Questions about SV650s (Considering Buying)

Hi this is my first post I wanted to ask a few questions about SV650's currently im 21 and my CBT runs out in august (next month) at the moment im just riding a Yamaha TW125 I have done 8000 miles on it since i bought it and as soon as I have passed my test which I booked already I want to move onto a bigger bike I have been seriously considering the sv650 because of its performance to price ratio.

I am actually 21 and a student at uni and I work part time I can afford to buy a sv650 and insure one but what concerns me is the cost of parts at the moment I have only needed to change the brakes front and back on my TW125 once and the tyres once and the chain 3 times and sprokets once the cost of which has been pretty minor oh and the oil and filter every 1000 miles.

The cost of my tw125 has been pretty manageable so far on avarage i will do 100 miles a week or somthing like that but with the sv650 that will probably increase to somthing like 200 - 300 a week.

How much milage would you get on things like chains, tyres, sprokets, oil and brakes with a sv650? At the moment i pretty much thrash the boll*ks off my tw125 purlery because its so under powererd. I would not be thrasing a sv650 probably traveling at the speed limit to about 80mph nothing extreme.

Also i have been doing all the maintance on my tw125 myself how easy is a sv650 to maintain for someone who has a general knowledge of mechanics?

I just want as much sensible information about the cost of keeping a sv650 in good condition for communting as i can get before i settle on buying one because i will likely have the bike for at least 3 years after i buy one.

- Sam

Hi and welcome to the forum.
The sv can be a fairly cheap bike to run. Things like brake pad life and chain life ect with all depends on usage and how well its cared for. So far after 14K miles i have needed to replace my pads once and my chain is still going strong. Oil changes are not expensive even if the filter is changed also.
I have relatively little mechanical knowledge, however with the help on a haynes manual i have been able to do most work myself (ie general servicing and repair).

Full stop!

Great thing about the SV, parts are so plentiful. A lot of parts are interchangeable as well between other bikes and the SV.

What is the normal milage between oil changes? I usually change mine ever 1000 miles and always change the filter weather it needs it or not.

My main concern after looking at part prices is tyre costs, how many miles under "avarage" driving do tyres last?

Another thing I should ask is, do sv650's have any inherit problems such as gearbox problems for example?

I have had a look around google for part retailers or sv650's but is there some favourite online stores you guys like to use?

With tyres its does depend on the type of roads you use and how aggressive you ride. If its alot of Mway riding then i would recommend michelim PR2s, i have them on mine atm, they are dual compound so will resist squaring off that bit longer and have great wet grip. I got roughly 12K on the stock tyres the SV comes with. As for costs, depends what your want.
wemoto is recommended by many, banditmania are good. Not sure if there are any places where can get org discount yet.

In the haynes it specifies 4000miles oil change intervals, and oil filter change every 11000 miles.

Mileage from tyres really do vary...the pair I'm looking to buy soon are £125 for a pair, £20 fitting. There are loads of tyre reviews on here.

What year SV are you looking at? Main difference being 99-02 is carb, "curvy" shape and 03+ being the EFI "pointy" shape.

oh wow thats more than I thought this guy at work who just bought a 50th aniversary fireblade says i would get 3000 or somthing but i reckon he talks a load of boll*ks all the time he puts more store in how expensive things are than how good they are kind of annoys me.

Well im pretty sure gonna buy a SV650 unless anyone has any money black holes they want to point out, Is there any topics about buying a SV650 and what to look for when buying one?

EDIT:

@hongman erm i was sort of hoping to buy a more modern one with the pointed front with full fairing but if a curvy one was at a good price with low miles i wouldnt say no. What model / year would you reccomend?

[keith_d]

Here's my guestimates for 12k a year of reasonable riding.

Two rear tyres, one front, around £300
Three oil changes with filter, around £75
Chain and sprockets, around £100
Brake pads, one set around £25
Petrol £1200
Insurance £loadsamoney

They're only ballpark figures and depend on lots of things like how you ride, which oil you use, which tyres you choose. I've assumed 6k miles per tyre which is probably a bit pessimistic in the first year.

Hope this helps,

Keith.

Thanks alot keith_d insurance wasnt too bad when i got quotes i phoned up my insurance im with at the moment and they estimate 400 a year for me for a 99 model and not too much more for newer models, from what i have heard so far from you guys and looking around myself it seems like i will be able to afford an sv650 without too much trouble.

Just going to look around now for a decent sv650 im looking for one with less than 10k miles in good condition for less than £3000 so from looking around i think i should manage to get a good buy.

Thanks guys.

[keith_d]

Unfortunately, with all the decent weather prices will be holding up quite well, but there will be lots of decent bikes around for that kind of money.

You might even be able to tempt one of your local .orgers to come along and check out a prospective purchase if you bait them out with beer. A post entitled "Free Beer" in your regional section will probably get some interest.

Keith.