1st. ride on my K5

Firstly, apologies for not doing this sooner but with being off for Easter, I didn't get near the PC much.

Anyway, I got my SV650 K5 on Good Friday but didn't get out on it until the Sunday as I was feeling a little hung over (celebrating the new arrival and all that) on the Saturday and decided it was not the best thing to do, considering I hadn't been on a bike since passing my test the previous October.
So Saturday was spent giving the bike a polish and a coat of Scottoiler FS365, I ended up having to wipe most of it off as it just sat there, I thought the stuff dried in. I also fitted the Bikesliders and the tank pad.

Sunday arrives and I get all my gear on for the 1st time and off I head feeling a touch nervous before the bike had even started up but all the nerves were soon behind me after the 1st mile. It was just pure bliss and enjoyment and felt so easy and comfortable to ride. I ended up doing a loop of about 50 odd miles taking in a country park where I was able to get a few photos of the bike, then it was over to my parents house to show it off and then a 15 mile country road loop back home.
Got my 1st. compliment from a guy on a Hornet, who complimented me on a good looking bike, "which was nice".
The ride was a mix of back roads, carriageways and B roads all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I have been out a couple of other times, 1 of which was with a friend who had passed his test in December and who owns a curvy. That was good, in that we could run at each others pace.

I'm keeping the bike below 5000 revs for the 1st. 500 miles as per the manual and at times find it difficult enough to do, especially in 1st, 2nd etc. and have gone over it occasionaly. One question I have is, the book says up to 7500 revs from 500 - 1000 miles, what are your thoughts on this? Do I need to give it a bit more now and again, bear in mind I'm not looking to race up the road on it, I just want to make sure it is run in correctly.
Now that I am back to work, I prey for good weather at the weekend when I can get out again.


On a funnier note, a few observations/comments that I would like to make, being new to biking:

My garage now smells of BIKE - greeaaaat.

At the petrol station, I forget I have a helmet on and try to put my petrol receipt in my mouth whilst I'm putting my credit card in my wallet.

I didn't think I would be purchasing a pair of thermals aged 40. Those delicate parts of my anatomy seems to be a few degrees colder that the rest of me and seem to take for ages to get back up to temperature after I'm off the bike.



To sum up, the bike is all that I hoped it would be.
Excellent, and I look forward to a sorching summer without the need for those thermals. (which reminds me, I must go and get a couple of pairs this weekend)

[tigersaw]

Hiya, glad you are enjoying the bike.
I've done about 200 miles on my new K5 now, as you say, the running in is very tedious. My dealer said to keep it too 5k rpm for the first 600 miles, then increase by 1k rpm each 100 miles then on, so by 1000 miles it will almost be fully useable.
What is your front suspension like? Mine rides ok, does not sink too badly under braking, but if I go over a pothole or a speed hump at low speed, say up to 20 mph, there is an almighty crash which seems like the forks bottoming out - enough to shake your fillings out. I've tried fiddling with the preload but it makes no difference. Never had this with any previous bike.

[embee]

Nice one!

As for the cold family jewels, it's supposed to be good for you, but I suspect there's a case for moderation in everything!

We've had lots of discussion on break-in procedures, but the industry take on it is to treat it as a gradual process, not simply before/after the first service.

The break-in is primarily for the bores and rings. Engine speed is most significant, and throttle opening (load) is second.

After 100mls or so most of the initial settling is well under way, and unless you do anything really silly you'll not do any significant harm.

Don't leave it idling to warm up (not good for the engine), just start it, let it settle for 20seconds or so, then drive off gently.

As miles increase, gradually start using a few more revs while keeping the throttle opening small (for example let it just rev a little more in low gears while accelerating gradually). Then start using a bit more throttle in the next higher gear while the revs are lower. Continue increasing the revs and throttle opening a bit more every 100mls.

By the first service you should be using quite a lot of throttle up to 5 or 6k revs. This helps the rings bed-in while they have gas pressure on them. Occasionally let it run up to 7 or 8k through the gears for brief spells.

After the first service continue the process so that by 1k miles you're using full throttle occasionally, and letting it rev to 8-9k briefly (not necessarily at the same time, unless you want to! ).

It is important to use high revs and loads by the end of the period(between 600-1000mls) to get a proper break-in. The oil consumption and blowby will benefit from this process and you'll get the best lifetime from the engine. Try riding up some hills if you can, and carrying a pillion is useful to get more load on it. Treating it too gently can glaze/polish the bores and oil consumption will be worse.

Originally Posted by tigersaw

What is your front suspension like? Mine rides ok, does not sink too badly under braking, but if I go over a pothole or a speed hump at low speed, say up to 20 mph, there is an almighty crash which seems like the forks bottoming out - enough to shake your fillings out. I've tried fiddling with the preload but it makes no difference. Never had this with any previous bike.

General concensus on this forum is that he front suspension is a 'must do' upgrade for any one over the average 10.5 stone the suspension is designed for. (I think it's 10.5 stone anyway...)

Those that have upgraded have used uprated springs and thicker oil.
Nobody seems able to agree if progressive or linear springs are better but this thread gives a bit of info....

After the front is sorted then it's time to look at the rear....

IMO the SV is a fantastic bike for the money. But there are areas where corners have been cut to keep it a budget bike. The suspension is one.

[tigersaw]

Actually I'm exaactly 10 and a half stone, so I guess it ought to be working at its best then. I wont fiddle with it before the 600 mile service, when I'll ask if they wouldn't mind riding it round the block and taking it down a few pot holes!

glad the wait was worth while!!!

Originally Posted by GC-SV

Got my 1st. compliment from a guy on a Hornet, who complimented me on a good looking bike, "which was nice"

Yeah, we're nice people us Hornet riders

What is your front suspension like? Mine rides ok, does not sink too badly under braking, but if I go over a pothole or a speed hump at low speed, say up to 20 mph, there is an almighty crash which seems like the forks bottoming out -

I would agree with you totally, I have hit the odd pothole and get an almighty crash through the bars. I'm leaving it as is for the meantime and will check things over once I and the bike get a few more miles under our belts.

By the first service you should be using quite a lot of throttle up to 5 or 6k revs. This helps the rings bed-in while they have gas pressure on them. Occasionally let it run up to 7 or 8k through the gears for brief spells.

After the first service continue the process so that by 1k miles you're using full throttle occasionally, and letting it rev to 8-9k briefly (not necessarily at the same time, unless you want to! ).

It is important to use high revs and loads by the end of the period(between 600-1000mls) to get a proper break-in.

As for the running in, thanks for the advice, I reckon I'm following what has been said although I probably need to run it occasionally above the 5k mark. Theres currently 150 miles on it and I will run it to 6 to 8k a couple of times before the 600 mile service.
After that its a case of gradually increasing both revs and throttle.

Originally Posted by GC-SV

After that its a case of gradually increasing both revs and throttle.

Yeah Baby

Running mine in wasn't that much fun - could only get 65mph out of it at 5,000 revs, but it did however return 62 mpg

It does no harm to go above this for short periods of time. The most important thing is to change the oil and filter at the 600 mile service.

And of course to add an aftermarket exhaust with no baffles
. . . for safety reasons of course

Originally Posted by Mr Toad

Yeah Baby

Running mine in wasn't that much fun - could only get 65mph out of it at 5,000 revs, but it did however return 62 mpg

It does no harm to go above this for short periods of time. The most important thing is to change the oil and filter at the 600 mile service.

And of course to add an aftermarket exhaust with no baffles
. . . for safety reasons of course

Totally agree.
I am thinking of a Scorpion, road legal with removable baffle and a lifetime gaurantee.
Intending to put it on after the 600 mile service, is this recommended or should I wait until the bike is fully run in.
Please bear in mind that my bike is restricted to 33 bhp.

Yep, mine is a Scorpion, undo the retaining screw & the baffle should just pop out. I'd probably leave it until after your service, maybe even after the 1,000 mile period, but I'm sure others who know more about these things will advise accordingly.
Being restricted won't affect things - I know several people with aftermarket exhausts & restrictions. Removing the baffle makes it more 'free flowing', so in theory you get a bit of a power increase - certainly a noise increase
The fuel injected models will compensate for this with no problems