Originally Posted by Spanner Man

Hi there
Apart from the obvious signs of neglect/crash damage, SV's are a little prone to the following: Binding brakes, put the brakes on firmly, hold them on for a few seconds & release them. The bike should roll foreward with minimal effort, if it doesn't the calipers could be in need of a strip & clean/lube, or at worst an overhaul. That is around £90 to do the fronts, & £50 for the rear inc labour.....Headrace bearings: Turn the handlebars slowly from side to side, if you feel a notch in the straight ahead position you're looking at bearing replacement, aropund the £100 mark using genuine bearings....Camchain tensioners: SV engines are normally fairly quiet, any rattles at idle, or as the revs drop after blipping the throttle, you're looking at replacing the tensioners about £50 each (There are two of them but the front cylinder is the most prone) plus about an hours labour.....There are a lot of nice SV's around, so take your time. Hope it helps.