[Silk]

As the title says, I have done extensive amounts of research and have yet to reach a satisfying conclusion so I figured I would bite the bullet and ask, hoping it has not already been answered in some stickied post that I missed.

I currently have an 05 SV650S that I picked up as a barn find for next to nothing, it came with quite a few issues but the frame and engine were intact and in good working order so I decided to make it my project bike of the month. As of right now, the bike is almost done with its rebuild with only cosmetic improvements to make last. The one major issue that I am stuck on is the rear shock. I went the route of doing a GSXR front end, using a complete front end taken off a 07 SV650 that was a race/track bike (the front end is originally from an 07 GSXR 600). I thought this would work well as it was already set up for the SV and was sprung for my weight (190lbs). After install, I noticed that the bike handled very suspect at low speeds, and felt like it wanted to twitch and dive whenever making low speed maneuvers, quite unlike the track bike, and I am assuming it is because of the rear shock setup. On the track bike it has an Elka double clicker that is set up for 180lbs rider, whilst on my 05 SV it still has the stock shock (probably never even been touched for maintenance by the look of the bike) that is set up for whatever weight it comes stock.

After my research, I see that a lot of people go the route of an 06/07 ZX10R surrogate shock, but I would like to know if this could or would help my current problem and pair nicely with my GSXR front end, or if I need to go a different route. I also have seen that some people put fork extenders on their GSXR swaps to raise the front ride height for stability, but from what I can tell running a 120/70 tire on my GSXR front end is 12mm higher than the stock SV tire and balances out the loss of height from the forks.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Cheers

 

[DylanSV]

I put a zx10 shock on my 05 SV, night and day difference from the burnt out stock shock. I didnt have the same issue you have with yours but maybe yours is more toast than mine was, but my bike feels much more stable in corners and all around after the shock upgrade.

 

[GeorgeRYoung]

The previous owner kindly installed a ZX10 shock on my '03 SV650S and I'm quite happy with it. I never had the joy of experiencing the stock rear shock.

 

[LanM]

Do you guys with some miles on your zx10 shocks find them still performing?
Back when these 05-07‘s were new it was easy and cheap to get a takeoff shock that had no miles on it but these things are getting a bit long in the tooth. For me personally, my bike has 4K on the clock and i’d like to replace it with a shock that has a good amount of life left in it. At some point there has to be a diminished return from putting a tired but better performing shock on the bike I’m assuming.

 

[thedrewski86]

Do you guys with some miles on your zx10 shocks find them still performing?
Back when these 05-07‘s were new it was easy and cheap to get a takeoff shock that had no miles on it but these things are getting a bit long in the tooth. For me personally, my bike has 4K on the clock and i’d like to replace it with a shock that has a good amount of life left in it. At some point there has to be a diminished return from putting a tired but better performing shock on the bike I’m assuming.

You're absolutely right on that, lots of folk now are looking at brands like Ohlins or Penske if they have $$$, K-Tech if they have $$, or (if you're a cheapa$$ like me) YSS. Putting an old shock on my bike didn't seem worthwhile, ymmv.

 

[JPaganel]

I haven't pulled the trigger on a shock for the SV (I've owned it less than a month), but I have replaced an OEM shock on my FJ1200 with a YSS.

That was the best $500 I ever spent on a bike. The thing rides like it's on rails, despite the wimpy forks (41mm is not a lot for a 500+ pound bike).

YSS might not be Ohlins or Penske, but it does have the benefit of not being 15 years old.

 

[bcj]

Getting a used aftermarket shock and having it rebuilt is another way of triaging it.
If you feel you don't need to "Buy It Now!" and have some time to find one.
The WERA forum used to be a place to find compatible old race shocks.
Their BBS Forum is on XenForo.

When I got my k3, I was impatient and bought a new Elka 2 way.
It's held up wonderfully over the years and I can get it refreshed when it needs it.

 

[JACBR1KRR]

I put a zx10 shock on my 05 SV, night and day difference from the burnt out stock shock. I didnt have the same issue you have with yours but maybe yours is more toast than mine was, but my bike feels much more stable in corners and all around after the shock upgrade.

Question for you. What front tire size are you running. Do you have any upgrades in the front? Any issues with front tire, such as using up all your front tire, wearing it out all the way down to the edge.