curvy feels twitchy

Been riding my 2000 sv for about 6 months now, and now i'm getting more confidence on it and am starting to ride it a bit harder i've noticed it can get a little twitchy when i'm cornering hard.

My mate told me i need to upgrade to "a real sports bike" but i love the sv and i'm sure if people race them there must be a couple of mods that i can do to help get rid of the twitchyness, which feels to me like the front end mainly. Now i'm not made of money so a gixer front end is kinda out of the question at the mo, any other ideas? do steering dampers help at all?

[dizzyblonde]

you don't need a steering damper on an SV. Could be down to anything with the twitch, from tyre pressure to headbearings. I've had serious twitch from nadgered bearings, but you notice that particulary when turning slow into side roads, feels like the front end is going to fall over.

get new springs and oil for the front and do a search on here for rear shock changes

[Biker Biggles]

Cheapest mod is check tyre pressures,then change the fork oil.Gets a bit dearer to change the fork springs,but still affordable.SVs dont need a steering damper unless you do something radical to the geometry,so it might be worth looking at how worn your tyres are too?

[fizzwheel]

You dont need to upgrade to a full on sports bike.

If your front end is standard then it may be time to think about a front end upgrade.

So basically thats...

Cheap Option - New Springs and Fork Oil setup correctly for your weight.

Cheap Option but more hassle - GSXR Front end swap. Which if done right and parts sourced correctly you can do for nothing by selling your standard front end to cover the costs.

Both have been covered alot on the forum so have a play with the search function.

If you really want to compliment it then look into replacing the rear shock as well.

IMHO the SV doesnt need a damper. Its the under sprung front end thats causing the problems, fitting a damper only masks the under lying issue. The reason alot of sports bikes have them is that the steering geometry is more extreme and thats where the damper helps.

sound, i'll have a look at upgrading the springs and fork oil first i think, see if that sorts the problem, i'm gonna be in need of a front tyre soon too, so its probably a collection of things

Don't want to be offensive mate but maybe you're going a bit too fast for a beginner? If you're a beginner that is. Again just trying to be helpful, take your time and take things a step at a time. I've been riding for almost 10years now and am still learning things, I'm a slow learner I know

You do not need a steering damper on a SV650, anybody thats says it does needs shooting!

Get some springs and oil in the forks to suit your weight.

Maybe adjust your rear shock with the tool provided in your kit. I got Mr Speirs to do mine on Saturday, it is as stiff as possible now, and is a little twitchy at the rear, but I don't mind that, it gives me feel and feedback that I don't mind. When you are saying twitchy, do you mean the front or rear or the whole shabbam?

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

headbearings. I've had serious twitch from nadgered bearings, but you notice that particulary when turning slow into side roads, feels like the front end is going to fall over.

thats EXACTLY how mine has felt lately.....good description...its in the garage tomorrow so get them to check the headbearing also...thanks dizzy