Why the focus on performance riding?

Ah, that's where you went wrong DT, you're not meant to write them off don't you know, runs away.

Personally, i would move on to a newer or better specced bike than spend the money doing the mods, or buy one where they were allready done. But to buy a new bike as in the sv and then have to improve it don't make sense to me.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

YC-Difference being you don't seem to care what it looks like as long as it is mechanically sound,but many others care about the cosmetics and don't have the mechanical expertise you have so it ends up costing.
Yes I'll spend money on the suspension overhaul but that in my eyes is part of my maintenance schedule,not a modification as the bike will still be completely standard with normal suspension but as it was when new.

Cosmetics have nowt to do with it. Shock would cost same, forks cost same.
Fair enough you pay extra for upside down forks, but that is different.

That suspension overhaul cannot be done on the SV. The stock shock is welded together, it isn't possible to overhaul it, so you need to replace... modify even...

Originally Posted by bluefishman

Personally, i would move on to a newer or better specced bike than spend the money doing the mods, or buy one where they were allready done. But to buy a new bike as in the sv and then have to improve it don't make sense to me.

this is where people dont get it, the sv parts cost more than the gixxer or equivalent parts so once you have sold off most of the stock sv stuf the mods haven't cost a lot, if any thing at all. where as a better bike like a gixxer could cost you another £1000+ for something of the same age and mileage as the sv

Originally Posted by barwel1992

this is where people dont get it, the sv parts cost more than the gixxer or equivalent parts so once you have sold off most of the stock sv stuf the mods haven't cost a lot, if any thing at all. where as a better bike like a gixxer could cost you another £1000+ for something of the same age and mileage as the sv

So you are saying a same year sv with the mods is better or equal too a gsxr?

Originally Posted by bluefishman

So you are saying a same year sv with the mods is better or equal too a gsxr?

no im not saying that i was just pointing out that the mods dont cost much at all, and a lot of people cant aford a gixxer where as they could aford to mod the sv and make it a "better bike"

No, what he is saying that for very little or no extra cost you are improving the SV which has a great natural chassis, great little engine but is just slightly let down by budget suspension.

It will be cheaper to insure than a gsxr, cheaper to buy than a gsxr and marginally cheaper to run.

[steveg]

I bought my sv650s new 4 years ago , I had owned a lot bigger / sportier bikes last was zxr750 but after a total loss on my bike and my wife wrote my car off had to look at getting a cheap bike to ensure
I had not planned in keeping the sv for more than 2 years to get some NCB back , 4 years later still have the sv , mileage is 52k so its not worth nothing now may be a grand if I'm lucky
Only mods I made were essentials in my opinion due to the daily transport use its gets , these being scotoiler , crash bungs and fender extender
The forks were too soft so fitted hagon springs & oil , still on std shock which is worn but still does the commuting fine ( have 2nd hand shock in garage ready to fit)
I will probably run the sv into the ground for another couple of years and then go back to a bigger bike , however even standardish sv is a great bike in my opnion

Cheers Steveg

Fair enough
Your SV has tired suspension---who buys the knackered forks and rear shock and how do you know that the secondhand stuff you are buying to replace it is in perfect condition or do people scrap perfectly good bikes to sell off the bits or is it perhaps from a smashed bike-----who knows,the chance you take with secondhand
I was more refering to the upgrading of fork springs and oil,changing the air gap.
Please show me where I can buy a NEW rear shock for a GSXR cheaper than an one for a SV--------surely you are talking secondhand GSXR as against a new SV rear shock

There you go Dicky. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-GSXR-60...item4aa2fde410

yes its not new but a £50 service will sort it out. You cant even service the SV's excuse for a shock as it is a sealed unit. I have just bought a new ZX10R 05 shock for the measly sum of £16! It was fitted to a raod bike that was converted straight to a racer. If someone offered ou a massive improvement for £16 would you not take it? But I bet you would spend £250 on a nice exhaust can that makes no real difference to performance but does make you look cool as you ride past people... no i'm not saying that I wouldnt either

Nobody buys second hand SV shocks as they are CARP! So fair enough you will probably make about a £10 loss. Going up to about £60 after servicing costs.

I have sold standard SV forks for £200 to other minitwinners, had to pay £150 for a front wheel, for my wets and the other front end bits go for good money too.

I have done a GSXR front end swap in the past for just under £100 and it does work after a little bit of setting up.

Where as to make the stock SV forks work (at a racers level) you are looking at nearly £300 for emulator kits and linear springs.

I dont blame anyone who wants to tweak with bikes to make them better. Having raced them for nearly 4 years and owned them on the road the difference is unbelievable!

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

I dunno.

There will always be room for improvement - nothing is perfect. But the I'm sure you'd agree the home mechanic can make a significant improvement quite easily to an SV - the same degree of change to a modern supersport machine would cost far, far more money and would require the services of some very highly able and experienced people.
Whatever changes could be made by us at home and with parts that could be obtained for the sort of cost of a GSXR front end from e-bay, are far smaller and less significant.