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…you can use steel epoxy to fashion a ball-end — instant shortie levers. I did that on mine, and I didn’t even break off the levers in a crash. I purposefully cut them off. I love the feel of them now.

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Are said parents paying (or have paid) for the damage to the bike?

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It’s really not much “louder” at all, but the exhaust note is lower, so it’s easier to pick out in traffic. I can ignore the tach when I’m riding and shift more by sound and feel.

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Love (do I only get 3?)
1) The seemingly endless possible mod list.
2) That sweet-spot at 3500 rpm just cruising along (especially with a cut down stock muffler). I want to re-gear the bike so it’s really close to that at highway speed. I think a 17-44 or 43 will do it.
3) The stock clipons. This past week I swapped out my Heli Bars for some stock cllip ons. And it actually feels a lot better.

Not so much:
1) Fuel tank capacity. Of all the mods I’ve checked out, no one seems to EVER have modded an SV to increase fuel capacity. Fortunately I’ve been getting close to 55 mpg.
2) The windscreen. Even with a Puid double bubble, I get a lot of buffeting at highway speed.
3) The stock rearset position. Fortunately I added an upside down riser plate that dropped the rearsets down an inch, but also pushed them back about a half inch.

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With the V-twin on the SV650, it has more low-end power, so revving it to higher numbers to get it “off the line” isn’t required as much as an inline-4. There was a lot of “on/off” to get accustomed to with the throttle, which may or may not be present in the Ninja and FZ6 (I haven’t ridden either one). That’s not to say that I wouldn’t have been happy with any of the three — I probably would have been ignorant of what either of the other two had to offer anyway and just played the hand I was dealt.

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…I had it down to 3 bikes: Ninja 650, SV650s, and the FZ6R (I had this irrational aversion to carbs). I pretty much thought of them as equal. I’ve since learned different, and I’m glad I got the bike I did (SV650s). But… That FZ6R is a nice option that’s not so agressive as the race-tuned I4’s. And I like the styling of the undertail exhaust.

Here’s the thing on the Ninja 250 – pretty much it’s going to hold its value no matter how long you hang onto it. So if you get tired of it in a couple months, just sell it (and given that the “season” is just starting up, you might even be money ahead in the end).

Frame sliders will definitely save your plastic (or at least minimize the damage).

Oh, and I’m kind of having dual thoughts on my “next” bike — it’ll either be something like a Ninja 250 that I’ll rat out, make it into a street fighter, or else I’m going to get a Buell 1125R… Yeah, not even in the same direction.

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After initially feeling very insulated the first time I wore them riding, I find that I am not as distracted, and my fatigue levels went WAY down. Now, it’s more that I feel the bike, rather than trying to sort out all the sounds.

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Is the gas tank vent clogged?

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I have one. My first bike. Doable, but you definitely have to respect the throttle. Would I recommend it as a first bike? Probably not, unless you tend to pick physical things up pretty easily. I got the bike because my wife and I were planning on doing some travel this summer on our bikes (she has a C50). But due to a lot of circumstances, that plan got thrown out. Given these, would I do things differently? Probably. I probably would have ended up with a Ninja 250 or 500.

If you get one… (1) do the TPS adjustment, (2) get a throttle rocker/Crampbuster, (3) get heated grips (you can probably wait until next fall for these).

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Both of them are Teknic (or however that’s spelled). Both are textile. I figured I’d get leather if I went to the track (which isn’t likely to happen), and that since it DOES rain occasionally in this area (Tacoma, WA), that aside from the $800 Aerostitch leather, it just isn’t in the cards. Anyway, the one I’ve used (I bought the mesh — no liner — jacket in January, so I haven’t had a chance to use it yet) is cordura with pit vents, a zip out vest liner, is water proof enough so that light rain doesn’t phase it at all… I’ve worn it with a short sleeved shirt in the low 70’s, and with the liner and a polar fleece warm-up jacket into the high 20’s, and I’m just fine with it. I think once we’re into daytime highs in the high 70’s to low 80’s I’ll break out the mesh. I’ve been totally happy with the jacket, and really don’t see the point of leather (now). Got them both at Newenough.com, and paid less than $150 total for both of them. Of course having more $$ left over after the purchase has nothing to do with my satisfaction…

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Gladius, SV650 (naked), FZ-6N, DRZ400 (dual). Also, bikes like the Ninja 250 and 500 are more “standard” that sport. Lots out there to choose from. But when you throw in that “idk”, it makes me think that maybe you haven’t sat on a lot of bikes. Get thee to thy local dealer and sit on every bike they’ll let you throw a leg over. Eventually you’ll find one that says “I’m yours”.

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All the time, actually. I use it setting up for corners, coming to a stop… Just make sure that when you’re dropping down the gears you’re also dragging at least one of the brakes to light up the brake light. Otherwise following vehicles may not notice that rapidly dwindling gap…

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It may be that you’re a little afraid of the bike’s power?

Here’s what she was doing: She’d get the bike running, put it in gear, rev it up a little bit, then start releasing the clutch. Didn’t matter how slowly she released the clutch, she wouldn’t give it more gas, so it would just start to move and then stall. Worst was anything with an upward slope (and we’re not talking anything steep at all).

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That and the customer support network… Those are the things I’d worry about with the Johnny Pags. If you happen to live close to their warehouse, then maybe it’s not a big deal. Around here, there’s ONE dealer that’s about 45 minutes away from me (in clear traffic).

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I put riser plates on my SV, but I put them on upside down so that they lowered the pegs by an inch (and put them back about .5″). Check with the Ninja 250 forums and see if there’s something similar for that bike.

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