Absolutely get frame sliders. Saves a lot of headache from minor accidents and can really mitigate damage in more extreme incidents. I would also recommend shorter levers. My girl has had her share of mishaps and with the sliders damage has usually just been the end of the lever if anything.

 

I think there are also some levers (ASV maybe) that have a hinge feature so they move and are less likely to break. I'll try and find some pics.

Here's an old link to give you the idea:

http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132097

 

they're called frame sliders for a reason, if you want to protect other stuff look at other things. maybe a crash cage or something.

if you're dropping your bike that much, you should take a class on riding or lowering the bike if that's your issue.

 

"S" models come stock with bar ends, so I guess we're a little better off. You could look into adding a stout set of hand guards to take the fall, and consider shorty levers if you don't have any problem with strength. It's really simple to shift a non-running bike into neutral. It's probably a good idea for you to add a spare lever to your tool kit so you can do a field repair and get home.

 

"S" models come stock with bar ends...

...as do naked models.

 

Put a spare lever in your trunk. Plus, you should be able to shift your bike out of first gear and into neutral with the engine off making it easy to push.

Stop crashing!

 

All great suggestions. I am only dropping during low speed maneuvers in the parking lot, and I do carry spare levers. Its just a PITA that a minor drop requires a toolkit and spare parts. I was also hoping the sliders might prevent some wear and tear on the gas tank in the event of an actual accident.

Finally, I am interested to learn if this is an SV quirk, if all bikes do this, and if I can make some configuration modifications to prevent it.

 

Frame sliders will help protect the gas tank in the event of a fall. Unfortunately, nothing can protect all the time if the ground has something sticking up like a rock, post or similar.

 

You could go out and buy stuff (well, u may want to carry an extra lever w/ you anyway), or you could use the FREE AND EASY SOLUTION!
Just loosen up the clutch perch so that it's tight enough for normal use, but rotates a little when pressure is applied downwards on the lever.


To help with tipping, the most useful tip I can share with you is KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON!!!!! Your eyes are extremely useful in helping you keep your balance, but only if you KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON. It may not SOLVE your "gravity challenged" problem, but it will certainly help if you KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON!

(There's a reason why I said that three times.... cuz you should really KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON )

 

You guys are all over-thinking this....
Just loosen up the clutch perch so that it's tight enough for normal use, but rotates a little when pressure is applied downwards on the lever.

To help with tipping, the most useful tip I can share with you is KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON!!!!! Your eyes are extremely useful in helping you keep your balance, but only if you KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON. It may not SOLVE your "gravity challenged" problem, but it will certainly help if you KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON!

(There's a reason why I said that three times.... cuz you should really KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON )

In addition to keeping my eyes on the horizon and loosening the clutch perch, can I also loosen the brake perch or will this potentially damage the hydraulic line? BTW, I love $0 solutions. Also, I do mostly canyon and mountain road riding in California, where the horizon is rarely horizontal.

 

I suppose you could do that on the brake side, too... The brake line is usually pretty resilient and depending on routing it shouldn't get pinched. Play around with it. See how much it rotates before it binds up.

The horizon doesn't necessary need to be horizontal to help... your eyes just need to be up so they get a better idea of what vertical is.

 

Just loosen up the clutch perch so that it's tight enough for normal use, but rotates a little when pressure is applied downwards on the lever.

Good advise right there. I always had mine a little bit loose on my dirt bikes to keep from busting up not only the lever, but the perch too. It's an old dirt bike thing.

 

Both my lever perches are not tight on the clip on's.....just snug, cause i used to fall over alot too!
I also keep spares on hand.

 

4 times? Ouch

folding levers, asv makes them as well as others im sure. Sounds like in 4 levers they would easily have paid for themselves.

If youve broken 4 levers take a close look at your forks, they may be tweeked.

 

folding levers, asv makes them as well as others im sure. Sounds like in 4 levers they would easily have paid for themselves.

I'm not so sure about that...
Quick google search shows a SET of stock levers (1 brake, 1 clutch) can be found for 20 bucks...
Last I checked, $40 is less than $200-250 for the ASV's.


If you want fancy levers, go here & support a home grown SV650 racing effort and a great guy. - http://434racer.com/Products.html - 50 bucks a set. Not unbreakable, but do my tips above & they'll easily last through a few drops.

 

Just loosened the clutch lever perch. Loosened the brake side briefly too, until I noticed the hydraulic line was the next weakest link and tightened it back.

 

Short levers help too like suggested before. I've CRASHED at speed several times with my Pazzos and havent broken one yet. A little rash on the ends is all.

 

Do you have a link?

 

Chinese Pazzo knockoffs:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-8-co...6482?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model:SV&hash=item3f1f564292&vxp=mtr

Real deal Pazzo shorties:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-SV65...mbos-/261040055728?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cc73325b0&vxp=mtr

Real deal folding Pazzos:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-SV65...ombo-/261100395837?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3ccacbdd3d&vxp=mtr

ASV makes a great lever too:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-SV65...hort-/261144289606?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3ccd69a146&vxp=mtr

 

I forgot about Painfullyslow's levers! I have seen them on a few members bikes at the rallies and they are good quality too.

 

Yeah, they're pretty nice. I didn't get a set my self but I've seen & handled em in person. Shockingly close in quality to the pazzo's I have on my Aprilia.

Loosened the clutch lever perch earlier today. Haven't bothered to drop the bike to see if it works!

 

Some good solutions to your problem here - but you shouldn't be dropping the SV on a regular basis.

Work on slow speed maneuvering and mostly balance, but it's possible the SV is just too big/heavy for you right now.

A lot of us here don't recommend the SV as a first bike, and there may be better choices for you to learn on. Learning on a cycle that is too large makes everything more difficult. You need to feel confident you can control the cycle, especially at a stop, to be able to learn to ride proficiently.

 

Dumb question, but have you taken rider training? The basic MSF and the advanced MSF courses are really great courses.

Yes to the rider training questions, both basic and advanced. I am over six feet tall so the seat height isn't an issue. The bike dropping problem is more historical than current; it hasn't happened for awhile. I was also curious if the clutch lever breakage was unique to the SV or if all bikes do it.

At the risk of hijacking my own thread I would like to know if frame sliders will prevent tank dents for low speed falls.

 

Dumb question, but have you taken rider training? The basic MSF and the advanced MSF courses are really great courses.

 

yes, a proper frame slider (this doesn't include oem suzuki) should help to prevent tank dents at low speed... Not to say it can't/won't happen, but motosliders should certainly help.

 

You can also take a hacksaw and pre-cut about a third of the way through a inch or so from the end of the lever so that snaps off first in the event of a tip over hopefully leaving the rest of the lever intact. Kinda hokey but might get a couple drops out of one lever.
Or quit dropping your bike.

 

A few have mentioned ASV's, I have had good luck with mine even in a higher speed crash. They hing out so they won't break. If you call ASV directly you can get them for about half price if they have any that are "less then perfect" or refubished.