Hello and touring on an SV questions.

Hey guys and galls.
im danny and im from england ( bolton ) but i live in massachussets U.S.A for 2 years now, and im coming back to the UK in august and im doing a 2 month trip around europe on a 2002 SV650. its all stock, nothing has been changed and its in great condition.

ive read alot about the SV's and i read some good stuff
but ive never had an SV before but ive rode a few and i like them alot and im wanting to do my trip around europe on the bike with my wife on the back. plus luggage bags on the backsides of the bike then my tank bag and my wifes going to be carrying my 75L rucksack. full of camping gear and clothes ect ect.

my question is for all you riders with lets say, more exsperience riding or anyone that has toured on an 2002 SV650 what would i have to change on the bike to make it alittle more comfortable for me and my wife.
eg. rear suspention? aftermarket seats? ect ect.

thank you for your time and i look forward to your replys.
and im very glad to of found a site that is just for the suzuki 650

danny

Hello and welcome. For 2-up, you'll probably want to stiffen the suspension front and rear. The easiest way to do this is with weight matched fork springs and to swap the shock for a GSXR/ZXR item.

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=137793&highlight=rear+shock

other than that, the SV pretty comfortable if youre not too tall. I wouldnt advise carrying a rucksack as it will be tiring on your wife's back, which will then be tiring on your ears. A top box would be better, or just carry less stuff.

[Biker Biggles]

Fit a scottoiler and remember to check your engine oil often.
As for comfort I find a bit of thicker foam rubber on the bar grips isolates vibration and makes them a better shape.

ok lads thanks for the advise!
now the top box is a good idea, if i bought a good top box would i have to lose the grab rail for the missis?
and is givi a good make to use?

Originally Posted by suzuki madboy

ok lads thanks for the advise!
now the top box is a good idea, if i bought a good top box would i have to lose the grab rail for the missis?
and is givi a good make to use?

She wont need the grab rail if you have the topbox fitted.

If you take the topbox off you could always try the love handles.

[yorkie_chris]

I wouldn't have your missus carrying a 75l rucksack.

[fastdruid]

+1 on the no rucksack.

Fine for a very short while but gets very uncomfortable very quickly, potential to increase injuries should the worst happen and is going to make the handling even worse.

Tank bag, panniers, a top box and packing light are the way to go. Plus as others have said the top box makes it *much* more relaxed for your pillion, no need to hold on and can even have a snooze[1]!

Druid

[1] Seriously.

consider Autocom (£60ish). Older units will do eg SuperPro AVI, AdvancedRider,EasyRider. Basically intercom between helmets with wind noise filtering. I've had no probs hearing her +125mph (obviously when tested on a race track ... officer).

I've got a EasyRider + 2 headsets spare jst sitting in boxes (all new and unused) if you are interested. Can be powered off bike or off 9v batt.

Get a large expandable tank bag.35ltr at least.With big transparent zipped window at top surface ideally the full size of top surface to display map nice and clearly+be able to pull map out +ram in without a tight squeeze which will rip pages.

Freezer bags designed to pour hot soup straight into then put in freezer (supermarket).They are BLOODY tough and the zip n seal is much better then on mincy standard bags. Great for passports + money + folded photocopies of vehicle docs.

Consider looking for the key No (a black piece of plastic with a code stamped on it approx size of ticktack sweet) that should have come with the bike + spare keys when u brough it and get a 3rd key cut.Put 3rd key in the battery box.If you loose keys you only need to burrow few tools to remove seat n get to it but it takes far too long for a thief to be bothered to look or get to.

Your bottom will hurt.Her's even more.Consider cycling shorts or eBay medical gel.Comes in sheets,sew a cover,bit of velcro then make strap with bit of velcro,sorted.USA has wicked aftermarket gel seats at v sensible prices.try n get Seargeant seat or ebay "motorcycle gel pads".USA v cheap to get seat refurb.Buy a standard sv seat off ebay while in USA,send seat to seat refurb bloke with picture of a seargeant seat+request gel insert, let them work their magic.

baby wipes packet.They are wet + have cleaner in them.Excellent faff free visor cleaning for dead bug carnage.If in winter FogCity fabric helmet inserts stop helmets fogging period.

sat nav + maps.I couldn't afford sat nav or mounts but my Nokia 6220c runs TomTom happily and the 4gb micro sd (£12) fits all of europe maps on (1.2gb).jst buy an external bluetooth gps receiver (ebay £20).

Spare brake lever + clutch lever kept next to battery (out the way-but accessible if needed).crash bungs(ensure they arn't cheap ebay rip offs that screw into engine and rip thread from engine.rather get ones that have a bar to replace engine bar and mount on to end of bar so bar thread is wrecked not engine's.r&g r ok).
eg vs
You are approx 80kg.she is approx 60kg.Bike is approx 160kg + fuel.+luggage.Thats a lot of weight throuhg one little leg.if a drop happens abroad it will cost 2-3x price to sort as you are in a rush + don't know the local garage setup + restricted to MrSuzuki parts (eg brake pedal £25).

a copy of twist of the wrist II.whilst i torrent most things that is well worth the £10 or whatever to really improve your riding + confidence.esp needed if new roads all day.esp needed if someone else is entrusting their life to you.Pay particular attention to "Once the throttle is cracked open it is rolled on evenly, smoothly and constantly through the remainder of the turn".Serioulsy say this to yourself 100times.No i mean it.Say now 100x.In addition pay even more attention to understanding how the load on the tyres + esp suspension range changes with accel,decel + cornering ensuring you understand gentle accel can open the rear suspen to its optimum ... ie if you are coming into a corner too hot, gently open the throttle + lean + look where you wann go and then roll the throttle on evenly, smoothly and constantly through the remainder of the turn.Hard accell locks the rear susp open and the tyre is unable to continuously make contact with the road with undulating surfaces so rear wheel is free to spin up, reducing grip and inducing mini power slides, not what you want when trying to make a corner you were already struggling with.Decel loads the front tyre + puts front suspen way out of optimum position,again not what you want.gentl accel can put 60% load rear wheel 40% front ish which, considering rear contact patch (credit card) vs front contact patch (half credit card) + puts both suspensions in optimum ish range ... is quite desirable.

re lean.It can massively help get around sharper corners. If you haven;t got your knee down don't worry.its not that great anyway.well ill say that to make you feel better.No honestly.Don't burden your riding with trying to do it as you will try too hard and then start making mistakes BUT moving your center of mass vs the bikes can really help to get around the same corner with the bike at less of a lean angle,or get you aroudn a steeper then you thought it was corner.find a twisty road and start by keepig bum on seat where it norm is but move whole shoulders + head as if ducking sideways but also forwards for a ball coming at your ear o r a friend swiping for your ear.move head + upperbody forwards as well as sideways as if to hit watch strap between pecks, only small though, head / adams apple inline with mirror is enough to help-NO further.This will also get your arms more parallel with the road surface reducing ability to lock them and freeze with panic and reduce steering inputs=overrun corner=painful+expensive.Its not text book at all but I found it made a massive difference for me and then helped me learn how to do it properly.ie do same but with plenty of time before corner use non-corner direction knee tight against tank to slide bum a fists distance to corner-side.keep non-corner side knee tight agains tank,it holds you onto bike so hands dont so hands n arms dont lock up.If you are smiling put cornerside knee out from bike.if u r messing your trousers, keep both knees in,forearms as parallel to roads as poss,look to furthest point in road dont worry about road 2m in front and then roll the throttle on evenly, smoothly and constantly through the remainder of the turn. Trying to ride better + push yourself is good but do it at 70% ability/push.If you do it at 100%push then you will start making mistakes sometimes big and wont learn.ie fav twisty road you can average 60mph on try it at 50mph and build up 5mph each run rather then trying to average 70mph.(obviously talking about motorway here).I wouldn't normall EVER say above .. let alone type it in a forum post ... but ... with a pillion good confident control of the bike in "oh **** im going way too fast" moments will make the difference.The best info is in books - you can learn a lot from google but a book and particularly feedback on your riding can never be replaced by youtube or google.RoSPA or IAM or california superbike school
or a trackday school, or a ride with a forum member, etc.

flip flops. They take up no room or weight and are great for diff pair of shoes,let feet breath,camp site showers,beach,smacking partner with.

if riding in summer,europe is muggy (humid).Infra red radiation from road makes you dozy.don't take risks,stop regularly.find i end up riding in cycling shorts,boxers and a skin on top half (google compressive sports skins).Only way I can keep cool.oh of course leathers etc ontop.

12v cig plug on twisted loopy extendable cable.great for phone,ipod,inflatable matress pump (embarassed look).Wire it in via a relay tapping into the rear light (not brake light) or ignition(orange on pointy).

laytex gloves (like medical or garage mechanics).My gloves are 100% waterpoof (£90) and beastly.However 3days of rain and 70mph air blasted water vapour + unable to dry means they let a little in.
nothing more distracting n dangerous then numb with cold hands + toes (unable to operate grip on brake or clutch as quick).Well a blue flashing stobe + associated noise in the mirror is also quite distracting.but i find if you open the throttle they often make good riding buddies and keep quite close.

[dizzyblonde]

I wouldn't have her carrying a huge rucksack either.
I've done abroad with no pillion on a 2000SVS, and its more than adequate for the job. I know of others who have done it two up. Its more than capable with two.
There are a few threads in the Eurotrip section you could read, there are usually some interesting reads, and advice in there.

I think its Baglux or Bagster that do a marvellous alternative to the two stock seats. I have a Corbin and OE gel seat for both my SVs, but I don't carry pillions, at least you have something to go on there as far as brands are concerned. All are much more comfortable on long rides than the stock seats. I can quite happily sit for a few hundred miles on mine.
Make sure you have a well planned route, take many breaks in the journey to stretch and relax if you are going to be on the road for hours at a time to get to any destination.
If you are going to be using toll roads, make sure you have a good stock of coins, in a very accessible place, its a pain in the butt fighting to find things when you have a queue of cars behind you waiting to go through after you, and if you keep on changing notes, thats a lot of weight to be carrying extra!
Have a good set of sport touring tyres put on the bike before you leave. Had I have known about that before I did my trip, I'd have ripped the ones I had off and put the ones I use now. Those are Avon Storms.
Make sure you pack everything tight, and put the lot inside a bin bag in your panniers or luggage. Nowt like very wet clothes in a 600 mile ride and no dry ones inside your luggage as my friend discovered
Have a spare brake and gear lever, or a fixer peg http://www.fixer-peg.co.uk/ I have two of these and they are invaluable. Make sure your tool kit is made up of good quality stuff, and add a few cable ties in there too.

Its a bit late so I can't think of anything else right now.
All in all the most important bit, enjoy your trip.

once again, thanks to everyone that has replied with all the info and knowledge that everyone has provieded.
now in starting in bolton ( my home town ) to swansea wales, then heading to london then to paris, from paris we are heading down to my uncles in limoges and staying there for a week or so, after that heading east to clermont ferrand then into switzerland into geneve.
after geneve, off intot he alps to grindlewald for a few days then back down the alps into austria innsbruck. after innsbruck north to munich for ocktober fest
then thru germany into holland amsterdam, then ferry over to the uk.

thats the trip lol