[pne]

A lot of us have dumped a lot of cash into upgrading our sv's. Especially if you spend a lot of time on svrider and catch the modding bug. Of course, a lot of the stuff you read about turns out to be a great mod, and others turn out to be a waste of money. So speaking from experience, lets say you started out with a blank canvas again, a bone stock SV. What would you do differently? Which mods would you skip? It can be either cosmetic or functional mods

some of the mods on my SV have been
-ss brake lines
-cartridge emulator/springs/oil done by a suspension shop
-elka rear shock
-aftermarket rearsets (several brands)
-HID's
-LSL bar conversion
-power commander with dyno tuning
-tank risers and K&N airfilter
-rim stripes
-race fiberglass
-frame sliders
-520 chain conversion
-bar end mirrors
-fender eliminator
-factory lower fairings


If I had to do it over, the only things I would do are ss front brake lines, thicker oil and respring for the fork, frame sliders, and proper tires. If I wanted to do some track days, I'd buy some rearset riser plates and a shift lever with a folding tip. All that money would have been better spent towards another motorcycle, or track time IMO.

 

[Cider]

All that money would have been better spent towards another motorcycle, or track time IMO.

I've put more money into bikes than they are "worth," but I enjoy working on them and getting to know them better. So it's not a good investment, but it's a form of entertainment for me.

 

[andyauger]

I don't regret one penny I've spent on the bike. But then I've had many, many bikes and know what I want in a bike. Experience is a great teacher. Indeed, there's no need spending money at all unless there is something specific you want to accomplish.

I've done frame sliders, emulators, Elka double adjustable, stock front spring (because it works fine for my weight), SS brake lines (because it was time to change them out anyway), headlight modulator, Hyper-Lites brake lights, DeCelLight vacuum brake light switch, Fiamm horns (because I ride on public streets). All practical modifications that enhanced either handling or safety.

Other folks with other interests do other mods, of course, whatever floats your boat.

 

[snowman88]

Here's my list:
Instead of a Yoshi slip on, I would have just chopped the stock can.
Instead of integrated turn signals i would have done a FE that kept the stock signals
When i hit the deer, i would have gone naked instead of back to the S model (probably would have done this if i had found SVR sooner)
Probably would have done heavier springs up front and a new shock in the rear too (still plan on doing this, just no money at the moment)
Would have gone with hard bags instead of soft bags

 

[JPL_SV]

I've put more money into bikes than they are "worth," but I enjoy working on them and getting to know them better. So it's not a good investment, but it's a form of entertainment for me.

+100. I look at most the mods I have done as entertainment and learning experience.

I don't know of any mods I wish I didn't do, they all seemed to turn out well.
One thing I wish I did first is the suspension. I went with the GSX-R forks and rear shock and it's like a whole different bike.

I would guess that all the mods I have done would come out around $4K and I purchased the bike from my brother at one year old for $5K so I guess I'm doing good. Yet if I just spent $9K on a new bike it would probably be a nice RC-51, but I would not have the knowledge or experience I've obtained from the mods done on my SVS.

 

[doxiedog]

"If I had to do it over, the only things I would do are ss front brake lines, thicker oil and respring for the fork, frame sliders, and proper tires". That's just how far mine is from a stock 99n.

 

[RandyO]

I did very little modifcation to my SV, doesn't really need it, it's a good bike right out of the box

spent my money on gasoline & tires

 

[tlc4diving]

The only thing I've done to mine is Sonic Springs and oil, good rear shock, SS brake lines, took out the snorkel and baffle. I'd do the same things again.


I don't think I'd put together a dedicated track bike again. That cost me a lot of money for not using it more the 4 or 5 times a year.

 

[broke not]

I haven't done anything to mine yet, but I plan on eventually upgrading the front springs and fork oil. Other than that, it'll work just fine for me....heck it works fine for me now.

Over the years, I've seen waaaaaaay too many people dump waaaaaay too much $$ into a project....only to regret it later. I understand that the money is justified in some cases because the owner gets some education and satisfaction in the process. Everyone needs a hobby.

I get plenty of opportunities to turn wrenches and such every day at work though, so doing it in the evening or on weekends doesn't sound like too much fun. On the up side, turning wrenches for a living has allowed me to observe/evaluate/sometimes fix what someone else has done to improve their machinery. The claims that are made by the aftermarket manufacturers are usually inflated, (often ridiculously), and there's seldom any discussion about potential down sides or compromises that may result from their products' use.

Despite what the aftermarket suppliers want the consumer to believe, they simply aren't as smart as they think they are. Any goober can look at a single component long enough and come up with some way to "improve" it....especially since the "improvement" they come up with is narrowly-focused and application-specific. That same goober can't necessarily conceive/design/build an entire machine and all of the systems that are required to make it function the way the vast majority of end-users need it to function.

That task is left up to the folks with the real smarts....

 

[jay313]

Hmmm... Interesting question. Luckily, I bought my bike used (1 yr old) with the most expensive mod already done -- a Remus powercone ($550 or so). I think it looks great, so very happy that was done for me. The only other expensive mod I've done is springs/emulators in the forks, and I'm pleased with the results. I'm focusing my bike as a commuter and sport/tourer that I plan to keep until it wears out, so I'm almost done with the mods. It's a fairly long list, but most of what I've done has cost me less than $100 a pop. Not counting the exhaust and windscreen that were on the bike when I bought it, I've spent less than $1000. Only thing left on my list is to paint the header pipes and fork lowers black, but that will wait until it's time to replace my tires, which probably will be in late March or early April. After that, any extra cash I spend will go toward gear and trips. Working on the bike has become sort of a hobby here in the cold months, but I'm going to limit that to routine maintenance in the future.

 

[Iakayak81]

I got that chance last year ;D I got the old exhaust off the wrecked bike, and that's the only reason I have it. Emulators and springs up front, penske in the rear. I would do bolth those again. I really like the rear sets, but would probbably run risers instead. I switched to a touring screen, and like it more than the DB I had before. The powermadd handgaurds are nice, but I would probbably try the DL gaurds. And I can't wait to get stomp grips back on for this riding season.

 

[Modidy]

I guess everyone has their own reason and opinion as to if the mods are really worth the money spent. I am trying to keep the expenses down, but that my funds are low. But the SV I picked up was purchased strictly to be used a track b#%ch. I have only stripped it and purchased SS line's. Next will be springs up front, rear shock, tire's and some track glass (oh yea, and upper fairing bracket because I just realized the one I have is bent).
I have also considered just replacing the upper fairing, throwing on a set of tire's and selling it. I would then take the money and buy a tracked out SV (found one today setup the way I want, and close enough to my weight to work for my ametuar track days). My Hayabusa is my street bike that I use as a cruiser. I have only invested in a set of Yoshi bolt ons, and a DB windscreen. I may do SS line's up front too, just for some added feel.
That's my .02,
Mo

 

[briderdt]

My mods have all been cosmetic (and most of them on the bike when I bought it). Hot Bodies undertail (to which I added Doug Z's license plate bracket), chin fairing, Puig double-bubble windscreen, Heli-bars, flush-mount turn signals in front... I added LED strips as additional turn signals, Oxford Heaterz heated grips, Cycra Stealth hand guards (wind deflectors), rear cowl (taking off the grab bar and left passenger peg -- I'm modding a right one to take off all the extraneous material)... Only "mods" I have planned are a Super Trapp mini disc-only "muffler", possibly a rear-set adapter plate, and maybe adding some additional headlights on the forks instead of the fairing (hate how the lights on the fairing don't light into the corners).

 

[Zuki]

The mods would depend on weather it was a naked or an S. There is nothing i would do differently to my 2004 S. I love it the way it is.

The project bike i have had a couple issues with. Mostly parts taking months and months to get here. Some parts are way over priced and should just be avoided. Others are a great deal but take some work to make them work. And some are just crap for the get go.

 

[cfreger]

Very interesting and timely thread, as I'm spending a lot of time thinking about this subject ATM.

I guess depending on your weight, you might want to do something about the stock rear shock, as well as the front end. Interesting that you consider your Elka and your emulators unnecessary. I am fairly certain that I'm going to skip the emulators, but what to do about the back end of my bike is really vexing me.

If you're going to go with ss lines up front, wouldn't you also want to change to HH pads (at least, when the stock ones wore out)?

If you ride in traffic, I'd say a Fiamm horn and Silverstar headlight bulb are good, low-cost additions.

While it's not necessary, I think a slip-on adds to the enjoyment factor. It's a shame what the stock can does to the v-twin's exhaust note. Plus, it's a safety hazard -- the darn thing is like a heat sink.

 

[VARIABLE9]

A lot of us have dumped a lot of cash into upgrading our sv's. Especially if you spend a lot of time on svrider and catch the modding bug. Of course, a lot of the stuff you read about turns out to be a great mod, and others turn out to be a waste of money. So speaking from experience, lets say you started out with a blank canvas again, a bone stock SV. What would you do differently? Which mods would you skip? It can be either cosmetic or functional mods

some of the mods on my SV have been
-ss brake lines
-cartridge emulator/springs/oil done by a suspension shop
-elka rear shock
-aftermarket rearsets (several brands)
-HID's
-LSL bar conversion
-power commander with dyno tuning
-tank risers and K&N airfilter
-rim stripes
-race fiberglass
-frame sliders
-520 chain conversion
-bar end mirrors
-fender eliminator
-factory lower fairings


If I had to do it over, the only things I would do are ss front brake lines, thicker oil and respring for the fork, frame sliders, and proper tires. If I wanted to do some track days, I'd buy some rearset riser plates and a shift lever with a folding tip. All that money would have been better spent towards another motorcycle, or track time IMO.

I would get a 675 and not have to do any of this stuff to it!

 

[kingnothing]

I would have left the mud flap on. In fact, I've got one from a friend's bike that I'm going to be putting back on my bike. I think my bike is going to be making a transformation from kinda neat looking to utilitarian with the addition of the flap and a huge windscreen.

 

[Lost1888]

The best things I have done and don't regret-
Race tech springs
Emulators
Zx10 Shock
Belly Pan
Hugger
CRG Bar end mirrors
Removed the red bits.

The worst things I bought-
Cheap, Garbage Ebay Passenger pegs
Afx Helmets for me and the wife

Things I hope to find out the were worth the work this winter-
15 47 sprocket change
svracingparts rear sets

I love tinkering on my bike so in the end it has all been worth it's weight in gold. Couldn't imagine having a bike up on a stand in the garage with nothing to do to it for 4 months! Anything I can do to her to make her more mine makes the time go by with purpose.

 

[fifty5engineering]

I installed a Scorpion exhaust and TIG welded the joints. I looks, sounds and fits great. However I heard a bone stock SV with 3 holes drilled in the baffle and it sounded just as good.

I Love my Napolean Bar end Mirrors.

 

[YZEtc]

I think I'd do 98% of the very same mods that I did to the 2007 SV-650 when I had it.
In fact, the only mod I did that I'm not certain I'd bother with the second time around would be spending another $100 for another TRE.

I had a few bucks into the bike that I never got back when I sold it, but they were worth the while.