[phobiaphobe]

My dad and brother and I are thinking of going in on a used sv650. My dad found one for $3k, never raced, 37000km, in pretty good shape. I'm going to have a look tomorrow, we'll probably end up buying it. Planning on using it for a track day / racebike only. I think it's a '99.

Looking for a good source of information for tuning, mods, etc. I know Chain has owned one, and Tigerblade races one. Is there a preferred forum for info on these bikes?

I'll take some pics tomorrow and probably take a ride next week. Updates to follow.

[CBRVFR]

www.svrider.com


Fun as a new puppy.

[deez]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

I know Chain has owned one,

What hasn't he owned

[Chain]

[phobiaphobe]

chain what are the must-haves for this bike? I've been thinking fork upgrade and shock. What are some good performance upgrades for not too much $$$?

[Chain]

Bold text indicates mandatory mods per Chain. My opinion only, YMMV:

Stiffer fork springs.

Full exhaust (I ran both Akro and Yoshi...the Yoshi made better midrange power...they use a crossover tube at the collector which is supposed to boost torque in this regard).

Any decent jet kit (I used Factory Pro). Resist the urge to shim the stock needles al la the poor man's SV jetting (Catpoopman's mod - you'll find it through SVRider).

K&N filter (BMC proved too free flowing).

Braided lines, at least on the front.

Other goodies to ponder?

Race Tech Gold Valves.

GSX-R shock (a popular and low buck mod).

Low bars or clip-ons (I went with Suburban Machinery T1 bars).

Dunlop 208s.

I did about a half dozen dyno pulls on my SV, and in its final configuration it was a baby-eating mini TL with 70 hp and about 46 lbs torque. I also added a Hotbodies undertray, shortie blinkers, sliders and some other crap...and then I sold it like the dumbass that I am. Buy new bike, mod to hell and back, repeat.

[Tornado bait]

I see a lot of SVs at the track w/GSXR 750 front ends. Supposedly an easy swap and excellent upgrade.

[Chain]

Yeah, that's a somewhat popular mod, but it's going to set a guy back quite a bit more coin than simply dolling up the damping rod front fork that comes on the bike from the factory. No, it's not top shelf stuff, but with Gold Valves, new springs and fresh fork oil, it's light years better than OEM.

[Newfie TLR]

Originally Posted by Chain

snip..... Buy new bike, mod to hell and back, repeat.

And repeat................

And repeat................

And repeat................

And repeat................

And repeat................

[Chain]

Originally Posted by Newfie TLR

And repeat................

And repeat................

And repeat................

And repeat................

I know, I know.

As the old saw goes... a fool and his money soon part.

Thank goodness I've finally gotten a handle on myself.

I really do like my bus.

Edit: OK, enough jerkin' Chain's chain. We're supposed to be keeping it on topic, doncha know!

[tigerblade]

Depends on if you're going for a trackbike or if you're going all the way to racebike. If you're going to race it and you put Gixxer forks on it, you'll be illegal for Supersport classes (okay for Superbike). The suspension is definitely crap out of the box. Mine is an '03 with stock forks that have been resprung and have the Race Tech cartridge emulators. Made a ton of difference. I replaced the stock shock with a Penske double-clicker. You'll want to ditch the stock rearsets if it still has them (you don't want folding pegs that low). I have a full M4 system on mine but no other engine mods. I'd at least go for a slipon for better ground clearance. Stock brakes suck but were very good with braided lines and race pads (I used both EBC and Vesrah pads this year).

[Chain]

Originally Posted by tigerblade

Depends on if you're going for a trackbike or if you're going all the way to racebike. If you're going to race it and you put Gixxer forks on it, you'll be illegal for Supersport classes (okay for Superbike). The suspension is definitely crap out of the box. Mine is an '03 with stock forks that have been resprung and have the Race Tech cartridge emulators. Made a ton of difference. I replaced the stock shock with a Penske double-clicker. You'll want to ditch the stock rearsets if it still has them (you don't want folding pegs that low). I have a full M4 system on mine but no other engine mods. I'd at least go for a slipon for better ground clearance. Stock brakes suck but were very good with braided lines and race pads (I used both EBC and Vesrah pads this year).

Tiger, the only thing I'd part company with you on ref. your excellent post is the slip-on issue. The carb'd first-gen SV responds very favorably to a full system and jet kit. I think the slip would be a waste of coin when you consider just how much stronger the bike is once piped and the CVs are tuned properly.

The bike comes from the factory in an exceptionally lean condition and the stock system is heavy and highly restrictive.

I mean to tell ya, it's like night and day.

[phobiaphobe]

Probably won't be involved in any actual racing for at least a few seasons. But it will be a track-only bike. Chain, what's the best value on a full system? I'd be interested in buying used too.

[Chain]

Ron at pipecity.com will be able to hook you up with a solid value on a full Yoshimura 'race' system with either RS-3 (oval) or TRS (tri-oval) canister. (You should probably give the site sponsors a chance to meet or beat his deal.) Get the stainless can. They look great and are quite a bit less expensive than the carbon and ti options. Weight difference is negligible for what we're doing here anyway. This is a great system. It made more hp and torque than the full Akrapovic Sport Production system I put on the bike first.

Another way you can go is a full M4 like Tiger's got on his SVS. M4 is an often overlooked exhaust system, but they're popular with the local racers because they are reasonably priced, make good power, and hold up very well in crashes.

Honestly, those are about the only two full systems I'd give real consideration to for a first-gen SV.

Edit: 7000 posts!!

[phobiaphobe]

7000 posts, each with about 400 words, that's 2.8 million words. That works out to about 11000 pages. You could have written the lork of the rings trilogy by now.

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by Chain

Tiger, the only thing I'd part company with you on ref. your excellent post is the slip-on issue. The carb'd first-gen SV responds very favorably to a full system and jet kit. I think the slip would be a waste of coin when you consider just how much stronger the bike is once piped and the CVs are tuned properly.

The bike comes from the factory in an exceptionally lean condition and the stock system is heavy and highly restrictive.

I mean to tell ya, it's like night and day.

I'll defer to you on the carb'd engine mods. Like I said, it probably makes more difference if you're talking a track bike vs. going racing.

[Chain]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

7000 posts, each with about 400 words, that's 2.8 million words.

They don't call me the Wordy One without reason.

Okay, onward and upward... on my way to 8,000 posts!

Two more links of interest for you.

Dale Walker, exceedingly nice guy, has some nice suspension and brake bits for you via his website.

http://www.holeshot.com/

And finally, The Man when it comes to tuning CV carburetors, Ivan. This is the guy who I got my FZ1 jet kit from and I am here to tell you, it ran like a scalded ape. I have heard from plenty of first-gen SV owners that his kit and modded K&N are the cat's arse (as the dyno charts would suggest).

http://www.ivansperformanceproducts.com/index.htm

I have dealt with both Dale and Ivan many times on the phone. They are both down to earth, passionate enthusiasts who will go out of their way to help a regular joe out with advice and instruction.

The SV is such a kick ass bike. I was a fool for selling mine.

[Newfie TLR]

Nice choice for a track bike BTW.

Friends of mine (I posted this somewhere before) own an '01. It was her bike and she has 46K (I think) on it. They had it at Grattan once and he fell in love it on the track, even to the point where he said it was more fun than his ZX9 he used to own. She has a Sprint RS now and the SV is for sale, but they won't sell it for what you're getting that one for. If it's in good shape, it's an awesome deal.

As a note, Len wants to do just about all the above mods, like pipe & can, jet kit, braided lines, etc and he says the same as Chain and others have said, great little bike.

[sonofarex]

i can't wait to get this bike on the track... i've never been on a track, and i don't want to **** up my RC so this is going to be perfect

and plus theres 3 of us going in on it so it'll be cheap

so stoked

[phobiaphobe]

Crap. The guy decided he wants to keep his SV and teach his girlfriend to ride on it. We'll still be looking for a track bike in this price range though.

[CBRVFR]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

Crap. The guy decided he wants to keep his SV and teach his girlfriend to ride on it. We'll still be looking for a track bike in this price range though.

When are you young people going to show some resourcefulness and adaptability? OK, I'm here to help:










Steal his girlfriend.

Sorted!







You're welcome!

[phobiaphobe]

that would TOTALLY work

[tigerblade]

Originally Posted by CBRVFR

Steal his girlfriend.

Sorted!

That's what I like about you; always thinking!