Help me mod the SV!

Trip · 03-31-2010, 05:34 PM

suspension can wait for her it sounds like, doesn't sound like she is going to be railing through the corners. The stock stuff is fine to learn how to ride the bike on and then upgrade later when she has the money to do it. Especially for her weight. If it was a skilled middle weight to heavy rider, suspension is the best use of money, but thats not the case here.

Kerry_129 · 03-31-2010, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trip

If it was a skilled middle weight to heavy rider, suspension is the best use of money, but thats not the case here.

Yeah, because only skilled riders have to brake hard or swerve....

Just bustin' your balls - but I do disagree & think that's a common misconception. If it were a top-shelf sportbike, OK (though then it would likely be way to stiff for her) - but stock SV's and many other 'budget' bikes with (non)damping-rod forks are simply friggin' pogo-sticks. You don't have to be a high-performance rider to benefit greatly from your suspension not sucking and having better control/feel/traction - especially in an emergency maneuver. On a bike with such a poor stock setup, I consider it a mandatory safety upgrade.

derf · 03-31-2010, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerry_129

Yeah, because only skilled riders have to brake hard or swerve....

Just bustin' your balls - but I do disagree & think that's a common misconception. If it were a top-shelf sportbike, OK (though then it would likely be way to stiff for her) - but stock SV's and many other 'budget' bikes with (non)damping-rod forks are simply friggin' pogo-sticks. You don't have to be a high-performance rider to benefit greatly from your suspension not sucking and having better control/feel/traction - especially in an emergency maneuver. On a bike with such a poor stock setup, I consider it a mandatory safety upgrade.

yay! post # 420 for you

Trip · 03-31-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerry_129

Yeah, because only skilled riders have to brake hard or swerve....

Just bustin' your balls - but I do disagree & think that's a common misconception. If it were a top-shelf sportbike, OK (though then it would likely be way to stiff for her) - but stock SV's and many other 'budget' bikes with (non)damping-rod forks are simply friggin' pogo-sticks. You don't have to be a high-performance rider to benefit greatly from your suspension not sucking and having better control/feel/traction - especially in an emergency maneuver. On a bike with such a poor stock setup, I consider it a mandatory safety upgrade.

Since I started off on an SV and learned to ride on the dragon with same SV without suspension upgrades, I feel pretty confident that the suspension is not a necessity at this point in her learning. Heck, I am a lot heavier than her.

When I upgraded the suspension when my progress demanded a decent suspension, I liked it a lot.

It is not mandatory, but it is very nice.

I never owned the emulators for the SV, most of the people on svrider I had chats with that tried racetech springs and emus and just springs alone said it was a little better, but not significantly. If you were wanting to spend the lot, either do the gixxer swap (which has issues) or the full fork rebuild by traxxion which is the best.

I was decently quick on the SV with no emus and had no suspension worries. I had a faster time on the SV for a few months after I got the CBARRR with a fully tuned suspension. Mostly due to throttle control and learning curve.

I think you are thinking too much of the sport aspect of it instead of just every day use. A lot of bikes have much worse suspension than the SV and will never know sport suspension that a lot of beginners ride and learn on. DS bikes setup for off road/crusiers/etc...

If I were to recommend one sport upgrade for the SV I would do before suspension, it would definitely be a steering damper.

Homeslice · 04-01-2010, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trip

If I were to recommend one sport upgrade for the SV I would do before suspension, it would definitely be a steering damper.

Serious? I put almost 52K on my SVS, and never felt like it needed a damper. It doesn't have a really aggressive rake & trail like a 600 or something.

Compared to the useless mods most people buy, $300 for suspension is well-spent. It's better than buying an exhaust IMO.

pdog · 04-01-2010, 08:57 AM

Disagree 100%. This is my second SV, I've done tons of track days and never once has the front end ever given me any resembling headshake. The SV's geometry is just not as severe as a 600SS bike. It's not necessary unless you are riding at race pace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trip

If I were to recommend one sport upgrade for the SV I would do before suspension, it would definitely be a steering damper.

Trip · 04-01-2010, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdog

Disagree 100%. This is my second SV, I've done tons of track days and never once has the front end ever given me any resembling headshake. The SV's geometry is just not as severe as a 600SS bike. It's not necessary unless you are riding at race pace.

I never had the issue riding fast, it was riding around town that I got the headshake.