am i scared or is it the bike

[Nicky S]

hey orgers need some advice or help

as some of you know i crashed the sv about a year a go, and got it back on the road about 5 months ago and all seemed good

until the last 2 weeks. i dont know if it is me thinking of thinges that are wrong or if there is something up with the bike. but i went out on a ride with a mate 2day around some back roads not fast but at a steady speed and i lost him ever corner i took i felt very unsafe on and i kept thinking to my self have i forgoten how to ride. he has been riding about 6 months more then me i dont know if it is because he is a lot better rider then me or if something is up. do you recon the crash has done damage i or the insurcen company didnt spot? so on with my problems

when riding the bike it feels very unbalanced if you undertsnad what i mean like im riding on ice as it were. so i thought i would check the psi in the tyres and that is fine also there is tons of tread left on the tyres. so it cant be the tyres. so i let my mate take it around the block and he thinks the bars are bent. right i didnt think of that so i had a look the bars do look like they are bent but the risers also look un even so i am geting new risers and some renthals hopefully that will fix that but wont know untill i do it.

but mabey its the forks or the shock as iv spent many hours on the org i have noticed ever one thinks the same about the sv forks and shock set up .... its CRAP so i have looked into doing a gixxer USD front end which i would love to do if i had the money. so for the moment that is out of the question i have had new springs and oil and there is not much elsa i can do unless i do the USD front end. so then i thought about the shock its not that bad but it is still pants i looked into geting a ohlins shock and found some for around £500 once again money i dont have so what do people have in mind i could do. i know you can use shocks from other bikes but which is the best.

the problems continue

brakes are crap but iv hopefully got that sorted as im doing the seals in the cailpers and the master cylinder next week also i fitted new pads about 2 weeks ago.

running problems the bike is at 33BHP some times when i start it i get a backfire. now iv looked this up and aprently it is unburnt fuel in the exhuast which could mean my plugs have had it so i am going to be changing them next week to also i know the plugs have not been changed for over 18 months and the bike dose at least 40 miles a day.

my big problem/nosie

when i start the bike i get a horrible nosie which i can only explain as the nosie you would get on a car if your valves were taping. but aprently it is my cam chain i also looked this up and aprently there is nothing you can do to stop this and it will jsut get worse is this true if not what can be done. also is the nosie a big problem also what is causing the nosie.

sorrie its a tad long also sorrie on the speeling way of things and if it dont make sence iv got to much info in my head and had a long day

cheers orgers

Nicky,

If it is a confidence thing, the only cure that I can think of is to get out there and ride it at every opportunity.

If the bars seem bent they could be or the forks could be twisted in the yokes which will make it handle badly as will bent fork tubes, abnormally worn tyres (even with plenty of tread) and front to rear alignment.
If in doubt, get the bike checked properly by a reputable 3rd party.

There are budget options for sorting out the front end and rear suspension. An example would be Racetech Emulators and one of about 20 adjustable shocks that can be found on eBay for very little (which will probably need an oil change and recharge) or shock internals from Cogent Dynamics.
But... The stock suspension is not so bad that it cannot be ridden with confidence.

Cheers

may sound silly but do you have access to another bike, that will tell you if its confidance or how your bike feels
ive had a few offs recently and i must admit my confidace is in the toilet, irsky on here let me ride his bike which let me know it was me not the bike ,so now im just waiting to build some self trust back
softy softy catchy monkey

[Nicky S]

Originally Posted by MattCo

Nicky,

If it is a confidence thing, the only cure that I can think of is to get out there and ride it at every opportunity.

If the bars seem bent they could be or the forks could be twisted in the yokes which will make it handle badly as will bent fork tubes, abnormally worn tyres (even with plenty of tread) and front to rear alignment.
If in doubt, get the bike checked properly by a reputable 3rd party.

There are budget options for sorting out the front end and rear suspension. An example would be Racetech Emulators and one of about 20 adjustable shocks that can be found on eBay for very little (which will probably need an oil change and recharge) or shock internals from Cogent Dynamics.
But... The stock suspension is not so bad that it cannot be ridden with confidence.

Cheers

cheers for that m8 iv jsut got back from a ride and all seemed fine i mean the bars do steel look bent and i steel have my engine nocking nosie but ride was good low and fast i even got my new down on a bend instead of just the rounabout :P

[Nicky S]

Originally Posted by davepreston

may sound silly but do you have access to another bike, that will tell you if its confidance or how your bike feels
ive had a few offs recently and i must admit my confidace is in the toilet, irsky on here let me ride his bike which let me know it was me not the bike ,so now im just waiting to build some self trust back
softy softy catchy monkey

i did ride a bike the other day and it was fine just diffrent mabey i just cant ride with other people as well as i can by myself but as i said in my reply to the other org i just went for a ride and my confidance seems fine

the front end is a piece of p to stip down so i would do that and visually compare each bit seperately for damage

[Nicky S]

Originally Posted by davepreston

the front end is a piece of p to stip down so i would do that and visually compare each bit seperately for damage

i Know there is nothing wrong with the forks as when i crashed i striped the bike and cheaked each part the bike has a complete new front end. i have tryed thicker oil and harder springs and my front end is still grim

[mister c]

I think that you have had your confidence knocked from the off. Give it time & it will come back.
It could be that you are tensing up when coming into bends, I do it every time it's wet because whenever I have come off it's been in the wet. I know I'm doing it, but can't help it & it makes me a cr@p wet weather rider. It is just down to a lack of confidence.
Keep with it & it will come back to you

Nicky,

I missed the engine rattles on startup part of your post. If you are certain that it is the cam chain, then replacing the chains, guides and tensioners is not a huge undertaking if you have the tools, patience and some mechanical smarts. It only gets worse.

Cheers

[SoulKiss]

Simple answer Nicky

Get you and your bike to the SELKENT meet on Wednesday.

There will be plenty of people there that can have a look, listen and prod at your bike (he says volunteering other people to do stuff )

Its not that far from you, just over 20 miles.

Did you get someone who knows what they are talking about to look over the bike before you put it back on the road ?

Also at 40 miles/day over 5 months the bike is overdue a service (or very close - not doing maths to any real accuracy at this time in the morning ) so the plugs, oil and filter need doing.