SV650 noob question

[northwind]

Looks like the previous owner went on the net and got a shopping list of mods to do off SV Rider Most of which is good news. There's 2 really good US forums which I think you'd do well to join as well, SV Rider and SocalSV.

The 520 chain's not going to cause you any problems, it just might not last. There's not many 520 rear sprockets for the SV and a lot of US people use Vortex- they're a bit rubbish... But, don't worry about it, just stay on top of the chain maintenance and replace it when you need to. Probably with a normal one This is one of those things that people say "Well, racers do it, so it must be good" but the advantage is very small and the disadvantages can be pretty annoying. Not everything that works on track is any use on the road, but people forget that.

The front end's probably good news too, but there's a few corners people sometimes cut that I'd want to check. If it's been done well, it's a superb mod, it's not just bling- SVs use very basic (though quite effective) damper forks, while GSXRs as you'd expect use much better suspension components, probably the best you find on japanese bikes. I use an older front end than that, and it's ace...

The front end's shorter than standard, which puts the bike on its nose a bit and can make it a bit unstable. Also, if they've used the GSXR clipons they'll be really low, that can be uncomfortable and also can have clearance problems around the plastic, and makes the bike a wee bit harder to ride.

So... Have a look at the front tyre, on the side it should have 120/70 or 120/60. If it's 120/70 that's great news, that's a taller tyre so it offsets the shorter front end a lot.

Also, setup is important, with so much adjustment there's loads of potential to get it wrong. I don't know if this is something you're comfortable with, it's a skill not everyone has... I'm not great at it tbh.

Last thing to check is the steering lock- make sure the bars don't squash your hands against the tank at full lock. If they don't, then that's good, but also check that the method used to stop it from happening is solid- if not, then in a crash they'll break and the bars will smack your tank, no good that.

Also, the exhaust... It's a decent echaust that, but the bike needs setting up to use it. If you can, I'd get it on a dyno machine for a fuelling check, just to make sure this has been done- this is pretty cheap insurance, and it's also cool to see Don't worry too much about this, but if it's not been set up right then the bike won't run perfectly, which would be a damn shame as this has the potential to be a kick ass bike.

Seems like you might have landed yourself a real big fish there