[JonSV650]

Hey guys, it's been a few years since I sold my 06 and I must admit I still think about it a lot.

I replaced it with a 99 VFR800 because I thought I wanted a faster and faired bike. As much as I like that motor, it was hot as hell to ride and reminded me why I had a naked bike in the first place...I hate pulling off fairings to do work.

I replaced it with my current bike: a Monster S2R1000. It reminded me of my SV650 but felt better in everyway. Now that I've owned it for almost 3 years I'm not so sure I still feel that way.

I've never really gotten super comfortable on it. I've been through numerous seats and handlebars and still haven't gotten the ergos dialed to the point where I want to ride it more than an hour or so whereas I'd take 2-4 hours rides every weekend on my SV. It's not too great for commuting either. It lugs in the low RPMs and in the higher RPMs it wants nothing more than to go all out. Plus, with the power it makes, the gas mileage sucks. I'm getting barely half as many miles to the tank as I did on my SV.

I look at other bikes like the speed triple or xsr900 but I see a lot of common complaints about lack of range, poor fuel mileage, less than ideal fueling/throttle response, etc.

That brings me back to the SV. Of all the bikes I've owned, I've ridden it the most. I only sold it because I wanted a bike with better suspension and more power but I'm seeing that bigger motor nakeds aren't necessarily the holy grail of street riding.

Has anyone made similar moves with their bikes ultimately to come back to the SV? I've always liked the Gladius. With a few tweaks, it's styling can be very similar to my Monster which is lovely to look at. I do worry I'll miss the power though. I don't quite need as much as my Monster has but I worry the SV won't be quite enough...

 

[JohnnyBenis]

Just recently had the opportunity to jump back on my trusty old SV 650 after a long time of daily riding my GSX-S. I absolutely love my Gixxess, it's buttery smooth, handles great and has more than enough power, but somehow the v-twin rumble is so soothing that riding the SV almost feels like chilling on a hammock with a beer in your hand. It just feels easy even if you redline the hell out of it.

Hell, I'll race-prep it and chill around the track.

 

[mad8vskillz]

ive been back and forth with svs and other bikes forever
07 sv
then an r6
then aprilia dorsoduro
then 04 sv
then triumph sprint
then 03 sv1k
then 03 sv650
then i decided i will always have an sv in the stable and keep adding to it
now i have a bunch of sv650s (street and 2 track), a gsxr600 track bike, an r6s trackbike, grom and an s1000r.
the s1000r is the most bland bike i've ever owned. also the fastest. but has like 0 soul unlike the sv and i very much prefer riding the 650 to it.

 

[Straticus]

Not really as I've only ridden a couple of Triumph Speed Triples when a pal has let me have a go on them. Thing is with my SV650 it's like an,"Old Friend" every time I get on it. It's commuted fine when needed and ,"Smiles for Miles"on days out and just so easy to ride and throw about.

Sometimes when riding that V-Twin hum just gives me a,"Cheshire Cat" grin. Worth every penny

 

[GeorgeRYoung]

Bought a Gen 1 SV650 to complement my ZG1000 Concours, then sold it when I moved from a house/garage to a condo with one parking space. Moved away from long distance riding, sold the Concours and now have a Gen 2. There's a lot to be said for lower weight and 'flickability', with pretty much the same performance.

 

[Irishgirl]

I've had a cb 125 honda, RD350, H2750, and a Z1900, and after a long absents from bikes a 2018 sv. This summer I rode my bike to many if not all the bike demos in my location. I was bored and wanted a new bike. Most every time after demoing and jumping back on the sv I thought to myself, this sv is not bad. It has more character and soul them most.
The lack of power coming out of corners and budget suspension is real, looking hard at the Aprilia RS Tuono 660.

This is interesting, lots of experience with many bike and he is fond of the SV

 

[Kenneth]

In my 50 years of riding I've owned most every motorcycle I've ever wanted, all used of course. The most memorable are the 996 Superhawk and the '85 FJ1100. I've still got a '99 ZRX1100 because it reminds me so much of the '81 GS1100E I should never have sold, so I'll probably never sell it. Mostly all big bikes - my '01 SV is the smallest bike I've had since my '71 CB450 in college. With the upgraded suspension I just love it to pieces, might even try touring on it some next year.

 

[mininsx]

I didn't come back to an SV 650, but I did come back to 90° v-twins, I guess. Years ago I bought an '03 Honda RC51 new and man, I loved that bike. It handled like it was on rails, fit me like a glove, and the sound through two Micron slip-ons was amazing. I've known about the SV for years, but never ridden one, and one day I heard one going by, and I thought it sounded very much like my RC51. After reading up on the new SV I went to the dealer and rode an X and that was it. I had them find a '19 SV because I liked the color scheme better than the '20 model. I put a Two Brothers Racing Hurricane slip-on on and while it's no RC51 it'll do for me.

 

[thedrewski86]

Not exactly but in a way I came back to the SV. When I was looking for my first bike in 2006 I knew the SV would be perfect but I wanted a cruiser. I wound up with a Honda Shadow of all things and kept it for a long time. After 5 years I wanted something fast though so I got an early 90s CBR1000 as a second beater bike and I really loved it. That's when I thought I should get a good sportbike and wanted an SV again... wound up getting a CBR F2 which was a phenomenal bike. Sold the Shadow and eventually the 1000 and picked up a BMW touring bike to go with the F2. Then I stumbled on a SV and a had some extra cash, next thing I knew i had three bikes. Not to mention a small collection of Ninja 250s. Years later I've sold everything but the SV and its hands down the best all-rounder I've had. It does everything and fits perfectly.
At this point I really don't see getting rid of the SV until the motor pops (40k miles going strong). I like I4s a lot but this V2 is unbeatably balanced. One of my riding buddies has a new gsxr750 that I ride a lot and I can do much more amazing things on that than I can with the 650 but how fast do you really need to go? Sure it's fun but that's not always the point. I'll probably get one eventually but I'll let this one go until it's done. I just can't fault the SV for anything.

 

[Salty Sway]

I have only had an SV650 for a few months, a new 2017 that has been sitting in the front window at the dealership. I have been wanting one for over a decade, currently have 5 other bikes, at one time we had 12. ADV bikes, sport-bikes, dual-purpose, modern classics, dirt-bikes, scooters, and more. Should have got one sooner, so many things I like about it. Wish they still made the 1000, traded a 2nd generation V-Strom 1000 for the 650, really liked the 1000 motor. My debit card has taken a beating in the last few months but getting close to finishing it up, was a great place to start but with the suspension sorted, brake improvements its better. Love riding the SV but after a ride on a modded ZRX the SV feels week but still fun.

 

[rotor1337]

I have an SFV650 and an 2016 Aprilia Tuono factory. The SFV is my basher and the Tuono is for spirited rides or track days.

 

[MOHillbilly]

Dunno about "nicer" exactly, but I've had far faster bikes for the last 20 years. Not as young as I used to be and went for the '09 S as a "relaxed fit" sport bike. Bit easier on the aging carcass than the full on sport bikes that I've had.
Well, except for the Hayabusa anyway. that thing was a big, fast, couch..

 

[yarek]

I absolutely love my SV650S (08). I agree that it's very comfortable. It has just enough go to make it fun, but still keep you out of jail. That said, I also acquired a Yamaha Virago 1100 last year and I'm surprised how much I like it. Mostly got it because my wife wasn't a fan of the tiny passenger seat on the SV and absolutely loves the larger, lower seat on the cruiser, along with a back rest and saddle bags. I saw it as a grandpa bike, but soon fell in love with it and took it for 1000-mile road trips. And now it doesn't take much to convince the wife to go for a ride together.

But guess what? I still have my SV and I still ride it. A lot. It's a lot more nimble and, well, sportier than the cruiser. That said, I did have to upgrade the fork springs to make it rideable, and I put a GSXR shock in it. Maybe I'll put a GSXR fork in, maybe not. With the nicer shock in, it feels a lot more planted under acceleration and in turns. I wish a fully adjustable shock and cartridge fork were standard, or at least an option.

I can see myself getting one or two more bikes in the future: some in-line 4 for track and an off-road bike, but I can see myself keeping the SV for as long as it lives, and when it finally dies, I'll get another one BTW, I feel the same way about that Yamaha cruiser. It's unbelievably comfy and has enough pull to keep up/stay ahead of most cars, yet it's nimble enough to split between lanes, just like I do on the SV.

 

[URBANJUNGLE]

i owned few different bikes..
from CB550, KZ440, KZ 1000..
many years and miles on ZRX'S 11 and 12 great bikes, wish i kept one...than got BuellX1 which was fun bike with tons of torque except hd motor concept from 1960 which was falling apart as i was riding it..i got lucky to get a rid of that headache..got R1 crossplane which is fast with Zero comfort , than got again itch for twin torque so got 2nd bike SV1K as back up beater...which i started using more n more ... because it feels right when i get on it!
luckily crossplane is gone, sold it before it lost value and didnt have to deal with digging up faulty starter....7 years later n im still riding SV plus got TL which is TL ...
not getting rid off any of those....as theres nothing out there like that on market to replace them

 

[Imposing Will]

I picked up an '05 SV1000 a few months ago. I also have an '05 FZ1, and an '07 GS500 (was my commuter). The FZ and the GS are for sale, and I'll be buying another V Strom when they sell for the wife and I (FZ was the "wife" bike). Absolutely love my SV.

 

[Craig380]

Hi and welcome. Your SV1K looks great, very tastefully modified.

 

[Imposing Will]

Hi and welcome. Your SV1K looks great, very tastefully modified.

Thanks! I wish I could take credit for it, but aside from bars/grips/mirrors/tires/chain and sprockets...this is how I bought it. I love it, though. Quickly becoming my favorite that I've had, and I've had several.

 

[Endurance Todd]

I raced an SV650 on an endurance team (not my bike) for many years. During that time I got my own 05 ZX6R race bike. I did fine with the ZX6 but never felt as comfortable on it as the SV endurance bike. I now own a stock framed SV endurance bike with an internally stock motor and a cutsom framed SV650 pwered sprint bike. The sprint bike engine is pretty high spec build. The stock endurance motor is getting a mild rebuild this winter (overbore, intake on exhaust cam swap, spears lighted rotor, etc...)

The SV is just a great track bike once it is set up properly. Forgiving to ride for newbie's and still very capable in the hands of an expert rider with the right setup.

 

[TabuSoro]

You lost me at "bikes nicer or faster than the SV."

 

[DarkHorseSV650]

cutsom framed SV650 pwered sprint bike. The sprint bike engine is pretty high spec build. The stock endurance motor is getting a mild rebuild this winter (overbore, intake on exhaust cam swap, spears lighted rotor, etc...)

Build thread for this bike please!

I came to the SV650 from a decade on Daytona 675s - I had one of each generation, the second with a TTX shock and the last an R model with stock Ohlins/Brembos. They were amazing bikes, but when the last one was stolen my financial position was such that I didn't want to take out a $20k loan for another one, so I bought the SV for $1800.

After rebuilding pretty much everything except the motor, and now adding GSXR front end and rear wheel plus a ZX shock, it still owes me well under half what a Daytona would have cost. It will never be as fast, but for a bike that spends 90% of it's life on public roads I don't need 0-250kmh in 3sec. The little twin in nicer in traffic, and just has a wonderful relaxed yet willing character to it. With the suspension and brakes upgraded it's not too far off in terms of handling, and even the look is growing on me!