SV1000 comments?

[geoffm]

Been looking at SV1000s which are pretty damn cheap at present - $12k shiny new, which I could stretch to. Anyone have any opinions on them, or experiences good or bad? Most previous threads here degenerate into a TL vs SV debate.
How does a packrack fit on one - not many obvious mounting points.
Suspension was so-so - soft on the front and choppy on the back, but setup could help, and I have ridden worse that cost more. Finish was ok, but the low price is obviously comes from many areas.
I would be a bit worried about stones through the oil cooler being behind the front wheel. A bit of screen door might be an idea.
Read SVPortal, took one out for a spin, got a price from Robert Taylor for possible suspension mods for future reference.
The Yoshi pipes sounded nice on the one I tried, without being obnoxious.
Looking at the budget, insurance costs running costs at present to se ehow it stacks up - in conjunction with the job outlook...
Geoff

[fatzx10r]

i had a k3 sv1000 and thought it was a bloody good bike. it was comfy on a long trip (but the seat could do with a bit more padding), had plenty of grunt and the motor's are bulletprof (but dont keep it up on the front wheel for to long), the suspension was a bit spongy but if your looking at fixing that it should'nt be a problem. fitting a pack rack wont be an issue, just buy one for your bike and you should be able to fit it yourself

[Jacko2]

Geoffm, PM me ya Ph. No.
Could bring mine over tomorrow.
Have heaps of extras to squiz at.
Out tonight (soon), will return call in morning.
JACKO

[Grahameeboy]

Been looking at SV1000s which are pretty damn cheap at present - $12k shiny new, which I could stretch to. Anyone have any opinions on them, or experiences good or bad? Most previous threads here degenerate into a TL vs SV debate.
How does a packrack fit on one - not many obvious mounting points.
Suspension was so-so - soft on the front and choppy on the back, but setup could help, and I have ridden worse that cost more. Finish was ok, but the low price is obviously comes from many areas.
I would be a bit worried about stones through the oil cooler being behind the front wheel. A bit of screen door might be an idea.
Read SVPortal, took one out for a spin, got a price from Robert Taylor for possible suspension mods for future reference.
The Yoshi pipes sounded nice on the one I tried, without being obnoxious.
Looking at the budget, insurance costs running costs at present to se ehow it stacks up - in conjunction with the job outlook...
Geoff

I love mine....Arrows, DNA filter, Ignition advancer kit, goes pretty well. Suspension just needs tuning and after 45,000 k's my rear is still good and front just needed new fork oil to replace the "water"...Powers suit for me...have just added a colour codes rear seat cowl..what else...chain and sprockets lasted 45,000 k's...front pads lasted about the same v 3 sets of rears but I am a rear breaker...easy to get SV radiator guards...if you want to have a look at mine with the extras let me know....

Oh and shims did not need touching after 45,000 either...

Buy one...it's the poor mans Ducati but has character

[pzkpfw]

According to the Suzuki Fest catalogue I ordered, SV1000S "special" price is $11,995.

It says "ask your dealer for a special deal on twin Yoshimura slip-ons for this model".

(Not sure if that's what you referred to, sorry if it's old news.)

[Same catalogue has SV650S - with full fairing - for $11,600. Looks WAY nice - but just 395 less than the SV1000??!!]

[slofox]

According to the Suzuki Fest catalogue I ordered, SV1000S "special" price is $11,995.

It says "ask your dealer for a special deal on twin Yoshimura slip-ons for this model".

(Not sure if that's what you referred to, sorry if it's old news.)

[Same catalogue has SV650S - with full fairing - for $11,600. Looks WAY nice - but just 395 less than the SV1000??!!]

There is a school of thought out there that thinks the 650 is the better bike....can't say myself not having ridden the thou.......

[fatheroftheaccused]

650 and the the thou. in the family. Picked up a sv1000s k7/8 last week done 4200k's for 9k. Bloody good value for money. No Ducati ,but real fun to ride, as for which one 650/1000 is the better bike...depends how you ride, they are both good value at the moment. Sounds good with the after market pipes to.

[Ixion]

I have a K3 .
compared to the Beemer:

It's a LOT faster. Duh.
It's obviously not as comfortable, but I was surprised at how "not too bad" it was. It's fine for "between gas stop" distances. I Chainsaw Willie'd the bars , but that's mainly cos I have unnaturally short arms.
"Between gas stops" is a pain. Max is a bit over 200km to the warning light.
Luggage? Don't bother.
Has been reliable enough, I haven't experienced any of the standard bugs.Maintainence is reasonably DIY.
Its crap for communting. You can do it (and I'm sure someone will say they do) but it's still crap.
Handling is OK. Ish. I wouldn't rave about it. I think it can probably be pushed quite fast through the corners, but it doesn't inspire either the "wheeee, let me go back and do that again " factor of the RZ350 , or the "Ach zo, vuz that a corner ?" on rails feel of the BMW.
Lights are OK. Not wonderful, but OK.
I haven't done enough miles to comment on chain life. Rear tyre looks like being bad for around 10000 12000 km. Not good. But I've heard worse.
Performance was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting a super stump puller, sort of two XT600s bolted together. But in reality you need to keep the revs over 4000 (and 6000 is better) if you're going to make any progress. You can ride it at lower rpm, but it's monumentally underwhelming. I've revised my thinking to two Manx Nortons bolted together. There is a very distinct cammy effect. Having said that once on the cam it is very nice. Dropping into a corner at 13000 rpm is "Gee, I'm Hailwood" stuff.

All in all, it goes pretty fast (by my undemanding standards). My evil cousin who looks just like me took it out to 250 clicks, with probably a wee bit more to go if a 50 km long staright road could be found. But , really, that's all it does. Go fast.

If I had to make a call which one to keep, the BMW or the SV, it would be no contest, I'd keep the BMW. It's much slower, but much more versatile..

[rocketman1]

I always sigh when I read guys comparing BMW's Aprilias & Ducatis to SV1000S
I guess it goes to show that the SV is in the comparison league, but I did alot of searching and riding before I bought my SV.
This is basically what I based it on: money for value, or bang for your buck.
Mine cost $12500 incl Yoshis
This had a 2 year warranty
Suzuki reliablity
Great Fuel injection
6 speed, great gearbox!
Magic sound - with yoshis
Good suspension fully adjustable
Stronger 43mm front forks.
185kg light to move about in the garage
A good standard of finish.
And I can get 20km/L taking it averagely
Head lights are exceptionally good,. on the later models
Yes I agree some of competition at more than twice/three times the price, have more uprated shocks, braided hoses and generally more expensive hardware.
But I have got mine sorted, suspension wise, and it will take a very good rider to leave me behind on any road and on any bike, and in any case I you would have to be on race track to gain any advantage.
Cheap in $ terms they may only be $13K but SV's have alot of character and bloody good value for a fast, bullet proof motor, plus they are damn good looking, they get prettier the longer you own them.

I may buy an Aprilia or Ducati next (havent decided) but I won't sell the SV.

[Toaster]

You pretty much get what you pay for.

Bikes like the SV and VTR are budget bikes made for a mass market with a limited spend - so they have done well. Just don't expect GSXR or CBR performance.

V-twin vibration thru pedals and grips may or may not be your thing.

The main things:

1. that you feel at home on the bike and its specs fit for its purpose you intend to use it for (commuting/racing/distance/blats/mixture of etc etc).

2. that you don't blow your finances getting something you cant afford to keep in the longrun.

[geoffm]

I have a K3 .
compared to the Beemer:


If I had to make a call which one to keep, the BMW or the SV, it would be no contest, I'd keep the BMW. It's much slower, but much more versatile..

Alas, keeping the Beemer isn't an option - an Ethnic Minority terminated it with extreme prejudice on the Queen St/ Wellesly St intersection on the 4th of July, so I have been reduced to my 50cc scooter.
The RG500 is in 4 fishbins waiting for a money injection, and my RD350 has been waiting for new pistons to arrive for weeks. The plan was to use that, but things have taken longer than planned, and it isn't the best for relaible, economical long distnace travel. Good for pissing off Greenies and being a total hoon...
Communting duties are done by the scooter, which is far, far superior to a big bike in the city - cheap, economical, cheap and easy to park and cheap.

The SV looks like the winner of "get geoff a new bike" mainly for economic reasons. It is on the upper limit of the budget for the search, which started out with a hiss and a roar and has been dropped back as reality bites with insurance, running costs, etc. I am still loathe to drop $12k on something that spends it's time in the garage - blame the Scots. I don't do the touring miles any more (Reality again) so luggage is nice but not as important, and there is a Givi or SW-motec kit for them. ...
The idea of a new bike with 24 month warranty for the money appeals. Other stuff at this price point is a few years old, and you are up for tyres, chains, etc sooner rather than later.

Of the test riding I did, If I had lots of Lotto money, I would buy a new BMW K1200S - but I wouldn't touch an old one. Lots of expensive bits that won't age well in the suspension, and the new ones have much needed gearbox improvements.
I really wanted to like the Triumph Sprint ST - but new prices for parts and bikes are silly, I hated the seat (although that might be fixed by the Rider seat people) and it had niggles. None of the niggles or British build wuality by themselves would top me buying one, but te $21k price sticker would, and the really serious depreciation as soon as they get a year or 2 under the tyres. I very nearly bought a 2005 one, but missed the deadline due to a family fight... $21k new is to much.
I loved the VFR800, not so keen on the Vtec but it is ok - but $17k (new) +ORC is a step to far. Second hand ones (2007-8) are marginally less. Been a few 2002-2005 ones up for sale recently. Be the choice with a slightly bigger budget.

[BigOne]

we have both an SV650K2 naked and an SV1000S K6 in the family, and I'd have the 650 any day. The 1000 is a better bike for long distances at way above the speed limit, but the 650 is much more fun on the Akaroa Hill. Cheaper to insure, too.
I have improved the 650 with an Ohlins rear and USD forks transplant, and the result is awesome.

[dipshit]

How does a packrack fit on one - not many obvious mounting points.

Packracks for SV's are available and are reasonably easy to fit. The one i got, i had to remove the plastic tail section and drill a couple of holes through the plastic mudguard underneath. But once that is done it is easy to remove and put back on whenever needed.

With the rack and a medium sized tankbag - i get enough luggage space for rallies and weekend camping trips no problems.

[Pumba]

I think everyone else has said everything that needs to be said, I loved mine, reliable, typical suzuki build quality. Alot of peolpe dont seem to like them because they are a watered down version of a TL, so what, it would have been nice to have TL power but the SV actually goes round corners and has a real rear suspension.

The only thing I always the intention of doing was sending the seat to the Rider guys in Tauranga, but it never happened.

I presume you have ridden one and liked it?

[Laava]

I had a quick fang on T.I.E's one and was impressed how much more boogie it had than my DL. I know the cams are different etc and he put a TRE in which he reckoned made a big diff. The suspension seemed rock hard tho compared to the fluffy, poofy setup on my bike. Shame I didn't get more time with it!