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View Full Version : 2004 Suzuki SV650 Naked -Dr jeckle and mr hyde



FROSTY
8th July 2004, 18:35
I must say my introduction to the sv650 was pretty fast.I had 30 seconds to figure it out before a mad dash from Whangaparoa to Autobahn Papakura.
Keeping in mind this bike was being run in so I was restricted to bursts up to 9000 rpm.
My initial impression was of lightning quick steering superb stiff chasis and an awsome spread of power.This bike for sure will make a fantastic commuter.The instruments were easy to read with a normal tacho and a digital speedo.Mirrors were perfectly positioned and fuzz free
Arriving at the Autobahn I discovered Id missed the group of riders I was going to hook up with for a decent test ride.
Luckily 2 of the more radical riders were also late and knew where everybody was heading.
The following half hour ride will go down in my books as one of the most frustrating and downright frightening I have ever had on a motorcycle.
The pace came up as we left the main highway and the deficiencies of the setup became screamingly clear (that was me doing the screaming)
First it would snap into a corner faster and harder than I anticipated then it would bottom out and throw us wide.Sometimes it would bump steer off of small bumps and others it would shake its head like it wanted rid of me.
Ariving at Kaiawa I had a chance to look the bike over.
There were some um glaring set up problems that with a lot of help I managed to fix with the bikes toolkitand a 12mm ratchet.I t seems some brightspark haddnt checked the tyre pressures in the predelivery and had the bright idea that sliding the forks 75mm through the tripple clamps wont affect handling one iota.That in combination with an over preloaded rear shock made things a tadd interesting.
With the arrival of the main group we all set out at a reasonable pace up the coast and what a different bike.A complete transformation.
I instantly felt at home as soon as we headed off.
The motor was responsive and punchy right up to my running in imposed redline of 9500 rpm (the real redline is a few thousand rpm higher)
Aiming at a set of bumps I discovered that the front forks are still very soft but managable.
Chasing the faster group of riders I found that I could simply point and shoot with the lovely spread of power pulling the bike back upright.
If I overcooked a corner no problemo-just squeeze on those lovely 4 piston front brakes and she came to a total stop well short of where i thought i'd end up.
The riding position was neutral but I found I almost adopted a supermoto type riding style -Elbow out and knee well forward and out.
Throttle response was instant and caught me out a few times with me hobby horsing in some of the corners i wasn't so familiar with.
The tyres never gave me reason to doubt them. Never once even hinting they would let go.
After a break to cool the bike down a bit we headed down one of my favorite roads.I headed off last thinking-lets see what she can do.
What she did was put a huge silly grin on my face.
This bike for sure rewards spirited but smooth riding.Catching and passing other riders I found myself able to apply power at almost any angle of lean and she would leap forward. One or two headshakes on some of the nastier bumps reminded me she still had a soft front end. I ended up following the fastest rider in our group and the bike indicated with a bit more setup that on that road she would have no problems keeping up.-Just a not so good rider holding her back.
I finished the day grinning like a cheshire cat Having had a barrel of fun.
Not a hint of the dreaded numb bum showed how good the seat was.
The ride to return the bike to the by now slightly worried owner was a touch on the cold and windy side but again the bike performed faultlessly and the 7" round headlight was superb
Would I own one -No but only because Ive got a buggered neck and can't handle the wind.
But would I own its almost identical brother with a fairing -
Hell Yea -In an instant.
Pros --well there are so many
Fantastic spread of power from very low down
Superb tight chasis.
Modern brakes that stop on a dime.
narrow in the beam
easy OHH so easy to ride.
well padded seat
The deepest blue paint job
Cons
those horrible soft forks -tsk tsk mr suzuki what were you thinking
No fairing--A personal thing but my back and shoulders ached after riding the sv
Possibly once the forks are sorted the back shock might seem over soft and fade away then again Maybee not
Anyways a nice bike and I can see why theyre winning races in F3 and giving the 600 multi's a good run for their money in F2.
Im at the moment trying to figure out a way to grease a ride on this bike once its fully run in -if its this good only able to go to 9500 what will she be like able to rev to redline

FROSTY
8th July 2004, 21:56
has anyone got a faired version?
Id bee keen to hear what ya think of it

MadDuck
8th July 2004, 22:12
if no one in NZ then I found this site

www.sv650.org

go figure theres a web site for just about anything :bash:

Bob
9th July 2004, 01:39
has anyone got a faired version?
Id bee keen to hear what ya think of it

Your wish is my command! (http://www.bobpickett.co.uk/bkit/sv6501.htm)

Bob
9th July 2004, 01:43
well padded seat

Really? Did it have a gel seat fitted? If I have a complaint (aside from the finish could be better), it is the seat is too thin and uncomfortable.

Try doing a 'tank emptying' run on one - and you'll be walking like John Wayne!

FROSTY
9th July 2004, 08:07
I did that bob--ran her basicly half a day non stop.

Ghost Lemur
9th July 2004, 14:40
Here's a sexy example I think you'll agree Frosty.



http://www.sv650.org/pic1/SV6505fRocket5fonderkuip.jpg

FROSTY
9th July 2004, 19:21
heck yea -that is one sexy beast

bluninja
10th July 2004, 21:07
Really? Did it have a gel seat fitted? If I have a complaint (aside from the finish could be better), it is the seat is too thin and uncomfortable.

Try doing a 'tank emptying' run on one - and you'll be walking like John Wayne!

I found the seat made my arse numb on medium to long rides too...amazing to say that the RSVR was more comfortable to tour on than the SV.

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 00:17
I guess Ive come from an era of seats like concrete blocks. :whistle: :whistle:

Bob
15th July 2004, 01:08
SV has the least plush saddle I've ever suffered!

Seeing that photo - does the faired SV come like that as standard in NZ? It just comes with the top fairing over here.

I'd love to get the full fairing fitted, but that would increase my insurance premiums, as it is a modification!

moko
15th July 2004, 01:39
I`d say from the rear "mudguard" that`s a German market model,very sloppy parking as well.

Motoracer
15th July 2004, 11:09
Excelent write up Frosty! :niceone:

I am surprised that you didn't mention how vunrable the paint work is for getting stone chips for no reason! :whistle:

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 20:44
keeping in mind that the owner of said bike is on this forum I'm hoping she wont figure out how close behind you I had to be -and um how fast we had to be going :sweatdrop
I will figure uot where that stone shooting bazooka on your bike is and reverse it so it shoots you in the leg.
Shit some of those stones hurt. :brick:
Mind you at the time I had bigger problems --Like keeping the bucking bronco on track. :argh:
Good spotting on the fork thing

MadDuck
15th July 2004, 21:20
ok ...so who is brave enough to spill the beans? Like I wouldnt have guessed as I know how fast MR goes

Motoracer
15th July 2004, 21:37
ok ...so who is brave enough to spill the beans? Like I wouldnt have guessed as I know how fast MR goes

Ok I will.

I wasn't reving past 6-8K or so. When he got the stone chip, we must have only been going at near legal speeds.

I only had to open it up when I was trying to keep WT and Cycosis in sight and Frosty wasn't around at that time.

He took real good care of your baby :niceone:

SteveNZ
15th July 2004, 21:44
I've got the '03 model, the differences are pretty minor between the two, mostly alterations to bits of the rear subframe etc.

Brilliant little bikes, lots of useful power/torque, handles well, brakes are "okay".

Mine has had a few things done to it, so it looks (IMHO) a lot better, is more comfortable, handles better and accelerates better. Apart from the Neptune exhaust, I imported everything from the states, as prices in NZ are bordering on theft for OEM parts.

The standard seat is not particulary comfortable at all, so I replaced it with the OEM gel seat which is a massive improvement. (The seat is something like $600 if bought from the agents, I paid about half that from Oneida Suzuki - www.oneidasuzuki.com - in New York).

Lots of carbon-fibre protector bits (fuel cap, zip-guard, triple-clamp guard etc.). (Oneida)

Neptune pipe with removable restrictor (gets a bit "too" loud when combined with the below) (www.neptunemufflers.co.nz)

Renegade/Pipercross airkit - basically amounts to pod filters. Big improvement to responsiveness, and the induction roar is great. (www.renegadeproducts.com)

Dynojet PowerCommander3 USB - big improvement to power delivery, much smoother. (Ebay)

Fender eliminator - got rid of the god-awful "snow shovel" rear mudguard and minaturised it (Ebay)

Timing retarder bypassed - Didn't want it, didn't need it, I prefer my throttle-response thanks very much...

Heavier fork oil and 10mm spacers - massive improvement to the front-end handling, no longer bottoms out anywhere, and still has enough give that my throttle-hand doesn't bounce about when riding over lumpy roads (i.e. - just about any road within 5Km of home).

Ironically, the naked version is more comfortable for taller people due to the slightly more upright riding position, but you lose the wind defence due to not having the fairing. As I rarely exceed 100Km/h (honest guv'), it isn't too much of an issue except when there's a strong headwind. I've never owned a bike with a useful fairing (Being 6'2" doesn't help), so I really can't say how much better the faired model is at speed.

Absolute bargain of a bike for $10K, but it hugely benefits from a few small modifications. (Needs a new pipe to get rid of the big hole in the midrange caused by the catalytic convertor and needs the front suspension dealt to ASAP).

Bear in mind, I can't be bothered with sportsbikes. I don't need to do 200Km/h+, and I couldn't use anything beyond 90hp...

End result:

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/steve/SV650%20right%20(driveway).jpg

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 21:44
that wont pay for my braided lines MR and um keep in mind she knows we beat the main pack to kaiwaka. :whistle: lol
They were um legal speeds? --where on the german autobahns :argh:

merv
15th July 2004, 21:47
OK reading this thread I'm happy to take it that this is MadDuck's bike and that the damn shop hasn't done two like this.

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 22:47
OK reading this thread I'm happy to take it that this is MadDuck's bike and that the damn shop hasn't done two like this.
well You can think that but I can neither confirm or deny

MadDuck
15th July 2004, 22:57
OK reading this thread I'm happy to take it that this is MadDuck's bike and that the damn shop hasn't done two like this.

Yeah its my bike Merv. And if it wasnt for these nutters testing it and taking it to the limits I would now be back to walking. If not I could have been the next blasted statistic. My aim is to ride to the SI in December so got the bigger bike in heaps of time to get used to it.

I guess I will take stock over the next few days before I make my next move. I really dont think it is acceptale to send any rider out in the road on and unsafe bike. Maybe I am being nit picky but ....

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 23:34
nutter --she calls me a nutter -sheesh a more sane person you could not find :calm:
Now wheres My bloody prozac :doctor:
all was done in the name of rider safety. :whistle: :whistle:

merv
16th July 2004, 08:13
nutter --she calls me a nutter -sheesh a more sane person you could not find :calm:
Now wheres My bloody prozac :doctor:
all was done in the name of rider safety. :whistle: :whistle:

Like any good test pilot would eh!

As for the shop, it only reinforces my view that as far as bikes go its best if you can do most thigs yourself given its mainly your life you are risking.

Glad you are getting this bike sorted.

FROSTY
25th July 2004, 11:54
hmm--now it seems that a crowd in uk are doing after market front spring kits for SV's. The old Gs400 handlebar fairing I have lurking under my house might fit -what a cool bike to customise Im thinking

svs
26th July 2004, 15:32
Racetech do aftermarket spring kits for the SV, and emulators to make the suspension more like the higher spec cartridge types.

I own 2 SVs now. An '02 naked with sorted suspension (race tech springs and emulators front ohlins rear) on the race track and a '99 half faired SVS on the road (heavier oil and spacers up front GSXR750 shock on rear). Fixing the suspension is the best thing to can do to these bike.

I've never had any problems with comfort and can ride all day on the road without problems. Also covered close on 50 thou on the road with nothing breaking (It has been serviced properly tho)

HenryDorsetCase
9th January 2005, 23:01
this is the thread I have been trolling for.

thanks for the references, particularly Oneida

I have the opposite problem: I am really short, so my arse is too far forward on the seat and its very uncomfortable: I did 1150km in three days earlier this week and every night was walking like John Wayne.

gel seat sounds like a plan!

FROSTY
17th April 2005, 23:00
An interesting development. I bought an SV as a race bike and the first thing I noticed was the incredibly thick seat padding.
It just felt totally wrong to me.
I took the padding off of the seat base and just glued a 12mm thick piece of
high density foam on to the base. It made a huge difference to C of g and to how planted I feel in the bike.
I cant recomend going quite that far but loosing 50mm of the seat padding will make no difference to comfort levels but will make ya so much more planted when stopping and starting.

zadok
6th May 2005, 11:28
Have you heard of the Hyosung? It is the SV650 only made by a different company.
http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/ROADBIKES.html

FROSTY
7th May 2005, 11:16
its not quite dude--its heavier and has less HP also it has yumee upside downers dag namb it.
I wish in hindsite Ide bought the cagiva raptor 650 -which had the highest specs of all ot the SV based bikes.