Cam swap - proce for a garage/experienced SVer to do the job?

I have been mulling over what to do with the bike for the moment, thinking of keeping it for another year until it's clear where I'm heading with work, but I need some more power for trackdays and the Nurburgring so was thinking of doing the cam swap for some more midrange and a little top end boost.

As we're getting near to the riding season, and when I do a project on the bike it can turn into weeks, I'm considering getting this done by an experienced individual.

So how much would it be if I got a garage to do this (excluding parts)? Does anyone know of a garage up north experienced in this (West Yorkshire north to the Borders)?

And/or are there any SVers in the northern half of the country prepared to do this for a fee?

I presume after this I'll also need a little dyno time too.

Answers on a postcard please, or type them below.

Cheers,

Tim

[NedSVS]

I did the cam swap about 18 months ago on my 2001 SV650S. I really like the effect it has of widening the useful rev range at the higher revs. It knocks a little off the bottom, but with an ignition advance key in I suspect you will still be making more power than standard at the bottom end. Incidentally, I beleive the ignition advance key to be the best value power improvement on the SV, followed by cams then stage 2 (or stage 3, but forget stage 1) induction kit. I did the cams myself and haven't had it on the Dyno since. It doesn't need setting up like an induction kit does. It may have a very small effect on carburation, but I couldn't notice anything. Personally I wouldn't do the job if you are only keeping the SV one more year; it's good, but it wont set your world on fire! As far as track days & the Nurburgring are concerned it's your riding that will really count.

It's just that I'm flat out down the Fuchsrohre and also up hill at Kesselchen at the Ring, plenty of the time I'm full throttle, and there's no skill in that part. However if you're saying it's not a world of difference you're probably right in advising me to give it a miss for only another summer of biking.

I find the SV is fine at most tracks apart from the straights, I get annoyed having to work a full lap to get passed someone who is holding me up, only to have them do me on a long straight and having to repeat it again, and again, and again.

Tim have you contacted the Dyno-Centre about it? Im sure he could do that as he sets up race bikes. Im going to ring him next week (after my MOT) to sort out the rest of the service schedule.

I would agree with Ned as well, save the money, carry on learning the ring flat out and then spend what you have saved on the 750 next year

[Richie]

I think we could do it for you with a little help from WRC63...
for a minimal fee that is....

Richie can you & Dave do Throttle Valve Synchs?

[johnnyrod]

I could do it but is S****horpe too far away? Not sure of the fee would have to think about it, but no, no dyno time needed, I'm pretty sure no-one has done this mod and cocked up the carburetion. Mine was spot on for example. Also when were you thinking of doing it? It's a bit cold for spannering right now.

If someone off here wants to charge you for doing it, tell them to shove it up their behind!! ... that's not what friends (e-friends) are about ... sure give them a tenner or whatever to cover petrol to get there, but I'd never pay for 'mates' time

As for if it is worth doing in your instance ... I'd say that is a big NO!!!

What does it matter to you if you are losing 1 (or even 10) sec a lap on power?? .... also I can guarantee you that you will be dropping more time on the brakes and in corner speed/hooking up than you are in the power differential of pointy cams!! ...

And from your fun factor perspective, isn't it the feeling from doing the latter better that gives the greatest satisfaction!?!?!?

In summery, unless you can get someone to do it for free/gesture payment, I really don't see the point!!

p.s. do you already have the cams??? ... they are like rocking hose poo!!

And if you do do the swap*, you only need the pointy inlet ... you get better results from using a combination of the two inlet cams and ditching the ex cam ...


*bearing in mind you don't need to keep to m-twin regs

Thanks for the offers all, I don't think I can be bothered having heard that it's not a life changing experience, I'll just spend the cash on more trackdays, tyres and ring visits.

Just want to kinow where/when in the world I'll be working next so I can sort out my bike buying life.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

And/or are there any SVers in the northern half of the country prepared to do this for a fee?

Depends which country

You've got another option which is cheaper- just fitting a set of carbed intake cams in the exhaust side gives a fair bit of the advantage (it's very similiar to the old stage 1 cams, some would say identical in fact!) but curvy intake cams are cheap and easy to find used.

I think in terms of pwer mods for the SV, it's the best there is... It's fairly straightforward to do, it's inexpensive- ?130 or so for new parts, that'd barely buy a Fuel end can- there's no setup time (well... Not if you'll accept a 9/10 job, degreeing the cams would be much harder but nobody does that) and the results are reasonable. Way better than fuelling and jetting in terms of cost/benefit.

But it's still an SV at the end of the day, it still won't tear your arms off. So whether it's worthwhile is really down to you. It won't change your life, personally I like it- the longer peak power is a bigger advantage than the increase in peak power I think, since that's really more useful for most of us. I'd sooner have the reshaped power curve but standard peak power than teh standard power curve with the increased power I think.