SV650S – any cons???

Looking for a decent midsize bike, don't want anything too manic but strong midrange would be good. Keep reading nothing but good about the little Suzi v twin. Is there a downside to them? Or should I just go mad and buy a Falco??????

Their fault is this – a buttery smooth clutch 😉

Not sure if they are cons but
– a lot of women ride them.
– and they max out around the 130mph.

They're a good bike, I've only spent an hour on one but it had a great torquey feel. Personally I felt the SV felt alittle small and not so easy to ride in long stationary traffic so ended up buying an ER6.

Loads of people get on with the SV, only bad things I've heard is lots of oil consumption and the front cylinder plug can cause troubles in the winter with lots of spray hitting it from the front wheel, so worth fitting a long fender.

I had a falco – lovely bike. I don't like the build quality of Suzuki so my money would be on the falco. Just make sure you get a good one or they're a money pit.

I changed most things on mine so if you want any advice give me a shout. Key things to look for are warped front discs (brembo so £££ to replace), and slipping clutches. Just make sure you use the correct oil and you'll be fine. oh and the clutch slave cylinder but they all do that

Cheers for the info……..

Mrs BS is selling her SV650s if any interest? it's a blue Y2K W reg, 9,000 on clock. all original bar a double bubble screen and a scott oiler, sale due to lack of use. looking for £1750. dc30 AT fsmail.net

It's a japanses bike and the faired version looks a bit fugly (in my opinion). Expect that not much to say…
Oh yes the first generation have a very crap fork.

I had a falco – lovely bike. I don't like the build quality of Suzuki so my money would be on the falco. Just make sure you get a good one or they're a money pit.

So… you wouldn't buy the Suzuki because you think the build quality is poor, but you'd suggest a bike you describe as a 'potential money pit' as an alternative?

What's wrong with Suzuki build quality, have I missed something?

I've ridden a fair few SVs and they're great as a first big bike. Personally, I'm not a fan of twins. Can't fault the SV but if it was my money, I'd be looking at a CBR600F

Onzadog – Member
I've ridden a fair few SVs and they're great as a first big bike. Personally, I'm not a fan of twins. Can't fault the SV but if it was my money, I'd be looking at a CBR600F

I tried a SV when looking for my next bike a few months ago. As above didn't like the feel of the twin so went for a mint FSH one of these with 9000 miles on the clock….Comfy and sporty

I had an 02 reg one for a year & apart from the plug problem mentioned above giving an odd missfire, the only issue was the plating on the engine – it started to flake off before it was 2 years old & I didn't ride it in the rain much & never with salt on the road, a mate of mine bought a Bandit at the same time but he commuted through the winter on it & the radiator grill just dissolved!
Great bike, easy to ride & very good on fuel – check out http://sv650.org/
Trouble is it got me into V twins & this is what that lead to 😀

I've had mine for 6 years maybe, 5 years? Something like that. Still love it, though it's far from standard now. There's really nothing else I want more now. It's reasonably light, has a lovely motor, very very tough. If you want a high powered sports bike, well, it's not that but I don't personally, as stock it'll still 0-60 well under 4 seconds, run a quarter in under 11 and see 130+ on the clocks (real world about 120mph) so it's no slouch. Only about 70bhp but it's very usable, about 7/10ths of the rev range is good enough to ride on.

Finish quality isn't particularily good- better than a modern Kawasaki but that pretty much goes without saying, definately a bit substandard but nothing too troublesome. Mechanically, no problem at all, they go on and on. 150000 miles without ever opening the engine is entirely reasonable. They're very very durable, the narrow frame and engine makes them very crash resistant and parts are easy to find because they're so common. Also very modifiable/tunable if that takes your fancy.

The biggest criticism is the suspension, it's pretty poor, a bit 70s. The front forks are just damper rods in an oil bath, most mountain bikes are better… But that's not too bad, except that they're sprung and damped for a 10 stone rider, so for most people a spring swap and fork oil change is a good idea (fork oil is a good idea anyway if the bike's over 2 years old, nobody ever does it and the stock stuff has a very short lifespan). The rear shock is cheap but effective, but wears out by about 20000 miles.

But, there's plenty of easy fixes for all of this, a hundred quid dropped on the forks really makes the bike what it should have been from the factory, if you're over 10 stone. There are shocks from other bikes which swap straight in, if you want, it's not neccesary though. Or you can go nuts like me and change the whole front end to GSXR parts in an afternoon

People mentioned the wet front plug, spot on, but the fix is easy, Maplin sell a high temperature waterproof silicon grease in a tube for a pound, splatch some of that around the front plug cap where it enters the cylinder head cover and it's 100% fixed. Oh, they also tend to suffer from carb icing on the older model (pre 2003, with the round frame tubes), though that can be sorted with Silkolene Pro FST fuel additive.

The newer Kawasaki ER6s are fairly similiar- well they should be, they're a purpose built competitor. Again, nice engine, cheap suspension, even worse build quality though. More upright riding position, less fun IMO. You should probably try a Hornet as well, sure the engine is very revvy but the handling is better out of the box, and they're similiarly unkillable. I don't like the engine but I can't fault the bikes otherwise, other than my personal preferences the hornet's better.

Someone said check out SV650.org, that's very good advice, I gather there's some guy called Northwind on there who knows a bit about SVs 😉 Though he's obsessed, so you want to watch him.

Juan wrote, "Oh yes the first generation have a very crap fork."

The forks on all the SVs to date have been essentially identical, there's no performance difference between the first and second generation. Not sure why you'd think this is the case. The parts were changed but the result's the same, it's a tube with holes in stuck in an oil bath.

Thanks for the info. I'm not bothered about top end performance, sounds like a suzi could be perfect with a bit of work on the suspension. Love the sound of the big vees though, VTR or Aprilia would be great……
Northwind – how much do you reckon it would cost to sort front and rear sus?
BS – thanks for the offer but would like to get a more recent model if poss.

(Mr MC posting) the Falco is a far superior bike in every respect and not a fair comparison. MC has a Mk1 SV650 which is a cracking bike and fits her shorter frame. I put 30,000 miles on a falco and only sold it to try a different style of bike (had a screaming 600, now got an R1) and to be honest i wish I'd kept the Falco as a second bike. It is more sophisticated, more powerful and better specced than an SV which is marketed as a budget bike. The Falco was a street bike to side alongside the sportsbike Mille and shared mostly the same parts, but with twin pipes, a different (and more labour-intensive to produce) frame and a pseudo half fairing.

Quality kit all-round, though the rear shock is too soft. However the soft shock combined with v-twin grunt meant it wheelied off every crest or hump on positive throttle. 😉

Build quality in the Falco was exemplary, I rode it all year round for nearly 5 years, and (admittedly as an obsessive cleaner and user of FS365) it had no corrosion on it. Only niggly bits are a marginally powered battery, which if its less than 99.5% fully charged will burn out the starter solenoid. Aprilia parts back-up is (or was when I had it) a joke, luckily this was such a common problem someone had sourced/identified a different replacement. A more powerful battery (YTX-14 rather than -12) and/or an optimate is the solution.

Theres a slight dip in the power at 5500rpm (probably to get through emissions tests) but enhances the character of the engine, as you pass through to 6000 theres a grin-inducing deep growl from the airbox and then a surge in power. Very addictive and I used to change gear just to go through it. My R1 might have significantly more ultimate power than the Falco but you have to work more to use it, with a big twin your always in the power band without the need to change gear.

Some very good Aprilia forums (rsvr.net and apriliaforum.com). The Falco was a poor seller in the sportsbike obsessed UK, which was a shame as its basically 95% of a Mille in a more usable suit.

(shuffles off to serruptitiously check biketrader for a falco…)

I'm about to buy an SV650s I've been offered cheaply next week.

Good first big bikes after passing a test – a bit more on the throttle than the 500cc bikes you learned on, and a touch of character being a twin. Build quality is budget – expect the odd winter issue, with furry nuts and bolts, and the odd bit of water related electrics issues – but easilly sorted.

They are pretty small, low bikes, and not heavy either, so easy to manage for the "smaller" rider.

Depends how far you want to go, that. Like, mine has an Ohlins rear shock and a GSXR750 front end, which is pretty stunning, handles better than most superbikes and weighs 30kg less. But, not cheap, and not neccesary. I wouldn't want to overstate how much it "needs" done- most people never even touch the preload adjusters and are perfectly happy, the suspension's basic but it does work. But I think maybe if you're used to good suspension on an mtb it'll feel a bit crude.

So, try one first… If you don't like how it feels- and it might feel immediately soggy- then you might want to consider the options, you can spend £15 on fork oil and get good results, right up to sillyness like £1500 on a top shelf shock and Traxxion cartridge internals 😉 But that gets silly.

For most people, other than really skinny folks, stiffer springs and slightly thicker fork oil will give a nice result for around £100, I recommend that pretty much without hesitation. Then you start to get more expensive and complicated, GSXR parts can be used front and rear (£50 for a GSXR rear shock that almost bolts straight in), or there are replacement fork internals. But I've got to say, it doesn't make an awful lot of sense to buy one with the intention of making large scale changes.

PS, Falcos are brilliant but they're also a lot of bike… And expensive if you bend it. The electric issue (undersized battery combined with a starter system that spits the dummy if it gets anything less than full kick, was not good- ok for a toy but if you're commuting on it or using it in winter it's not really if it'll cause problems, but when, by all accounts. At least they fixed the starter switch!

But still, they're ace. Very different in a lot of ways to the SV, bigger, heavier, more powerful, faster, slower steering but better quality suspension.

I would not ride a sv – I see them as a great ladies bike though.

Interesting Northwind, thanks. Think I'll stick to my original plan to go for the suzi, but will try a bigger v or 3….

So… you wouldn't buy the Suzuki because you think the build quality is poor, but you'd suggest a bike you describe as a 'potential money pit' as an alternative?

What's wrong with Suzuki build quality, have I missed something?

My falco was a money pit because it was ridden into the ground and needed a lot of parts which I then had to buy but the fit and finish was awesome and the majority of the parts needed were consumerables.

My 1200 bandit and GSXR had terrible build quality, the paint finish on the fork legs of the 2 year old 6k mile bandit was a joke and both ended with pretty serious issues, the bandit needing a new bottom end and the GSXR with a major electrical problem.

oxnop, here are some lady's bikes in use

At a supermoto race…

I think the perception of SVs as a first bike or girl's bike is silly. I had an SV as my (counts on fingers) 8th bike. I know several people who use them as track bikes.

Brilliant fun. Lovely motor, pulls like a train, growls howls and makes fiiine noises. Handles well, and as some have said, a bit of suspension fettling and decent tyres and you have a great bike.

(I only got rid because a kid on a scooter pulled out on me and it got written off. 75/25 his fault btw)

Nw- those supermoto pics are great. I can find pics of lawnmowers racing but it wouldn't mean I'd want one!

Never mind the height issue I'm 6ft4in tall and tave toured on my old one, only needed to stop for fuel. Regret selling my S1 carbed version, my brother had an S2 version and misses that one too!
Had it set up by James Holland it was the equal of a stock 748 Duke on the A5 run!
Totally reliable commuted all year, even in snow on mine the only time it played up was with a bit of carb icing in freezing fog. Fit a hugger and fender extender and scottoiler and you're done.

I find em a bit small – my legs just feel too cramped on em. Nice bikes though, I was pretty sure that I wanted one for my first bike but wound up with a TDM instead… and then changed that for a Speed Triple 😉

Got mates with em and they love the things, and can probably ride rings around me. I would be very, very suprised if they can do a standing quarter in sub 11 seconds though – MCN suggests 13.5 which is a bit more realistic I would think.

There's ridiculous snobbery and bragging rights about motorbikes, just because race-bred superbikes are affordable, doesn't mean you need one or can do one justice. In most cases the rider is the limiting factor. A bike that's fast around a race track isn't necessarily ideal on the rough, pot-holed ROADS of the UK when the weather isn't perfect.

Get the SV, it'll be good enough and fettling it to handle better will be more satisfying than going out and buying a 'fast' bike, blasting down straights, braking hard and early and then bimbling around corners 😉

I'm almost certain that it couldn't do sub-11 secs for the standing quarter, but then again neither will most superbikes without a very skilled rider.

it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow
buy the way the 650 v-twin motor is bullet proof

That was just a response to up there somewhere where a sub 11 second standing quarter was mentioned… personally such things matter little to me 😉

Get the SV, it'll be good enough and fettling it to handle better will be more satisfying than going out and buying a 'fast' bike, blasting down straights, braking hard and early and then bimbling around corners

Bloody hell… do you know me 😉

Actually I am starting to understand a wise instructors words to me where he suggested that anything over 100bhp was utterly pointless on the road. Kind of wish I had gone lighter and lower powered… but then I am probably going to replace the Speedy with a bike of the same power next year, but heavier and comfier as that would suit the use I have for a motorbike better (ie long distance work with some luggage and, hopefully, some nice weather!)

Sounds good to me. Cheers all.

Here's another pic of an SV650:

As you've realised, unless you can get the power down then it's a waste. If you're a superb rider (I'm not!)then you could do more with it, but you're then taking a lot of risks on the road.

In my case, I like riding my current TDM, enjoy tweaking/fettling and it's not at all fashionable or race-bred so I'm not in an arms-race with anyone.

I would like to try a Tiger 1050 (preferably on a closed, empty Alpine pass in the sun), though, if that's what you're talking about.

I'd also like to try a one of these low-powered beasties:

I have a bit of a thing for the Superduke myself – I would get one next, but it is too similar to the Speed Triple, and to be fair I think the riding I want to do is demanding something else.

The Tiger is a thing of great joy – my only issue with them is I cannae get my leg over in the current leathers! Need some custom made ones I think!

Currently being torn between a 1050 Sprint ST, VFR800, Beemer K1200S/Sport, Ducati ST3/4, Fazer Thou, CBF1000, CB1300S, ZXR1200… the list is actually shockingly long – going to spend next summer getting test rides where I can to narrow it down then buy a year in February… probably 🙂

I absolutely love my Speed Triple btw. Just I really need a second bike to go with it, and given I don't have time to ride 2 bikes I may as well compromise on something that will do most of what I want most of the time.

Gonna cry when the Triumph goes though 🙁

Look closer, it's a Duke 690.

Aaaah – I quite like them too… but think I would probably "accidentally" go for the 990 😉

Tart!
Twisty roads are where it's at.

I know someone with a dl 650 and its about 60bhp.i have something with 140bhp and when we swap bikes you notice that you have to be using all the gears and using them well just to keep up even on slow stuff.I struggled with it. he just cruised off on my bike in one ride and effortlessly continued the ride as i huffed and puffed thru most of the gears (around the speed limit over the slow twisty roads around Gairloch)trying to keep the speed i was previously going.admittedly,it was good to be using the gears a bit more but not something i would like to be dealing with on each ride.on another ride we swapped bikes on the A82 at Glengarry.again,he went ahead and i just vanished behind hitting off the limiter as i went through the gears.not trying to catch him up, just going about a normal ride. going back down the gears and the engine braking in the dl feels a bit diffrent.something i wasnt liking.i would be scared of it in the winter months coming up to be honest.the zx9r feels like once you have made the gear change, it copes with it well and it safely goes into another gear with a blip of the throttle and seems to melt the transition of one gear into the other so nicely.unlike the v twin of the suzuki.
getting to the point.. im so happy i didnt go for something with around 60bhp.to have the power and torque around quarter to half throttle in any gear and have more than enough power to never be anywhere near the redline (not hammering it to death each ride) is nice to know and when you want a bit of fun with it,stay in the likes of 3rd and 4th and get upto around 8 or 9k revs to get that nice flightly feeling from it when you feel like it. even on the open roads when no cars are about its good to have masses of power that you can use.. yet still have a bit extra that you cant use because you run out of road (and skill) Its also very driveable at town speeds.To finish a ride and know the bike has lots more power lurking is a nice feeling,something that intrigues you. to return home and know you have been through each gear to its max is not what i want from a bike. Maybe you arent after that though.
before i got the bike, a 2001 zx9r,the chap with the dl650 was one of the folk that said it would be too much and something that would never get used 100% (who uses a bike to within 80% on each ride anyway?)but having now ridden it, i recon he could now see the benefits of it.. along with seeing how uncrazy it really is once you get behind it.its so easy to drive and go up through the gears without having any hairy moments. very much like driving a fast car. you feel safe and its never flinched when getting up to speed in the 10k ive done on it.
some folk on here like to kick off about big powerful bikes.some have fast cars that will rarely get used to their max but the power that can be had in these cars around 2-5k revs is enough to keep them happy (and safe) in day to day driving and if they want to rag it,its there to be had.

why get a powerful motorbike? and why get a powerful car?

the same reason: the power thats available from the off is great to have, you dont need to thrash the engine up to the redline on every drive or ride you go on,the engine is as good as or better on fuel than a slower car getting hammered (or bike) and its safer as far as overtaking goes.

so, if the SV650 has similar BHP and torque as the dl650 i would guess the ride to be similar.
the suspension on the DL650 i rode was like old elastomers too,he agreed and talked about new shocks front and rear.it is so bad that its enough to give you a few dodgy moments on the state of some of the roads up here.

The fuel used in one west coast loop for around 140 miles was a diffrence of around 1.5 litres between the zx9r and the DL650.both riders of similar weight and bikes within 5kg`s of each other.

The new street triple 675 would be a laugh.they say the revs match the torque very well throughout.it will also be far more comfortable than a sportsbike but i would guess the power of just under 100bhp to be a bit less dull,and safer,than something around 60bhp.the bike i learnt on was around 60bhp and to get up to speed in troubled times when riding busy dual carriageways, i would far rather a bit more grunt when the sleepy drivers start to get dangerous.

just my thoughts.

rob,how old is yer street triple? i quite fancy one. the lack of fairing for the cold winter scares me though! i would expect it to have more than enough power.need to demo need to demo need ..

To some, using all the gears and changing up at the red line and really working the bike WITHOUT decimating the speed limit is called fun. And, to some, sticking a litre bike in 4th gear and rolling around at half revs is called tediously dull.

I've had both ends of the spectrum and can appreciate both. Ultimately if I have a bike that can do 150+ I will, so really I'm better off with a slow one. They're just as much fun but you're less likely to get nicked.*

*Some people may have more self-control than me.

I know f'all about bikes but I saw one of these on the ferry back from Ireland last weekend and it was jaw droppingly gorgeous

In a village people kind of way.

It's a 2002 955i Speed Triple I have, bloody ace it is too… but the point you were making about winter is entirely true. It's bloody chilly on there! Not scary, just cold 😉

The main reasons I am going to chop it in after next summer are:

Fairing – I don't like em, but have decided that one is necessary to make longer journeys more pleasant.

Comfort – it really doesn't do comfort – way too focussed. So if I want to ride far regularly then something a bit kinder is in order.

Erm… actually… that's about it. The engine is stonking, build quality is very good and the thing shifts like you would not believe 🙂

Oh – I do like the Rocket 3 too, actually very not Village People I would say. The scale of the things is insane and the engine is a work of art… and has more grunt than a very grunty thing. The new one in matt black coming out for 2010 is just ace! If I had a stupid amount of cash and I get my garage (still waiting to hear back on my offer) then it would almost certainly happen. In reality… probably something a tad more sensible 😉