Sv 650

**mookie** · 9th December 2006, 09:33

HI ALL. curious 4 sum thoughts on the sv 650, ive got a 2003 naked 1 really love it its awesome. was talking 2 a motorbike dealer the other day & he thought they were a very under rated bike.what do ya think?

**Les** · 9th December 2006, 13:22

Well I've got a '03 naked as well that I've had from new. It's met every one of my expectations during our 30,000k's together apart from the seat which I reckon isn't that flash. I've done a few little things to mine like an aftermarket can & FI remap, heated grips, screen and belly pan, etc. I'd like to upgrade the forks too but that's not really that important at my skill level.
I bought one because of what the bike mags said about the older "curvy" model. I'm rapt with it to be honest. I tried both the faired model and the naked and decided that the naked was more to my liking and style, etc.
I ride with lots of other bikes at times, and she has no problems compared to them. In the tight twisties she's a pearler and way more agile than the SV1000K3, of which a friend of mine has.
I reckon it's been rated okay by the press and I've not heard any genuine negative comments from anyone. Most seem to rate them pretty good. In my opinion, the engine is just plain excellent, the chassis awesome, suspension only adequate and the finish/quaility good. Overall an honest 8/10 for me

**mookie** · 9th December 2006, 18:16

G u have clocked up some kms on ya bike les! yeah i find the seat a bit hard at times.what type of muffler u got on? put a scorpion on mine & happy as with it.

**degrom** · 9th December 2006, 18:43

Two Brothers sound great...

**degrom** · 9th December 2006, 18:46

Originally Posted by mookie

G u have clocked up some kms on ya bike les! yeah i find the seat a bit hard at times.what type of muffler u got on? put a scorpion on mine & happy as with it.

My one friend has a 99 model with a complete 2Brothers exhaust system... Looks funny but sounds great!!! (Looks funny because the back cylinders pipe is all bent up to be the same length as the front one)

**svs** · 9th December 2006, 18:49

i had a 99 carbed s model, did about 40,000 on it before selling it last year. current race bike is 02 model, almost standard engine (has 03 camshafts), ohlins rear shock and racetech springs and emulators up front to sort the suspension.

have a full two-bros system on at the moment, but have a full M4 system waiting to go on.

a great bike that's easy to ride, and easy to ride fast on the twisties once you've sorted the suspension.

race bike will be back on the road soon. matt black streetfighter style

**Les** · 9th December 2006, 21:43

Originally Posted by mookie

G u have clocked up some kms on ya bike les! yeah i find the seat a bit hard at times.what type of muffler u got on? put a scorpion on mine & happy as with it.

That works out to about 10,000 km each year. I use it a fair bit mostly for weekend riding and a couple of big trips each year. I don't use it for commuting much at all.
I've fitted a locally made tuneable "Zorsts" brand muffler that I got cheap. I'd originally planned to replace it but like it so much and it looks and sounds great. I made up a small baffle to fit if I ever have any troubles come WOF time. Should be fine though I reckon. Getting it remapped for the exhaust helped quite a bit.

**Les** · 9th December 2006, 21:46

Who is a good supplier for the racetech springs and emulators? I'd like to look into a fork upgrade.

**svs** · 10th December 2006, 09:12

you could try and send Shaun a PM, although he might try and get you a full GSXR-1000 front end

Or Robert Taylor in Hawera

**mookie** · 10th December 2006, 09:52

Originally Posted by degrom

Two Brothers sound great...

HOW MUCH DO THE PIPES VERY IN SOUND & PERFORMANCE? SUPPOSE ITS JUST PERSONAL CHOICE!

**degrom** · 10th December 2006, 10:11

Originally Posted by mookie

HOW MUCH DO THE PIPES VERY IN SOUND & PERFORMANCE? SUPPOSE ITS JUST PERSONAL CHOICE!

Performance... A lot!!! Just gives you better power in the complete rev range...
Sound is just a bonus...

I also know there are a few inexpensive mods to make the bike perform a lot better...

Here is a bit of good reading for you...
http://www.geocities.com/catpoopman/Johns_bike.html

**Pussy** · 10th December 2006, 13:43

Originally Posted by Les

Who is a good supplier for the racetech springs and emulators? I'd like to look into a fork upgrade.

Robert Taylor at NorthWest motorcycles has done two SV650s for us in the past ( K1 and K5). Would recommend it, the mods actually make the SV forks work very well

**mookie** · 12th December 2006, 19:26

Originally Posted by degrom

Performance... A lot!!! Just gives you better power in the complete rev range...
Sound is just a bonus...

I also know there are a few inexpensive mods to make the bike perform a lot better...

Here is a bit of good reading for you...
http://www.geocities.com/catpoopman/Johns_bike.html

Is it just the engine size as to why the 1000s sound better than the 650s?