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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/07/2002 9:31 PM
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I will dispense with all the standard things, you can read them in any magazine, let them tell you its light, revy, flickable, a hoot to ride. The SV650 has been named "best bang for the buck" bike or something similar by almost every motorcycle rag out there, why, its cheap, not the best suspension, but for the money, you can add what ever suspension bits you want and still be cheaper than any competition.
besides the suspension, the only complaints I can think of are mirrors, they are good for looking at your shoulders, an easy fix is replacing them with bar end mirrors, very important, as the SV's engine braking is phenominal, if you roll off the throttle (or speed rheostat may be a better term) you better look in your mirror if your in traffic.
The SV650 has been extremely reliable, after 59,000 miles, the only non scheduled maintenance/repair has been a voltage regulator/rectifier at 48k, and now, at 59,000, the steering head bearing needs to be replaced. I also replaced the side stand mount, it was suffering from metal fatigue due to using foot peg as a step by pillon to get on the bike and by me to get on bike with touring gear strapped on (you'd hafta see it to beleive it, I have a vermount rounder, a large U shaped bag that would look big on a goldwing)
I have subjected my SV to about every type of riding imaginable. at least 10,000 miles of gravel roads, prolly only 10,000 miles of highway, but 1500 of that was completing an IBA Saddlesore 1000 and Bunburner 1500 (this was last month when the bike already had 52,000 miles) I did have a higher oil consumption during that trip, about 3/4 quart in 1500 miles, but normally, I never add between oil changes (done every 3500-4000 miles in accordance with maintenance schedule)
Valves have been within spec at every adjustment interval so far (every 15k)
tires have been the most expense, personally I have found Avon Azaro's (AV35 & AV36) to be the best tire for my needs. except winter riding when I run Pirelli MTR60 supermotard tires.
yup, winter riding on cold pavement, icy sanded gravel roads.
the standard riding ergonomics, sit up, feet underneath you, and smooth throttle response make riding on limited traction conditions comfortable.
the electrical system is adequate to run an electric vest, heated grips and radar detector, it could prolly also handle low wattage auxillary lighting
I find the SV650 a little lacking in the 2up department, but consider, I weight just shy of 300 when I get all my gear on, then add a pillon and saddlebags etc, I am almost at the SV's max 485 lb payload, I have prolly ridden 5000 miles 2up, I still have original stock suspension (I wanna get a DL1000 for 2 up)
Crashing, of course, it sux, I have gone down a few times, one low side at speed, luckily a level grass runoff area, slid 150+ feet, damage, scratched trim ring on headlamp. the others were driveway tipovers and a 5mph incident with a cage, (2up at that) damage to cage $1000±, damage to SV, $0 (we didn't even bump helmets) the most damage has been a broken brake pedal on the right(kicked bike over when dismounting), broken shifter on left (leaned too far over in wet oily intersection) and broken clutch lever on left in another tipover while loading gear. no dings in tank, all this with no frame sliders or crash bars other than napoleon bar end mirrors (they fold in and almost act like a frame slider) and saddlebags to cushion the fall
Rust & corrosion, even after riding in winter is nil, I never wash bike (dealer does when it goes in for service) the only noticable corrosion is on lower forks from summer bug splats and not winter salt.
Performance.. never done a track day but I'm sure there are several SV owners who can chime in there, I did go to the drags once, best time 12.54 @109.6
Top speed 128.6 (recorded on calibrated Sigma) I won't admit to where, but it was flat and in 5th gear, 6th was slower, even tucked in, I'm a sail
Fuel economy: Stock 42-45mpg at highway speeds, 45-50mph on twisties & secondary roads & commuting (even floggin it, aerodynamic drag of nekid bike on highway is a killer)
With Vance & Hines full system & Factory jet kit:
Highway 30-35mpg everywhere else, 35-42mpg
so far, I've used this thin for an enduro bike, touring bike, two up bike, commuting bike and sport bike, and its still a hoot to ride.
Mods:
Scottoiler automatic chain oiler
Hotgrips heated grips
KLR handguards
Sigma Bicycle Computer
Suzuki Flyscreen (only gets wind off chest and into face)
Suzuki Luggage Rack
Handcrafted Leather Saddlebags (ok, I'm a harley rider wannabe)
16tooth front sprocket (my quarter mile time is with stock 15tooth sprocket)
Napoleon Bar end mirrors
Electric vest & Battery tender lead
Valentine 1 radar detector
view here
anything important I left out, please ask 
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
Message edited by: RandyO on 06/08/2002 13:06:55
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dickgoyne
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/08/2002 8:03 AM
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Randy:
Very nice job! It's nice to read an evaluation other than the mags that deals with the more practical issues, especially one that's based on an extended period of time. Thanks.
dick goyne
Y2KR1
'94FJ1100
-------------------------
dick goyne
'84FJ1100
'99R1100RT
'00Y2KR1
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/09/2002 8:25 PM
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thanx Dick, I fully expect to have 100k on the SV within another couple years at most, even if I do add a DL1000 to my stable, the SV is stayin, its a perfect errand runner.
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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GregS
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/21/2002 4:26 AM
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Thanks for the real-world SV650 review, a that's what we really want, isn't it? I particularly enjoyed the dirt, long-term reliability, and touring info. I'd love to see some pix when loaded for touring, and to hear any complaints about size. (I'm six foot though only 170 lbs, wondering if the SV will cramp my style.)
Are you the same RandyO of Nighthawk S fame? If so, double thanks, and check out my NH site at http://users.lmi.net/gshell/nh/ .
Thanks,
GregS
CB700SC
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Aug/05/2002 9:26 PM
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Are you the same RandyO of Nighthawk S fame? If so, double thanks, and check out my NH site at http://users.lmi.net/gshell/nh/ .
Nope, not me
64k update, I have discovered, that if I don't change my oil at 3500 and let it go to 4000, then I use a quart fast.
I did some serious dual sport trail riding a few weeks ago, the weak original front suspension has died, and acts like a pogo stick, I have progressive springs, parts for complete fork rebuild and 02 preload adjusters on order, should be installed by the end of the week
Front sprocket is very worn, chain & rear sprocket apear to be fine, they wear installed as a set at 43K, at that time, I was still on original sprockets but 3rd chain, (first 2 were without scottoiler) at 43k, the chain & rear sprocket appeared good also. This time I noticed the wear while it still has teeth, so I'm gonna try just changing out the front sprocket and see how things go. I think the front sprocket going first is a scottoiler issue, the only lube the front sees is at dealer service intervals and the little bit that gets transfered via chain from the rear sprocket where the scottoiler discharges.
Also at 60k service, I had to change the steering head bearing & races.
I passed a kilostone (100,000k) a few weeks ago at 62,137 miles
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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jboshea
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/25/2003 7:11 PM
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Hi Randy
I am considering get a used SV650 as second bike.
Currently I ride a Vstar 650, my 20,000 miles seems little compared to your mileage  I love this bike, it has taken me on many happy adventures. I like the nimbleness of the SV which should be great for the twisty roads here in California.
Hoping to ride from California to Alaska in the near future.
Do you think the SV equiped with supermotard tires would be able to handle the gravel roads up there?
I wonder if suspension travel is an issue on gravel / dirt roads. Looking at the SV specs I found:
Travel (Frt) 4.7 in
Travel (Rr) 4.9 in
What size super motard do you run in the front (stock = 120/60-ZR17)?
I only found Pirelli MTR60 to fit the SV rear (stock = 160/60-ZR17)
Did you have to raise the front fender to accomodate the motard tire?
Sorry for all the questions
Looking forward to you reply if you get a chance
Cheers
John
-------------------------
John O'Shea
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/25/2003 9:49 PM
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when I have motard tires rather than regular street tires, I run a 120/70-17 up front cause thats all that's available. in the past the only motard tire sthat I have found available are the Pirelly MTR60s and Avon Gripsters, I think that Avon has discontinues the gripster, but withing a week or so I will have a set of Avon Distanzia's to try out, I am hoping that they are a little better milage than the Pirellis. I will find out, I have been very happy with Azaros with the exception of their traction in gravel & snow situations
I think that the SV's clearance & suspension travel is "adequate" but more would be nice
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/26/2003 7:36 PM
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OH I almost forgot... Pirelli MTR60s are not touring tires by any means, they get greasy when they get hot on pavement, cold pavement, wet pavement, ok, but in normal streetbike conditions don't expect the rear to last more than 2500 miles IF you take it easy, you could easily toast a set in a day of agressive riding
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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jimf
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/27/2003 4:36 PM
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It's funny to see RandyO posting in here, after having seen him so often on the SV650 list.
I have an SV650S, two and a half years old now, a bit more than 10k miles. I do almost all city riding with the thing, with occasional longer jaunts here or there. I thought I'd add a few (maybe more than a few) notes.
The MeZ4 tires that come with the SV were pretty disappointing for me. They were just dandy so long as it was warm out, but as temperatures dropped to low 60s, and particularly if it was raining, they would be pretty slick. Anything 37 degrees or colder, regardless of precipitation, was scary. I had at least three accidents (two low speed, one traffic speed) that were either directly or partially attributable to these tires being slippery when cold.
I would blame it on my relative inexperience (3 years total at this point) except that after my traffic speed accident last fall I threw on a set of BT010s. Goddamn what a difference, all conditions. I don't expect great life out of them but it's nice to be able to stop hard without sliding if it's cold out, or if the tires haven't had time to warm up. I am pretty sure that with these tires at least two of my accidents would not have happened.
In the MeZ4s' defense they gave me excellent life. I replaced them at 9500 miles with plenty of tread left. I just didn't trust them enough to ride through another winter on them.
Despite having the SVS with fairing and slightly taller gearing I see very similar mileage to his, except that my commute is almost all stop-and-go so during regular commutes I'm pulling high 30s. I've seen in excess of 50mpg on twisty, medium-speed rides.
I'm very happy with its engine, which is fairly torquey and still revs well. I get some surging, particularly in colder weather, from 3-5000rpm. This is, unfortunately, right where I want to be for around-town riding (which is perhaps 75% of my riding). Over 6krpm the engine gets quite lively. I had the opportunity to compare this to a Ducati 750 Sport. That engine has much better torque on the low end, but is totally flat beyond about 6krpm, right where the SV engine is coming alive. The Ducati revved a lot more freely.
My top speed run was an indicated 130mph; correcting for speedo error (around 8% optimistic) that's about 120mph. I have a Givi 36L tailpack on it that probably held that down by a few mph. More than fast enough for me, thanks. I typically cruise on the thing at 70-75mph. The fairing (the whole reason I bought this bike rather than the SV) is just big enough to pull the wind off my chest and at those speeds I'm light on the handlebars.
The SVS is easy to flick around, very fun in corners. When I switched to the BT010s I changed to 120/65 on the front on the recommendation of the Tire Nazi. He said it would corner better with that size and tire, and damn if he wasn't right. With the MeZ4s it would fall into turns and I had to catch it, with the BT010s it flows into them. Nice.
With the fairing comes a different set of lights. I much prefer the light pattern on the SVS to the SV; it's wider and brighter. I also find that the SVS' dual headlights seem to make me a lot more noticable than any single-headlight motorcycle I've ever ridden.
As Randy, and pretty much everyone else, says the suspension ain't so hot. It's underdamped to a fault on both ends. I have added preload adjusters and cranked up the preload a bit, then increased the oil weight in the fork (to, I think, 15W although I'd have to go check to be sure). The increased oil weight dramatically reduced brake dive. Still, this suspension would benefit a lot from revalving. (Maybe I'll get to that now that I have a backup motorcycle again.) The rear is bouncy too, but I don't usually have trouble compensating for that if I can see the bump coming.
I see minor and self-correcting headshake when taking square-edged bumps leaned over at speed. A little disconcerting at first.
The SVS' mirrors are even worse than the SV's. If you want a view of what's behind you you'll have to shift your body around to get a view around your mirrors. I sometimes wonder if these mirrors are sourced from Ducati or something.
Front brake is very predictable and strong. Rear brake I don't like at all, it's very very easy to lock. This is less of an issue with the BT010s than the MeZ4s.
I found the stock seat to be pretty sucky if you were on it for more than a couple of hours. I have replaced it with a Corbin, which is great when doing long trips, but the Corbin is disconcertingly slippery when you're accelerating.
Speaking of riding comfort, the SVS' sportier riding position takes its toll on longer rides. It's not Ducati agony, but wrist and back will feel it after a few hours.
I replaced the rear fender with an undertail (entirely cosmetic, and if I had to do it again I wouldn't) and added a hugger (a great idea for keeping grime off the shock, recommended).
I have added plugs to the electrical system for charging, electrical clothing, radar detector, and autocom. I've had no issues with alternator power even running heated gloves, vest, and electronics all at the same time idling through a lot of traffic.
With the tipovers and crashes I've had I've found the parts that are really vulnerable to breakage. I added frame sliders to protect the bodywork and they worked great in minor tipovers but in a 35mph lowside I still managed to crack the fairing at the turn signal mount (turn signal was completely destroyed). I've broken a couple of clutch levers and a brake lever in parking-lot tipovers (forgetting to remove the @$#%^ disc lock) but have had no problem with that in "real" crashes. Slides broke the shift pedal and brake pedal easily, however the remnants of each were usable afterward, albeit with some difficulty. The shift pedal in particular appears to be particularly fragile.
Lessee ... other issues. The original horn died in under a year. The replacement (under warrantee) is still working a year and a half later, although starting to show signs of the same kind of failure. I had a minor coolant leak when the bike was a few months old, also corrected under warrantee.
Other mods I didn't discuss:
- Centerstand (purchased from Riderhaus). Worked great until my last crash, which bent it just enough to rub the chain. Haven't had time to fix it yet.
- Givi Wingrack. This replaced the Five-Stars rack (also from Riderhaus). The Five-Stars rack had a material defect and broke after only a couple of months. It was replaced under warrantee. The Givi rack is much higher quality but the mounting system takes a lot of guesswork (universal mounting system without any SV-specific guidance).
Conclusion:
This bike is cheap and dependable. Suspension could use improvement. Stock tires have good life but are not fun when cold. Aftermarket parts are widely available, as are replacement parts (particularly from racer outlets). The engine is a peach for its displacement.
jim frost
97 Vulcan 800
01 SV650S
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Jsven007
Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/29/2003 10:11 PM
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64k, impressive, I hope my ZRX1200 lasts that long.
-------------------------
Justin S.
01' ZRX 1200
Attleboro Area
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/30/2003 5:34 PM
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I have 73K now, if I don't have 100k by the end of this season it will be real close
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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bigboy
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
May/07/2003 12:48 PM
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RandyO your the best. I've been debating know for weeks about getting the sv650. I've ridden dirt bikes all my life and am ready to take the step onto the street. I wanted a good all around bike to start with and heard nothing but praise over the sv650, except for suspension complaints. I'm just shy of 6"3 and around 235 and wondered if I was to big. If your pushing the max weight with gear and it can still handle it for 59k. I'm sold! Thanks for the info!
-------------------------
Jason
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/21/2003 8:43 PM
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80k and still running like new
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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TagNahoor
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
Jun/29/2003 10:11 AM
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I just thought I'd report that at 310 miles of relatively well paved, dry Massachusetts back-roads, I have had no problems with my new 2003 SV650s.
I would also like to help any ego driven ex-racers (like myself) that if you haven't ridden in 10 years and go for an 8 hour ride your first day out, the /S riding position will make you feel those 45 years of age that include all prior getoffs and make you wonder why you didn't get the naked bike
Thanks for the notes from the future. Good review work.
-------------------------
'03 SV650s
tagnahoor@yahoo.com
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ibanezfourstring
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Jul/05/2003 10:15 AM
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Another thanks for the review! Just bought my first bike and it's an '03 SV650. Love the bike! Handles sweet. Accelerates nicely. Plenty of power for me, being a brand new rider.
-------------------------
Pat
'03 SV650 (repo-ed)
'82 Honda CB750-F Supersport (Project)
'79 Honda CB750-K (Crash victim)
"What is it about driving cars that makes you all such assh*les?!"
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TagNahoor
Junior Member
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Date Posted:
Jul/06/2003 9:18 PM
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Really plenty of power for anyone. On little bikes it's all about not slowing down when the corners come up A good thing to do is practice on a twisty road with little or no traffic, try to do it without touching your brakes or using a lot of engine braking. The whole point is to get smooth, where you can use that SV rheostat like it was meant to be used, instead of alternately grabbing a handfull of throttle and then a handfull of brakes. You'll eventually be eating up the guys on the big bikes that blast down the straights only to tip-toe through the corners like they've hit ice . Another good thing to do is pay attention (without diverting you attention from the road) to your chassis attitude. Smooth is when the front and back ends still move up and down, but they do so smoothly, not jerking or popping. Think about "applying" brake and throttle rather than twisting and grabbing.
The SV rocks. Absolutely brilliant.
-------------------------
'03 SV650s
tagnahoor@yahoo.com
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Paul650
Member
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Date Posted:
Aug/07/2003 4:29 AM
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I have about 3,000 miles on my 2002 SV650. It's been everything I thought it would be and more. All the reviews are dead on. So far I am still bone stock. I eventually would like to rejet or at least reshim the needles (cures the low RPM surging)and add a scorpion can.
-------------------------
2002 Suzuki SV650 yellow
pgruber@snet.net
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Jsven007
Member
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Date Posted:
Aug/30/2003 1:00 AM
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<< 80k and still running like new >>
Pimpin!! Go RandyO! Where do you ride so much?
-------------------------
Justin S.
01' ZRX 1200
Attleboro Area
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Sep/21/2003 2:28 PM
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87k
motor still runs strong, I have to keep my eye on the oil yes, it uses some, but not really predictable how much, long days at constant highway speeds seems to use more
thermostat, temperature sensor & fan switch have been replaced
clutch perch is worn out (new assembly on order)
shifter linkage worn (also on order)
still a freeking hoot to ride
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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RandyO
Senior Member
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Date Posted:
Mar/14/2004 3:23 PM
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90K everything ok, valves still within spec, mechanic recommends to replace idle adjuster cable and clean carbs at next service. I have to do something about my sidestand... I replaced the mount about 40k ago, maybe a spring this time, it hangs low and drags in corners too much
-------------------------
Later.....
RandyO
SV650
XV920R
XV920R
IBA#9560
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