Looking for info prior to purchasing a SV650

I'm looking for a new commuter bike. I ride 110miles/177km per day round trip here in the states. The commute is really great in that the first ten miles are non-stop country road right up to the interstate. I run 42 miles up the interstate and then jump off and ride 3 miles through mild city traffic to get me into work. I'm currently riding a '97 Thunderace which is really an excellent bike however it's obviously a little dated. I'm looking for a bike that has the following features :

1) Dependable. Must start up and run every day for 25,k~30,K miles per year.

2) Lowest maintenance possible. I can handle the usual oil/air filters, tires and chains but beyond that I really don't want to have to do valve adjustments ever 15,K~20,K miles after break-in.

3) Good, solid warranty. If it breaks, I want it replaced and the bike working ASAP. Downtime is to be kept to an absolute minimum.

4) Has to handle inclement weather. I ride in temps ranging from 8F/-13C up to 105F/41C.

5) Durable. It's going to be outside. A lot.

Of course fuel injection, 6 speed and the other items are going to come along with virtually any modern bike.

The other two bikes I've been considering are the Honda Interceptor and the BMW F800ST. The Honda is well back from seriously competing with the BMW however the Beemer has some serious issues with dependability.

Your recommendations and perspectives are highly appreciated.

[admin]

Have you thought about comfort. the Thunderace is a much bigger machine with a comfier seat.

I use my SV daily for a 40mile commute. No issues to report.

Valves need checking every 16k miles, but they may not need adjusting. I think you're going to get this with any bike, unless it has hydraulic valves.

The finish on the SV is not considered durable. It is a budget bike and built down to a price, but it is reliable.

John

The SV will do it, but as john said, the finish isnt the greatest. But stickin a hose over it to wash off any crud dosnt take 5 minutes.

If you get a carb'd SV, then it will start in cold temps - might wanna add a bit of additive in winter though to help with carb icing

Matt

[yorkie_chris]

The valves settle down at higher mileages, so it's unlikely to need adjusting more than a couple of times

I have thought of comfort and many other issues. Unfortunately there just aren't a lot of options for the daily drivers out there. The SV appears to be a very practical bike with a good deal of flexibility in after-market hardware. I would like to stay away from carbs if at all possible. I have 3 spare sets right now and I'm not planning on adding a fourth. Note that I'm looking at the SV650SF version. I do take care of my bikes and Tennessee doesn't really have the constant drizzle or other bad weather such as the northwestern US.

I would imagine that checking/adjusting valves on a V-twin to be a good deal easier than on the YZF. I'll have a look at the online manuals tonight.

Regarding the finish and such, what is the best preventative for it besides the mandatory wash ?

EDIT :

Also, are there any rumors to changes for the '09's ? I've been bit by the "upgrade bug" before and it's annoying.

[yorkie_chris]

V twin valves aren't too bad, less of them, but the tensioners are a bit of a pig to get to if they need adjusting. Fine if you've done it once.

best info i can give is the cuvey is a million times better than a pointy for looks and reliabilty... Ive heard the pointys break because there so ugly they dont want to last longer than a year or two..... of course this is what ive heard.

I'm just in from measuring the valve clearance on the YZF. I hope it's done breaking in ! The exhaust is supposed to be between .20 ~ .30 mm. It's averaging .17mm. Very tight.

Still waiting for Mr.Suzuki to get back to me with a deal on SV650. I guess Friday's are busy.

[yorkie_chris]

Valve seat wear doesn't suprise me on those.

Plenty SV's have done big miles with few shim changes.

I pick the bike up tomorrow afternoon. Hope I've made the right decision. I just bailed on my plans to go to MotoGP races in Indianapolis in September so i could cough up the $1,K deposit.

I seem to remember someone had a blog on their ownership/use of a SV650 as a commuter bike but haven't been able to find it. The chap had over 100,K miles on it the last I looked. Anyone come across this blog ? I'll be doing something similar on my site.