems with the size of the SV, regularly ride 400 miles + in a day with no problems. Most of the double bubble screens can be had cheaply and make a fair bit of difference to the ride comfort at higher speeds.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Go for the SV650, it beats the SV1000 hands down!

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

1000.

Why?

Louder and faster top end.

But that's just me.:p

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Buy my 650! K3, low mileage, nice bike. PM if you fancy it.

I don't think you'd get anything extra out of a 1000 as you're relatively new to biking. (An extra can to risk damaging too!)
:)

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

750.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

650 to start with. A 1000 is a bit of a beast for a first bike back! ;)

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I've got a sv650 street fighter and I'm not that impressed even with suspension and other bits on it, great sound but poor ride.

I was looking at a z750 the other day and was really tempted, why not try your local dealer for a couple of test rides first.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

There is nothing wrong with the suspension on the SV, the ride on my road SV is fine, however how old is your bike? Why not replace the front springs and put in heavier oil? It works quite well for me as I don't weigh much, last check 144lbs.

The SV is a budget bike and also and awesome bike which can be set up the requirments of the rider, they also make great race/track bikes.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

<chokes on cornflakes>

Clearly there is, or you wouldn't immediately then go on to suggest making changes to it, beyond twiddling the odd non-existant adjuster.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Nah... 800cc

Nah... the SV1000 is an overweight pussy cat.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Nothing a a new set of springs and oil can't fix, it is a budget bike remember but that doesn't mean it is a lesser bike.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Thats the point I was trying to make!

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

the 650 does everything well, the thou is harder work but has a very noticable power increase, when i got my 1000 i always missed my 650.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

[quote=Bluethunder;1598557]There is nothing wrong with the suspension on the SV, the ride on my road SV is fine, however how old is your bike? Why not replace the front springs and put in heavier oil? It works quite well for me as I don't weigh much, last check 144lbs.

got gsxr front on it and still not a patch on my old cbr600 only positive upto now is that the sv sounds a lot better.
Even with mods its still feels like a budget bike

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I agree the handling is pretty poor even compaired to the 650 but the engine can bite back. Even if it is only 105BHP at the wheel :p Whats your mad machine doing now?

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I'll get a refund on the SV fan club membership I bought you Jon.
;)

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Resting in the garage, she's gust ate a whole tank full of unleaded...

109.6 bhp and 63ft/Ib

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

nice you got a Dyno? Id love to see how it makes (where) the power and torque! :D

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Not bad. I had my 750 on the dyno today - a measly 117.8 bhp and 61 ft-lb. Rubbish. Need a thou...

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

At the wheel? I doubt that... but I can be wrong (not too often though :p)

What you done to get that much?

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

cheers for the tips -- as you're all aware its pretty difficult deciding on a bike when you pick up the mags and people suggest the newest model is the latest greatest thing!!

I have a few quid to save up between now and jan when I plan to buy, so £3k budget seems doable -- what kins suspension set up so the 15-16stone guys have and excuse my ignorance here but what springs at the front do you get changed, I'm aware of the heavier oil etc.

Everyone advises to get a new filter and exhaust system to allow the v-twin to breather better, I saw an advert claiming that a full stainless system for 280 quid can add up to 30 BHP? surely this is nonesense?

thanks again

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

I weigh about 18 stone with gear and maybe a rucksack too, I'm 6'6" and have no problem with the stock setup. I do have a GSX-R front end on there though; but that just makes it ride better.

I recently rode about 1000 miles over a 4 day period and I was fine the day after. Bit of a sore **** though.

Oh, and 30 BHP from an exhaust is lies. Where was this being advertised? You might get 3 BHP extra, I guess

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Yeah, at the wheel.

<points at sig>

It's not an SV, btw!

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Ahhh yes missed that... Presumed you ment SV750. :rolleyes: Woops. Power is a little down on what id guess is normal 120-125bhp at the wheel but you seem to have more torque I thought normal was 55ft-lb ish.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Way OTT for a SV750, but around about right for a GSXR750 K4 from what I have seen.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

It's a bit low for a 750 K4 - should be about 120, maybe as high as 128 with a filter change and proper race can rather than the road-legal-with-baffles one it currently has. It's running slightly lean across the range but not enough for me to bother sorting out - it's just a good excuse to trade up to a thou (either 10R or Gixer) next year.

On the topic of distance on an SV, I did a couple of runs to France on mine, 900 miles or so over three days. No numb-bum whatsoever, it was a very competent tourer, if a bit slow and boring.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

Can't have been riding it very well then - I had oodles of fun on my SV when it was restricted (up until july 12th this year), and found that as long as I didn't attempt to keep up with GSXR's, I had a very enjoyable time - even two-up with a loaded topbox (jester's laptop!), I was able to maintain a half-decent pace on the annual rideout this year. You should have stuck with the restricted SV and learnt from it!

Anyway, my SV is now derestricted and the extra power is pretty handy - not as much as the extra revs though. The force of the engine braking hasn't changed in any way - there is plenty there to keep you on your toes if you are in the habit of thrashing it about and keeping the RPM's high when changing down gears. I recommend one as a bike to come back to riding on, but I am also aware that kawasaki Z750's are reported to be very good...

Within the 3K budget though, you have plenty of choice. I like the look of fazers (not the first model shape, the second incarnation) and you would even be able to pick up something like a K1 GSXR600, which is a great bike.

Matt

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

And today I had the 250 on.

55 at the wheel and a near vertical line at 10k rpm as the second valve opens.

220bhp/litre - can't say fairer than that.

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

No not at all! Im wanting to get my bike Dyno'd again to see what the craic is since I chipped it, if ive gained anything at the wheel and see if the fueling is sorted. It feels a LOT better now, just need to see if the Dyno says it is... :rolleyes:

Re: back to biking, 650 or 1000?
 

fair comment about the riding -- I did enjoy the bike but perhaps wasn't comfortable or confident on it. Oddly enough it felt better when I had my mates sister on the back, she was 9stone so maybe there was something to do with the set up................ come to think of it I didn't pay much attention to the tyre pressures etc back then and the list goes on...........

I do actually fancy a z750 but was thinking of a bike for funa dn for touring and from what I have read, the 750 offers very little in the way of wind protection. Quite diffifcult to say also with the 750 as many reviews claim it is budget this and budget that which sounds off putting.

gsxr609? due to my age (27) and lack of experience the quotes for even a cbr are DOUBLE what they are for the sv and about 300 more than the z750.

can anyone recommend a good insurere?

cheers guys