Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogue
Did he get the S model or the naked? They're geared a bit differently. The naked has one less tooth...or is it the other way around?  I have the S and have ridden a naked once.
If he's short, how big is he? Is he a lightweight? Some people say that the SV's suspension is shitty, but I've found that lightweight people, especially just starting out, do fine with the stock suspension. My ex put a gixxer rear shock on his and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two bikes, except that the gixxer shock made the rear sit just a little lower (I'm very short so I'm extremely sensitive to height differences  ) He wasn't a true lightweight, but not a heavy guy...average I guess....but is an aggressive rider. He did fine with either set up, although he said he could tell only a small difference between the two shocks (gixxer vs stock).
I do suggest using a heavier fork oil. It's pretty simple to change out, just a little time consuming. Even with my lightweight I could tell a difference between stock oil weight and what I've got in there now and think it's worth doing. It's cheap front suspension help. Now I feel the front end is firmer over these rough washboards they call roads here.
A heavier person (as in ALOT heavier than I) may eventually need better suspension. Although I suppose it's possible that a firmer suspension can help give more confidence in the bike, like a short person lowering a bike so they can touch better (I don't like mine lowered and do just fine at stock, but I can barely touch).
A bike should be set up for the rider. If he feels it will help give him more confidence & help become a better rider, then go for it. For right now though, stock should be fine.
Oh yeah...I still have the gixxer shock I bought for my bike. I never had it installed since my weight and riding style couldn't tell a difference between my stock and the exes gixxer shock.
SV's make an excellent beginner's bike, IMHO. You can still get into trouble on them, but they're definitely more forgiving than other similar or bigger bikes. I've been totally happy with mine and will have her for another couple of years at least.
svrider.com has some excellent advice. But be careful of the die hard *you MUST do this to the bike* people. Everyone's different. Tell your friend to have fun, be safe, and do his own thing as far as mods.  |
Rogue, thanks for your very insightful post! He has a SV650s model, black and yellow. I am not quite sure what his weight range is but I would guess between 170 to 200, short dude but has some muscle on him.
When I rode the bike there were a couple of things that worried me. A) The brakes catch at the VERY end even with lever adjusted but I assume that could be fixed with a good brake bleeding. The front brakes on my Gix are feeling odd and the two of us may have a brake bleeding day at some point.
B) When I would get the on the brakes the front seemed to dive a lot. I suppose it just scared me more than anything because I have only ridden my bike and it doesn't dive quite as much. If the heavier fork oil would help with that, then it may not be a bad idea. Of course, that isn't to say anything is wrong with it as much as those were areas that stuck out to me as someone on a more forgiving bike.
So far I have made several trips up to his house just so we could go ridding. Its 30 miles each way, but completely worth it to be with him as he learns the paces. He is getting comfortable and learning to deal with the Atlanta area traffic well. I let him lead so that all of our moves are done at his pace and he won't feel any need to keep up with me.
It has been fun to watch a whole new world open up to him. I am just glad that I can be around to help him with things as he proceeds. On his first day I would just run around the driveway as he was doing small laps to practice turning and there was at least one good time where I had to run and catch the tail of the bike before it fell over. The entire time of course he panicked, the bike was reving up in first gear and he was hanging onto the clutch with me screaming "DON'T LET GO!!!". We laughed it off and remain glad the bike didn't send us both through the wall in his garage.
At any rate, I will post up with any questions he may have and I already sent him a like to that SV site. He isn't much of a post whore but I know he will lurk around and find out the goodies.