Bike riding after 15 years (1097ju12)

[1097ju12]

hi guys just signed up to this good site as i have just brought my self a 2007 Suzuki sv1000 after a very long time non-riding last bike was a 2001 zxr750 that's how long its been !!!
loving the new bike but will take me a while to back in to it again. have been for a few long rides which is helping me get back into it
roll on the weekends so i can get some more mileage under my belt
so good to be back riding !!

[Gibbo89]

hi guys just signed up to this good site as i have just brought my self a 2007 Suzuki sv1000 after a very long time non-riding last bike was a 2001 zxr750 that's how long its been !!!
loving the new bike but will take me a while to back in to it again. have been for a few long rides which is helping me get back into it
roll on the weekends so i can get some more mileage under my belt
so good to be back riding !!

Welcome to KB, how does the SV compare to the zxr750?

[1097ju12]

hi there i would have to say the sv is a lot different to ride than the zxr
the zxr was a lot smoother and from what i can remember the zxr handled around the corners a bit better but i think the sv1000 has a lot more power and fun to ride

[Gibbo89]

hi there i would have to say the sv is a lot different to ride than the zxr
the zxr was a lot smoother and from what i can remember the zxr handled around the corners a bit better but i think the sv1000 has a lot more power and fun to ride


Sounds like a good judgment call on those 2 bikes!

[BuzzardNZ]

you might want to check out http://www.sv-portal.com/ . Lots of good info there about the SV. All the mods I've done to mine came from that site.

[1097ju12]

hi cool thanks i will have look at that i am wanting to do a few mod's on the bike

[BuzzardNZ]

hi cool thanks i will have look at that i am wanting to do a few mod's on the bike

this is what I did to mine and made it feel and sound way way better:

2 brothers exhaust,
BMC air filter,
Snorkel removal,
TPS adjustment ( easy to do and great mod ),
TRE,
TEKA tune ( if you are going to do this, make sure it's after you've done all the other mods first )

Be warned though, after doing all these things, while the bike does run heaps better, smoother, more power etc, the fuel economy has dropped a fair bit. I only get about 160-170k's per tank now.

Next I plan to do is get the suspension sorted out for my weight.

[1097ju12]

that's the first thing i want to do is get some better exhausts !!as they sound awesome i can do around 250km on a tank so far that's when the fuel lights was flashing at me
have you played around with the settings for the suspension ? i am 74kg and would like to get it set up as well for my weight i have made the front a bit softer which i think has helped a little bit

[BuzzardNZ]

I'm about 80kgs and I did the same as you, as when I got it the suspension felt too hard up front. I recall going over a small bump at about 100kph and the damn thing almost bucked me off. Now after a few years on it the front feels too soft. Many SV owners on that site replace the stock front suspension with GSXR1000 ones, but I think that's overkill and only for the serious rider. I think the stock suspension is not that good, but good enough for everyday use.

I did most of the mods myself, but when it comes to setting the suspension, I have no idea, so I'll get the bike shop to do that on my next service. There is a good thread on setting up the suspension on sv-portal and they have a good search function where you can find it. If you can't just post, they are a very friendly lot there.

[1097ju12]

funny you say that i had a bit of a wobble going over a bump in the road not that long ago and nearly pooed my self so when i came home after my and had a play around with the front i too may take it to our bike shop for them to set it up i don't think i will be getting the gsxr1000 front like you said bit of an over kill
i look have a look on the site to see if i can work out the settings if not it will be back to the shop

[mrchips]

You've bought a bike with character, I've got an 07 as well.

I love the sound of V8's but the SV with loud pipes just sounds savage !

I ended up putting the low volume inserts back in my yoshi's cos it upset the neighbourhood dogs (& beyond) when i nailed it, would also freak out car drivers coming up behind & overtaking + piss off the boy racers when backfiring at traffic lights :laugh:

I find the suspension pretty hard solo but with the wife on the back it's spot on, gotta please the missus. I think the factory settings are set up for a heavy rider ?

I get a tank range of 260 km solo or 230 km 2 up when the fuel light comes on (no modifications apart from pipes)

[1097ju12]

gidday mrchips i too the the sound of a v8 !! had 3 of them i think this bike will give me lots of good fun will be doing the pipes soon
and i am finding the suspension hard as well have taken the kids around the block and seems to ride a bit better not so keen on taking them out of town as they are all new to riding on bikes
i will keep playing around with the settings

[davebullet]

I've got an SV650 - but 2nd the TPS and TRE. Makes them a much easier commuter machine and smoother off idle / in slow traffic.

I replaced the rear shock with a GSXR1000K3- and it ended up dropping it by about 10 - 15mm. I didn't bother raising the back end (nor dropping the front in the triples) but hasn't made much difference to steering. It's made the back more compliant, but I wouldn't say "better". I prefer the slightly harder ride of the speed triple around corners. Probably too much rebound damping on the rear of the SV.

I agree about the ride. I'm also about 80kgs and find most bikes too hard / oversprung. Although damping is built to a price, I'm going to try a more weight aligned spring in the speed triple to see if that helps.

[1097ju12]

HI DAVE i have been reading up that a few guys over seas replace front set with gsxr1000 most say it makes a big difference if i wanted to spend that sort of $$ i would just go out and buy a gsxr1000 i think the sv is a good reliable bike with lots of torque and i am very happy with it .should be better once i have set the ride up to my liking