[SilverSV]

Yesterday I put a "Reserve" down payment on a 2009 SV650 SF. I will probably be buying the bike by months end, have to do some shopping around for loans and insurance. The dealers loan service wants 17 % in interest despite my good credit and big down payment. I might just buy the bike outright, I could if I needed too.

Anyways, a little background of me. I am a 2nd summer rider. Had a Ninja 250that I am getting rid of. Looking for some pointers to help me do as good as a did with the Ninja (no accident, spills, mechanical problems). Im looking for any helpful websites about maintenence, breaking in the bike, basic upgrades, etc. Any other helpful information I would appreciate.

These bikes are pretty popular. Are they high in theft? Should I get some antitheft.

How are the tires in those first 100 miles. Am I likely to spill the bike? What should I do.

Are the lights on the bike bright enough, do a lot of night riding. Any suggested upgrades?

Any info about carrying passengers?

Insurance in NJ. I was paying $500-$600 with the Ninja. Any idea of how much an increase I am looking at?

Thank you in advance!

 

[kjkrow]

Congrats on the purchase (when it happens) and welcome to the forum. There is a lot of really good information on this site for a lot of the things you aksed. Spend some time in the FAQs, SV Modifications and Maint, and the Gen II (Your model) specific forum. All of those will have info on maintenance and mods/upgrades.

As for break-in, just follow the owner's manual and you should be fine. You're ultimately the one that needs to decide on stuff like lights. Try it and see how you feel, then you can just upgrade the bulbs, add a driving light, or do some major modifications and put in projectors.

As for two-up riding, lots of people do it, but you probably want to look into better suspension components (this is probably one of the better places to start modding anyways).

Can't help with the insurance question. As for theft, do the little things to make it harder to steal (disc lock, another lock through the rear wheel, steering lock, alarm, etc ... ) if you're worried about it.

Last tip, rather than use the sites search function, use Google with the code "site:svrider.com," so you can use Google's power to search within the forum. For example, if you had a question about insurance, you would search: "insurance site:svrider.com"

Enjoy the new bike when you get it

 

[entropysedge]

Last time I shopped for insurance, I found that Rider and Geico had the highest premiums, I went thru AAA's insurance broker and they signed me up with Foremost.

Where in NJ are you?

 

[mg66]

Welcome to SVR. You should be able to slash those interest rates by at least 50% at a bank or credit union.

I love my SF. The riding position had my wrists hurting for a while but I had not ridden in 10 years. Now my core is built up some I find it a very comfortable riding position ... although some on here will disagree.

Good luck, post some photos and keep the rubber side down my friend

 

[SDRider]

These bikes are pretty popular. Are they high in theft? Should I get some antitheft.

Depends on where you live. I've heard that NJ area is pretty high risk area for theft of vehicles. Can you keep it in a garage at night? Do you leave the bike in high risk areas frequently? I didn't get any of the dealer "extras" they try to sell you. They are mostly just pure profit for the dealership.

How are the tires in those first 100 miles. Am I likely to spill the bike? What should I do.

About like any other new tire. I wouldn't go exploring the limits of the bike in the first 50-100 miles. Get them warm and ride them while gradually progressing to the limits.

Are the lights on the bike bright enough, do a lot of night riding. Any suggested upgrades?

They are adequate. Don't wear a tinted visor at night.

Any info about carrying passengers?

Make sure they know how to be a good passenger. Leave yourself extra stopping distance, don't act like a squid with a passenger on the back. Make sure they wear proper gear too.

Insurance in NJ. I was paying $500-$600 with the Ninja. Any idea of how much an increase I am looking at?

No clue. My motorcycle insurance is through USAA. I have a clean driving record, am married, have home and life insurance through them and bank with them also. I pay about $500 a year for full coverage on my bike.

BTW-There is no way I'd go with dealer financing at those rates. Might as well charge it on a credit card... Go through a bank or credit union or pay cash. 17% is fricken ridiculous.

I financed through USAA when I bought mine (didn't have enough to buy it outright and USAA said they would finance up to 90% of the value of the bike). My interest rate through them is around 7% and it's a simple interest loan. No early payoff penalties.

I had another bike to sell but didn't want to hassle with selling it first and then waiting until I could find a good deal on the bike I wanted so when I found it I bought it on the spot. I sold my other bike later and used that money to pay down the loan.

I am not upside down in my bike like so many are. I didn't tack anything else onto the loan like gear or any of the useless crap the dealer tries to sell you. I paid just enough over msrp to barely cover tax, title and license. I also didn't pay any delivery fees or assembly fees or any of that nonsense either.

 

[SilverSV]

i appreciate the replies from everybody, some good information. Thank you!

 

[Frogger]

The tires will probably be slick. Be careful.

Don't finance through Suzuki. It's basically a credit card and a horrible deal. See what your bank will offer you. Perhaps borrowing half would be a happy medium for you. Don't borrow more than the value of a crashed SV; going down would be bad enough without going into debt at the same time.

I've found this site to be excellent source of info for maintenance, mods, mechanical advice, general BS, etc.

Here's my thread asking about riding two-up. I received great advice and every two-up experience has been wonderful, in part because of this thread: http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=79258

Keep up with scheduled maintenance and the SV will outlast most bikes.

If I were to steal a bike, I would steal something a lot more expensive than an SV, but they do get stolen like anything else. I park inside so I can't help you there.

One of my cars has a great set of HIDs, and even in comparison I find the SV's headlight to be fine for night rides, though it's a first-gen naked and probably very different. I would imagine a new SF would be better. I wouldn't worry. I'll stop speculating about this one now

 

[SilverSV]

I checked this website out a little more, didn't realize the FAQ section at first. Good looking! Some good info!

About riding 2 people, I thought your rider stays with the bike as you lean. Meaning if I lean to the right to countersteer to the left, isn't WIFEY supposed to lean left with the bike or at least look over my left shoulder?