[Pantera93]

Aye carumba! Dead battery this morning. Don't remember how old it is but always hate seeing that yellow light on the battery tender. So jumped on the Harley this morning & needed gas. Freakin super unleaded is like $4.49 here?! How is oil $62/barrel & gas is still this high?!!

 

[snakedoctor]

Been fed up with the original headlight bucket and its output and talking with my shop they mentioned they could install the Baja Designs LP6 on the bike. Finally pulled the trigger and I have to say it is absolutely everything I could have hoped it would be and more. The light output and the design are definitely getting me closer to the streetfighter look I've been after.

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to find the Givi pannier racks so if there's anyone out there who has long since parted with their bike and happens to have them laying around in the garage, I would be forever grateful, lol. I know it's a longshot, this forum seems to be all but dead with just a few members still keeping it alive. I'm looking to try some light motocamping with the bike.

I have to grab a photo of the light output and throw still. In a nutshell, it's impressive.

I might sound like a Baja shill now, but they just started offering the DOT version which should address proper cutoff.

DOT LP6 LED Headlight Replacement - Universal - Baja Designs - Off-Road LED & Laser Lights | Automotive, Jeep, Truck, UTV, ADV, Dirtbike

Upgrade your ride with the Baja Designs DOT LP6, our first-ever road-legal LED headlight replacement. Built on the foundation of the race-proven LP6 Pro off-road light, the DOT LP6 is engineered for on-road use and fully compliant with FMVSS 108 standards...

www.bajadesigns.com

 

[Blackjackaroo]

So what did I do to my SV today?

Sold it.

Ditched it in favour of the ride I really wanted, a B1250. Far and away a better bike for me. I owned one before it was destroyed in my big accident, before my wife bought the SV for me. She didn't know how dodgy it was, how much work it needed and that I would be working on it at least once a week just to get it to run properly.

So it is done, and I would like to express my appreciation for the advice provided by all members and in particular Missing Link for his direct assistance. I don't believe that I will ever again own an SV1000, but my wife still has the 650, in my estimation it has arguably the best engineered motorcycle engine ever built and it's a hoot to ride. Sure, it has less power than the 1000 but it also has none of the problems.

So off I go into the sunset on my Bandit, with an amazingly smooth, effortless, rattle-free ride. I tried to love the SV1K, but I just couldn't. The sound never appealed to me, the power pulse vibration irritated me and the seating position, even on my N model was uncomfortable. I did enjoy a test ride on a DL1050, interestingly, and every version that has the 650 engine was fun to ride, but my SV1K? It's farewell for me.

Ride safe brothers and sisters.

 

[mimixtz]

I wish you all the best. I believe you'll still stick around here. I mean, I participate in many many forums, but I have never found as much useful information about specific things as here. Moderators and members were doing great job and they still do I'd say.
I'm doing my best to give something back to other people.
I know that it would be hard for me replace gentle, barely noticeable rattle-free V-Twin vibrations and bark when wanted (talking about my bike) for Inline 4 or Inline 3 or God forbid parallel Twin buzz...
Although, it might happen one day after my SV1000 would say Enough is enough. I hope this doesn't happen soon.

 

[oldbaldsob]

So what did I do to my SV today?

Sold it.

Ditched it in favour of the ride I really wanted, a B1250. Far and away a better bike for me. I owned one before it was destroyed in my big accident, before my wife bought the SV for me. She didn't know how dodgy it was, how much work it needed and that I would be working on it at least once a week just to get it to run properly.

So it is done, and I would like to express my appreciation for the advice provided by all members and in particular Missing Link for his direct assistance. I don't believe that I will ever again own an SV1000, but my wife still has the 650, in my estimation it has arguably the best engineered motorcycle engine ever built and it's a hoot to ride. Sure, it has less power than the 1000 but it also has none of the problems.

So off I go into the sunset on my Bandit, with an amazingly smooth, effortless, rattle-free ride. I tried to love the SV1K, but I just couldn't. The sound never appealed to me, the power pulse vibration irritated me and the seating position, even on my N model was uncomfortable. I did enjoy a test ride on a DL1050, interestingly, and every version that has the 650 engine was fun to ride, but my SV1K? It's farewell for me.

Ride safe brothers and sisters.

Sorry to hear of your experience but honestly, I can't say I blame you. SV1000s are getting older and parts are increasingly harder to come by at fair prices. Their limited run means more and more older bikes enter the used market, many with little maintenance. And they were cheaply made so many just don't hold up if minimally maintained. I guess I'm in the minority when I say I'll always have one, but I like my motorcycles like I like my women; lots of drama, always needing attention, and giving lots of craziness.😆

 

[Pantera93]

Oh man, sold the SV?! Say it isn't so!! My neighbor 1st saw the SV when I bought her in '07 & said, "you'll sell it in 6 months"!!!! Well 18 years later Ive still got her!! Love it & finally have the maintenance all up to date. Battery died this week so need to see if it isn't charging or just time for a new battery. Still have my Intruder 1500LC too, always liked Suzuki. I wouldn't mind checking out a Bandit, I'm sure that is nice too.

 

[Pantera93]

So got the voltmeter out & tested the battery. Was 12.58 or something sitting, they hit the starter & went down to like 7! Don't remember how old it is but seems like its just a shot battery.
On another note, forgot I bought 3 qts of 15w50 (quicksilver) for my quad, was thinking of trying in out in the SV. Haven't tried any 50 wt oils but searching the forum, some seem to like it? Coming up on 30k miles on the SV.

 

[Madmax11]

So got the voltmeter out & tested the battery. Was 12.58 or something sitting, they hit the starter & went down to like 7! Don't remember how old it is but seems like its just a shot battery.
On another note, forgot I bought 3 qts of 15w50 (quicksilver) for my quad, was thinking of trying in out in the SV. Haven't tried any 50 wt oils but searching the forum, some seem to like it? Coming up on 30k miles on the SV.

I'm still using Suzuki's recommended oil weight of 10w40. Heading towards 40k miles now.

 

[Blackjackaroo]

So got the voltmeter out & tested the battery. Was 12.58 or something sitting, they hit the starter & went down to like 7! Don't remember how old it is but seems like its just a shot battery.
On another note, forgot I bought 3 qts of 15w50 (quicksilver) for my quad, was thinking of trying in out in the SV. Haven't tried any 50 wt oils but searching the forum, some seem to like it? Coming up on 30k miles on the SV.

I had my SV for around 2.5 years and during that time I had the clutch cover off so many times for chudder research that I had an opportunity to try multiple oil viscosities and the 50 always worked the best for me. I tried 10w-40 but gear changes became very notchy, the gearbox just preferred 10w-50, or 15w-50 during our summer. If you live in a hotter climate the 15w-50 may work better. I also found that I achieved better than US 50mpg with the 50, so it really doesn't adversely affect fuel economy unless you are in a particularly cold climate. Just my 2c.

 

[Blackjackaroo]

Sorry to hear of your experience but honestly, I can't say I blame you. SV1000s are getting older and parts are increasingly harder to come by at fair prices. Their limited run means more and more older bikes enter the used market, many with little maintenance. And they were cheaply made so many just don't hold up if minimally maintained. I guess I'm in the minority when I say I'll always have one, but I like my motorcycles like I like my women; lots of drama, always needing attention, and giving lots of craziness.😆

Hey mate, I do have to say that my poor experience was partially because of my injuries, so not all the bikes fault. It certainly wasn't all bad, considering how incredibly easy they are to work on. I will miss the way that it would punch off the line like no other bike ( I scared the hell out of an MT10, a few GSXR's and a handful of lesser bikes in 1st gear) and the roar when it was singing above 7000rpm, but the seating position and pressure on my right arm/ shoulder just became too much, coupled with the frequent work. I genuinely loved it but I didn't like it. I know it doesn't make sense, but the parts I loved just didn't outweigh the parts I didn't like in the end. I now have a bunch of knowledge about the SV1000, so I will pass that on where I can.

 

[Pantera93]

Getting to our 'cold' season, may be high 30s in the AM in December but still high 60s-70s during the day. When sitting in Phoenix traffic at 105° idling, it has crossed my mind there should be 50 wt in there. Ran Rotella T6 for years with no issues. Just kicking ideas around.
Rocky mountain ATV has a Yuasa for like $89, probably order that. Have had good luck with that brand. Anything locally is $100+, well other than the off brand Chinese batteries.