Suzuki SV650 Riders Forum banner

Tail Tidy

3.1K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  PostCom  
#1 ·
I'm looking at getting a tail tidy but with how many options out there I'm not sure what fits and looks good on an 06 650S. How difficult are they to install and what is the recommendation on rear turn signals with the tail tidy. Any help is appreciated!
 
#2 ·
I just bought a full undertray from Bestem. I had a Targa FE on the bike. The Bestem undertail kills two birds with one stone, as it has built-in LED signals. It's cheap (less than 60 bucks), looks awesome and fits well.
 
#4 ·
I found a really nice amber LED signal and mounted on each side of the brake light on mine.

Please don't think I'm trying to discourage you from doing a tail tidy, but do consider the disadvantages of doing a tail tidy:

* No matter how far back you mount your tag, you end up with road grit (and water, when it rains) splashing up onto your back.
* The ugly stock turn signals are much more visible than most of the smaller ones mounted closer to the underside of the tail.
* Unless you can find a way to retain the light over your tag, you are technically riding outside the bounds of many states' regulations on tag illumination.
* Despite the rear fender being quite flimsy, it does add a bit of stability if you add a luggage rack. The SW Motech rack, for example, ties into the rear fender near the turn signal mount, and relocates the turn signals to a lower location.

Once again, not trying to discourage you, but wanting you to be sure you're aware of the disadvantages of any extreme reconfiguration of the tail. It didn't discourage me from doing it...although when I started doing more touring, I ended up buying a stock fender section from eBay for $18 and reversing the mod.
 
#5 ·
^ What he said. My SV came with an aftermarket undertail, and the lights weren't as bright, they were too close together (not street legal), and there was no protection from rain/dirt/mud. I bought my SV to enjoy riding/commuting, not to try and look cool, so I couldn't care less if people think the stock fender isn't as pretty. I bought a stocker and put it on there, it looks better IMO.
 
#6 ·
Dave, what do you have to do to install the Bestem undertail and how visible are the turn signals?
and thanks for the advice on not removing it. I had seen some forums saying to cut it off but I wasn't sure I wanted to go that route just in case.
 
#7 ·
Well, since I had a Targa FE installed before, I basically had to do nothing but remove the black plastic thingies that hold the bodywork on and slide the Bestem in. No drilling or cutting required. If you're going from stock to the Bestem, you'll have to cut off the two "ears" at the rear of the stock plastic. This will give you room to mess around with the turn signal wires if you have to. The turn signals are nice and bright. Not as bright as the Kellerman's I had on there (which hurt your eyes), but bright enough even in direct sunlight.
 
#11 ·
Rain and luggage rack issues aside, +1 on this. I have the Evotech, install was more complicated than I thought it would be but totally doable- I think there's a full walkthrough with photos here on the forums somewhere that I used.