I'll skip the details on how this bike became mine, but suffice to say, since it's not a hard-core sportbike, it's not one I would have usually purchased. It's a bright, pearl yellow, naked version. I would've never thought it would happen, but I fell in love with this fun little bike. However, it wasn't close to my standards in stock form, so I set about modifying. That's been fun. Not as much as riding it, but like a cherry on your ice cream. Anyhow, here's some of what I've done so far:
7/26/08 Update: Recent changes: First, replaced the first GSXR1000 rear shock with another $60 one from ebay because I wore the first one out (the bike has almost 30,000 miles on it now). I will keep this shock until this winter when I will get the Penske unit. Second, I bought a conversion kit to change the front/rear sprocket to a 14/47 combo with a 520 chain. I only bought it to use at Deal's Gap. Acceleration is better due to the shorter gearing, but revs are too high for my typical highway speeds so I replace the stock ratios for normal riding (Vortex front and rear 15/45 with a 525 chain). Third, I had the Power Commander tuned by Ken Wheeler. He's a master and an SV owner himself. He yanked the snorkel off, adjusted the TPS properly (if you own a 2003+ SV, you probably need this done) and did the full range tune. What a difference! More power, especially in the mid-range, and a really beautiful intake honk now. Love it!
I've significantly improved this bike over stock. It's more powerful, better handling, better looking, and more comfortable that a new one. It will outrun your local sheriff. Don't ask me how I know. (And, no, it won’t outrun his radio - again, don't ask me how I know). Seriously, for 23 years, I've owned and ridden (many miles and almost daily) many sport bikes from 350cc to 1000cc. This bike is as much fun (no, not as fast) as any of them and way more practical. It'll do everything but dirt.
Here's some of the icing I've added to Suzuki's original cake:
• Motrax bar end mirrors - look just like the CRG mirrors, but cost 1/5th the price. Not shown in photo, but I'll update it soon. Huge functional and cosmetic improvement. Filled handlebar with BB's to make up for losing the bar end weights.
• Suburban Machinery Intermediate Handlebar - positions grip lower and farther forward than stock, but not nearly as extreme as a full sport bike crouch. Love it.
• Race Tech / Traxxion Dynamics Cartridge Emulator Kit in front forks - makes the old stock forks seem like pogo sticks. The stock suspension is the weakest part of the SV. It's a shame Suzuki doesn't do just a little more to really make the suspension worthy of the rest of the bike. Replace the 64lb valve springs with 48lb to get more compliance for high-speed compression. 3 turns of spring preload on emulators.
• Race Tech 0.85 kg fork springs - proper springs for an aggressive 200 lb. rider instead of the 160 lb. moped rider the OEM springs were built for.
• 2002 Suzuki GSXR-1000 fully adjustable rear shock. Words can’t describe how much better this shock is than the pathetic OEM shock. This took some modification of the battery and tool kit tray. I'm seriously tempted to buy a Penske or Ohlins shock for the rear, but I only paid $60 for the GSXR shock on ebay, so the premium $$ for the rich stuff is hard to justify. Of course, lack of justification is a weak barrier.
• Dynojet Power Commander III USB Programmable fuel injection control unit. More power, but more importantly, smoother power at low revs than the snatchy stock bike.
• K&N filter - just because the Suzuki paper unit was almost as expensive.
• Scorpion Oval Slip-on Exhaust - cheap and sufficient.
• Color-matched genuine Suzuki Solo Seat Cowl - I never ride passengers and this combined with the integrated taillight really clean up the rear end. Had to modify it & the bike a little to get the fit I wanted. Stock, it sat up higher than the surrounding bodywork. Ground off the raised lip around where the seat latch assembly screws to the subframe. Carved off 2 mm of the rubber bumpers on the cowl. Used adhesive backed foam under the cowl hook plate to get it to feel solid.
• Genuine Suzuki Gel Seat - Not in the photos here. Way better than the stock seat without giving up distance between the seat and pegs the way the Corbin and Sargent dished-out seats do. Gets and stays hot as a skillet in summer though. I have to cover it in the sun or scrambled huevos for sure.
• Integrated LED Turn signal-Taillight and front LED turn signals - I added resistors to slow the LED turn signals to stock blinker rate. Looks like the stock bike should have looked, but didn't. I got the integrated taillight replacement new on ebay and it's excellent. The front ones were from Lockhart Phillips. Cheap and easy. The resistors for the taillight came with it. I got the resistors for the front from a Powerbronze dealer at the AMA superbike races at Barber motorsports park. I'm sure they're available elsewhere.
• Heated grips - these are pure genius. From a kit I bought on Aerostich's excellent web site.
• Titanium muffler bracket - Lockhart Phillips I think.
• New EK X-ring gold chain - after I trashed the original one on a 2000 mile trip where every minute was like a monsoon.
• Valentine 1 radar detector - Actually this one moves between my vehicles, but I have a H.A.R.D. system from radarbusters.com so I get a heads-up warning in my Arai helmet. I Don't leave home without it. I carry a couple of ziploc bags for the detector heads up unit in case of rain.
There's some other stuff I'm forgetting, I'm sure. The mods happened over the last two years, but they've slowed down some.
Now the pictures. I apologize for the quality. I took them with my Treo. It sucks as a phone and a camera.
Here's some of the icing I've added to Suzuki's original cake:
• Motrax bar end mirrors - look just like the CRG mirrors, but cost 1/5th the price. Not shown in photo, but I'll update it soon. Huge functional and cosmetic improvement. Filled handlebar with BB's to make up for losing the bar end weights.
• Suburban Machinery Intermediate Handlebar - positions grip lower and farther forward than stock, but not nearly as extreme as a full sport bike crouch. Love it.
• Race Tech / Traxxion Dynamics Cartridge Emulator Kit in front forks - makes the old stock forks seem like pogo sticks. The stock suspension is the weakest part of the SV. It's a shame Suzuki doesn't do just a little more to really make the suspension worthy of the rest of the bike. Replace the 64lb valve springs with 48lb to get more compliance for high-speed compression. 3 turns of spring preload on emulators.
• Race Tech 0.85 kg fork springs - proper springs for an aggressive 200 lb. rider instead of the 160 lb. moped rider the OEM springs were built for.
• 2002 Suzuki GSXR-1000 fully adjustable rear shock. Words can’t describe how much better this shock is than the pathetic OEM shock. This took some modification of the battery and tool kit tray. I'm seriously tempted to buy a Penske or Ohlins shock for the rear, but I only paid $60 for the GSXR shock on ebay, so the premium $$ for the rich stuff is hard to justify. Of course, lack of justification is a weak barrier.
• Dynojet Power Commander III USB Programmable fuel injection control unit. More power, but more importantly, smoother power at low revs than the snatchy stock bike.
• K&N filter - just because the Suzuki paper unit was almost as expensive.
• Scorpion Oval Slip-on Exhaust - cheap and sufficient.
• Color-matched genuine Suzuki Solo Seat Cowl - I never ride passengers and this combined with the integrated taillight really clean up the rear end. Had to modify it & the bike a little to get the fit I wanted. Stock, it sat up higher than the surrounding bodywork. Ground off the raised lip around where the seat latch assembly screws to the subframe. Carved off 2 mm of the rubber bumpers on the cowl. Used adhesive backed foam under the cowl hook plate to get it to feel solid.
• Genuine Suzuki Gel Seat - Not in the photos here. Way better than the stock seat without giving up distance between the seat and pegs the way the Corbin and Sargent dished-out seats do. Gets and stays hot as a skillet in summer though. I have to cover it in the sun or scrambled huevos for sure.
• Integrated LED Turn signal-Taillight and front LED turn signals - I added resistors to slow the LED turn signals to stock blinker rate. Looks like the stock bike should have looked, but didn't. I got the integrated taillight replacement new on ebay and it's excellent. The front ones were from Lockhart Phillips. Cheap and easy. The resistors for the taillight came with it. I got the resistors for the front from a Powerbronze dealer at the AMA superbike races at Barber motorsports park. I'm sure they're available elsewhere.
• Heated grips - these are pure genius. From a kit I bought on Aerostich's excellent web site.
• Titanium muffler bracket - Lockhart Phillips I think.
• New EK X-ring gold chain - after I trashed the original one on a 2000 mile trip where every minute was like a monsoon.
• Valentine 1 radar detector - Actually this one moves between my vehicles, but I have a H.A.R.D. system from radarbusters.com so I get a heads-up warning in my Arai helmet. I Don't leave home without it. I carry a couple of ziploc bags for the detector heads up unit in case of rain.
There's some other stuff I'm forgetting, I'm sure. The mods happened over the last two years, but they've slowed down some.
Now the pictures. I apologize for the quality. I took them with my Treo. It sucks as a phone and a camera.
7 comments:
This post is useless without pictures!
Thanks for the comments though. I think I'll be avoiding the gel seat, if it heats up that much. Rather not fry my balls, you know what I mean? =D
And I was trying so hard not to be stupid. . .
Excellent and obvious suggestion. When I get a chance and a better camera I may add some better photos and show some close-ups of some items.
You might notice the radar detector and mount are not visible. I took them off just before taking these pictures. I tried, briefly, to sell the bike and removed my Valentine 1 and the mount. It's my Precious.
Regarding the seat. Yes, it gets hot, like all gel seats do. Yes, if you don't cover it in the sun, you'll be sorry. However, it's a HUGE improvement over the stock seat otherwise. I keep a piece of a white T-shirt under the rear cowl and cover it with that when it's parked in the summer sunlight. I tuck it in around the seat and it doesn't look that bad. If you're only off the bike for a short time, it's not necessary, but it really is if the bike sits out in the sun all day at work.
Sargent and Corbin make expensive seats and they are more comfortable. I had a Corbin seat on a VTR1000 I used to own. Compared to the torture device the bike came with, it was magnificent. Unfortunately, it's dished out shape had drawbacks. First, I'm a little over 6' 3" and losing leg room, even a little, wasn't ideal. The Suzuki gel seat is actually a little thicker and may even add a smidgen of leg room (might be a placebo effect). Also, on the Corbin, I found it a little odd feeling to move around when I wanted to shift my weight in curves. I never really was completely happy with it, but the OEM SuperHawk seat was atrocious. Since I had a small destruction ceremony for it, I removed the option of going back to stock.
The gel seat was well worth the price. I think I paid ~$130 for it on OneidaSuzuki.com. That was around half the price of a Corbin seat at the time.
After posting my last comment, I realized that I made it look like the commentor didn't see the photos. I edited the post after the comment to add photos.
looking good m8, very technical and skilled job. How do you have trouble getting bike insurance with all thes modifications.
Jake, thanks for the comment. No one's commented on this post in a while. I've done a few other things to the bike since I posted this, so I need to update it.
Regarding insurance, I carry liability only once my bikes are worth less than half of their original value (general rule of thumb). However, even when I carried full coverage on this one, my insurance company doesn't ask or care about modifications. Of course, generally, bike mods don't add value, so I have never worried about retaining additional insurance to replace those if it's stolen or crashed.
Keep an eye out for additions to my mod list. I'm rebuilding the engine right now, but I have some other things I'm doing when I get it all put back together. But damn, that new CBR1000RR just might seduce me back into the sportbike cult again. I've tried so hard to stay away. Maybe I'm not too old for one more big rocket from Big Red. We'll see . . .
Very cool blog! I also have a yellow 04 SV650 but its the "s" one. I ended up upgrading the rear shock and front forks with the emulators from Racetech...and its a whole new bike! Thanks to your site!
I'm glad you are now enjoying your bike more. The SV really is a fun bike once the suspension is improved. On that note, just a teaser, but I've decided to dive into the swap of the stock forks for the GSXR750 forks. I'll update the post when the work is done. I may not start until later in the year because I don't like giving up riding time during the summer. By next year, I'll also have the Penske shock on the rear.
So, why am I doing all of this work on the SV instead of just getting a fancy newer bike? I don't know. It's crazy. I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole improvement process. Here's another thing. I like to spend as much time at Deal's Gap as I can (look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about). I get a huge kick out of dusting off the young posers on the newest, shiniest hyper-bikes while I'm on my little SV. Any monkey can twist the throttle on a big-bore sportbike and wheelie off like he's a bad MF. It's so much more satisfying to catch and pass those slow-moving chicanes on a bike that is so obviously the underdog. This bike, with the mods I've made so far, is the perfect tool for carving up curvy roads like The Dragon.
One other note. Rather than putting up new posts on my blog, I'm just updating the original, so keep an eye out for changes.
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