- This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by wbsprudels.
Looking for SV650 Buying Advice
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February 20, 2010 at 4:04 pm #3715wbsprudelsParticipant
Thinking about buying a used SV650 and am looking for advice. I know it had a major upgrade in 2003. I believe the post-2002 bikes are fuel-injected. I like the look of the half fairing versus the naked version, but I am curious if the naked version has a more upright seating position.
I have not sat on any recently, but plan to get to a dealer soon. I do recall sitting on the V-Strom 650 about a year ago, but I doubt that it sits like the SV650.
Are there any red flags specific to the SV650 I need to be looking for when buying used?
Thanks in advance for any help.
February 21, 2010 at 5:21 am #24613IBA270ParticipantDefinately do your research. I can’t remember which year is the cutoff, but the early models are a little more popular with racers as they are reputed to have stonger cranks. It’s no concern at all for street riders…I’d trade fuel injection nearly any day for a crank that won’t withstand the rigors of racing!
V-strom is nothing like the SV. Ergo’s are completely different!
February 21, 2010 at 6:06 am #24614megaspazParticipantthe first gen does indeed have more grunt and pull in the low end. A potential problem with the 2nd gen occurs when the front rods bust. This happens though for those svs used heavily for track/racing. A common replacement is to actually use the 1st gen front rods or slap on some carillos. The only other thing you can do is to keep the oil level on the high side at all times, if you don’t feel like undertaking rod replacement. So keep this in mind if you’re buying used and the bike was used primarily for track/racing.
February 21, 2010 at 6:33 am #24612Gary856Participant– ’99 was the first year the “first generation” of SV650, w/ carburetor.
– ’03 was the first year of the “second generation” of SV650, with fuel injection, new body style, silver frame.
– Starting in ’04 the sub-frame was a little lower, so ’03 is the only second gen w/ a slightly different sub-frame
– starting in ’05 the frame went from silver to black.
– starting in ’07, ABS became available, I believe.
– I think in ’09 the SV got discontinued (or was that the last year?), replaced by Gladius.The half-fairing model is the “S” model – SVS; comes w/ low clip-ons, more bend-over riding position, higher rear sets, and slightly higher gearing than the naked version. The naked model is often referred to as SV650″N”; comes w/ tubular handlebar, more upright riding position, lower rear sets, and slightly lower gearing.
The SV is very torquey and has very strong engine braking. If you open and abruptly close the throttle in first gear, the engine braking makes it feel like slamming on the brakes, but you get used to that after a few mess ups and learn to be smooth with the throttle. The stock suspension is crap. I just came back from a 5 hr, 180 mi ride w/ many very narrow, twisty, hilly roads. I was bouncing all over the place on rough roads, not good, but the SV is brilliant in carving turns in the hills (very flickable) and the engine is super sweet in the hills. I just purchased Ricor Intiminator front fork by-pass valves, and a fully adjustable rear shock from ’06-’07 ZX-10R – about $350 in parts. After I get these put in (about $250 labor) my SV’s suspension should be much better. If your weight is over 180 lb you may need to buy and put in stiffer front springs (about $90-$110, plus labor).
http://www.svrider.com is the home site of SV650 owners.
February 21, 2010 at 7:37 am #24616briderdtParticipantYes the naked model is more upright. BUT… You can replace the triples and cables on the SVs with those from the SV and have the same more-upright position if you so choose (or go with ConvertiBars). Not too expensive of a change, as the parts become readily available from others doing the opposite swap or upgrading to gsxr front ends (check out the svrider.com forum).
As long as the maintenance has been done and the bike hasn’t been wrecked, there’s no reason it shouldn’t last a long, long time.
February 21, 2010 at 4:10 pm #24394megaspazParticipantStock foot peg position is different between the naked sv and svs(f) as well, fyi.
February 22, 2010 at 2:20 am #24499briderdtParticipantI’m just raising a flag on that statement because I *think* it’s not entirely correct – depends on 1-gen vs 2-gen. There’s a thread on SVRider.com started by a guy who was going to be making some after-market plates to move the pegs down and forward, and was looking for the stock locations. Seems to me that the 1st gens had different locations between SVs and SV models, but not the 2nd gen (or vice versa).
March 19, 2010 at 7:10 pm #25015wbsprudelsParticipantThanks for everyone’s advice on this. I rode a 2004 SV650s last night and was very uncomfortable. I felt like I was concentrating too much on operating the bike rather than on the road. That is as unsafe as I have ever felt on a bike. It was a beautiful bike, but it’s just not for me.
If I pursue an SV650, it will need to be the naked version.
March 20, 2010 at 3:39 am #24691WeaponZeroParticipantFirst generation SV’s are preferred for the track because they have more grunt pulling out of turns. Aside from the lack of EFI they’re better than 2nd gens in virtually every way. But they do have one problem: Their charging system is faulty and many first gen SV owners go through regulator/rectifier units as often as they do batteries, if not moreso. My bike is a 2000 model that is on its third already.
The problem is that the R/R unit (and wiring leading to it) are insufficient for the bike. They were pulled from the Suzuki Savage 650/LS650/Boulevard S40 and are insufficient for powering the SV. The most common “fix” for this if you don’t want to have to replace your R/R unit every so often (expensive part–upwards of $150.00) is to retrofit one from a Honda CBR600RR/HondaCBR1000RR (the 5-wire 2005-spec ones, not the newer 7-wire ones). it requires some wire splicing and you have to run an in-line fuse in it, but once it’s done, your first gen SV650 will never give you problems again.
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