Why the focus on performance riding?

Originally Posted by kaivalagi

Thanks for that, If I need to could I get away with putting in thicker grade oil in the forks?

Thicker oil will increase the level of damping, which is likely to be an improvement but it won't make the front end any stiffer. I suspect the main issue for you will be the softness of the stock springs. But get some miles in on the bike and see what if feels like before you decide to change anything.

Originally Posted by martin15s

to mjc :-

like I said, I am just expressing an opinion - like you.

I have been messing around with spanners for a long time - I like it too.

Aye, just trying to answer your question in the thread title

Having ridden my Curvy S for 3 years with (10 year old) standard shocks, I think that even a reasonably priced replacement (Hagon shocks in mine) made a massive difference to-

Braking- the forks don't dive even a fraction of what they used to)
Corners- the shocks feel far more firm and the bike more planted. Therefore I'm more confident.

Being a budget bike, the SV's shocks are very soft- this is the main reason people upgrade them.

My bike is certainly not race performance now, but it feels a WHOLE lot better than it did- it's like having a newer, better bike!

[Stu]

Originally Posted by martin15s

Ibut I do find extraordinary focus on street riding performance - uprated forks, shocks, brakes and so on. ...
I really believe that too much emphasis is given to trying to achieve track performance on our roads. Whilst the SV650 is clearly a compromise with price and performance I see little point in changing the front end over a change of springs/oil for road use. I love the feel of this beautiful v twin and enjoy riding it.

...My main concern is over tyre choice.

.

I don't understand why you would go to the effort and expense of changing te tyres from the stock ones chosen by Suzuki? Surely with all their experience they would have chosen the best possible tyre for the SV.
Also don't understand why you would go to the expense of changing the stock springs? when it's cheaper to replace the front end with a Gixer front end - I made a profit on my swap

what's the point in having a nice engine and frame when the rest of the bike cant keep up EG the forks and rear shock, im 18 and im not a riding god, but even i could overwhelm the suspension on the sv ok im 16+ stone so on the heavy side.

but to me the forks and shock were dangerous, i could bottom the forks out going the mile up the road to the shop never mind on a fast A road.

Hence why i have upgrade both front and rear (front was a must after i crashed and buggered the stock forks up)

Originally Posted by Stu

I don't understand why you would go to the effort and expense of changing te tyres from the stock ones chosen by Suzuki? Surely with all their experience they would have chosen the best possible tyre for the SV.

Is this sarcasm? I can't really tell!

I guess the people who do the mods tend to be more vocal. I certainly don't post that I've left my suspension stock for 30k! TBH I owned a CBR6RR for a few years before the SV and bought the SV for commuting, I accept the bike for what it is - if I could be bothered to change it I'd probably just buy a new bike (probably partly because I couldn't be bothered to drill all the bolts out!).

Each to their own I guess.

Originally Posted by Villers

Is this sarcasm? I can't really tell!

Knowing Stu, Yes it is

Originally Posted by Aidan

I guess the people who do the mods tend to be more vocal. I certainly don't post that I've left my suspension stock for 30k! TBH I owned a CBR6RR for a few years before the SV and bought the SV for commuting, I accept the bike for what it is - if I could be bothered to change it I'd probably just buy a new bike (probably partly because I couldn't be bothered to drill all the bolts out!).

Each to their own I guess.

Completely agree with this. When I had my SV I always thought new front ends and different shocks were a bit over the top, changing your suspension for GSXR parts is surely not the way forward (perhaps just buying the GSXR is?). A double bubble screen, new fork oil etc is all good but it is what it is after all. This is probably an unpopular opinion however!!

Originally Posted by Villers

Completely agree with this. When I had my SV I always thought new front ends and different shocks were a bit over the top, changing your suspension for GSXR parts is surely not the way forward (perhaps just buying the GSXR is?). A double bubble screen, new fork oil etc is all good but it is what it is after all. This is probably an unpopular opinion however!!

and the cost of insuring a gsxr would break my bank where as inuring a modded sv will not .... plus you can swap the front end for near enough nothing after the sale of the old stuf

[kaivalagi]

Originally Posted by barwel1992

and the cost of insuring a gsxr would break my bank where as inuring a modded sv will not .... plus you can swap the front end for near enough nothing after the sale of the old stuf

All these mods don't cause difficulty with insurance? I assume you need to notify the insurer of the changes and pay a penalty for it?