#7 has arrived...

It'll be impossible to guess probably so I'll just say I've downsized and went a little more simple and got myself a 2005 SV650. I had a fairly limited budget and wanted something fun, simple, fuel injected and able to haul a full set of luggage for commuting & long tours.

This should do the trick. It's been very icy lately with temperatures below freezing so I only managed 25-30 miles or so but I'd say so far, so good. Spent all of yesterday evening getting it cleaned up, oil changed, chain serviced and what-not and other than a little greasing, brakes bled and such; I think it should be pretty solid.
 
Congrats on #7 ;) I'm sure the SV650 will fit your needs. One nice thing is that there are plenty of parts out there for those bikes when the mod bug hits you.
 
Just this past early Fall we rode with a fellow who had a sv650 and he said " I would rather rider a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow". And trust me he would run that 650 out down in TN.
 
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Well, after a couple months and about 2500 miserable winter miles behind me, I thought I'd post up some thoughts.

The SV650 is a cool bike, it's way cooler than I expected. When I bought it I figured it would be a dull bike, no character and something I'd get rid of in a month or two like many other bikes before it. I'm finding that this is the opposite and the SV has a ton of character with a bit of a hooligan side, sort of like my supermotard or what I would expect from a Street Triple.

The engine is fantastic. It's not the 'torque monster' like I was expecting based on other comments, but I just came off an FZ1 so that's not really a fair comparison I guess. It has a great powerband though and there is a ton of power if you're in the right gear; the smoothness came as a surprise to me and I'm happy with how buttery smooth everything is on it. The best thing is the engine note though, nothing beats a twin I think. Maybe a triple.

The suspension and brakes are pretty crappy but considering it is a budget bike I guess it's to be expected. Just this week I went through and got the forks serviced with new seals, 15w oil and some RaceTech springs as well as installed the K4 GSX-R 1000 shock that I got off eBay for $25. Big improvement. Massive really, although I can still tell the suspension is stone-age crap, especially in the front--it's now high quality stone age crap. I was pretty satisfied with the handling before and now I find it's pretty damn good and inspires a lot of confidence, especially in poor conditions

The poor economy is improving now that we're out of winter and it does improve quite a lot when just rolling on the highway. I'm satisfied enough with it and it's pretty decent considering I have no aerodynamics at all.

But I do like having a naked bike again.
 
They are great budget bikes but as you've discovered, they have pitfalls but those can be addressed if you keep your eyes on the classifieds. :D As long as YOU are happy with it and it suits your riding style, that is all that matters. :tup:

How about some new pics!?!?!?
 
Thanks for the report Dustin. I really like reading bike reviews by members of the forum. It sounds like you have a very solid bike there. I've been lucky enough to try a lot of bikes but that's not one of them. I do think I know what you're talking about when you say you thought you were going to be disappointed with the power but actually found it to be very satisfying. I had that same experience when I recently tried a Kawasaki Versys. I thought it would pale to the FZ1 but instead I found it built power rapidly, accelerated very nicely and rode exceptionally smooth. I could be very satisfied with a bike like that.
 
Had 'er on the dyno today, pleased with the result: 70hp & 43lb-ft torque

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKBTX_N3NwM]2005 Suzuki SV650 dyno run[/ame]

Also got my friend Bryan's 1986 VFR750F on with great results too. What a great sounding motor...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qp2jvbnLk8]1986 Honda VFR750F dyno run[/ame]

Also took some photos.
 
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One of the local shops does an annual dyno day/party with FREE pulls, snacks & drinks & parts on sale!

The guy who operates the mobile dyno has his own shop and is always doing these free dyno days at local shops around town.
 
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