sv650 new front end + mods

[chiwawa444]

After doing some extensive research this spring on upgrading the stock suspension, I decided to throw a gsxr front end and rear shock on the sv.

-2007 GSXR 600 forks, triples and stem, front wheel, clipons, braking system, wheel and fender.
-2004 GSXR 1000 rear shock (chose this year/model because its the closest size bolt to bolt, and it offers a slight upgrade in spring weight 430 to 480 lbs-ft)
-Used a hall effect sensor and a simple aluminum bracket to mount it and 4 magnets for the speedo, which is dead on with my buddy's 2000 sv.
-Aztec8 clamps to mount the headlight assembly.
-Had to grind down the ignition cylinder to fit against the frame, and made some simple bent aluminum brackets to hold the gauges, which mount thru the clipon bolt.

Some mods i did before this suspension mod: custom undertail reusing the stock directionals, motosliders, different mirrors, LeoVince slipon, rear seat cowl.

Right after I bought it last April



pics of the work








Some artsy shots I took earlier today on a ride





I'm very happy with the end results, handles better, turns in quicker, and looks badass

Let me know what yall think

[schleppy]

Lookin good! Now paint more bits black!!

[-jro-]

woot! that looks sexy...ok now do it to mine

[getaddicted]

half of nesr rides SV's and the other half rides ducatis

edit: and that's real good work right there

[a13x]

That looks boss. Nicely done. Word up on the LeoVince too.

[OreoGaborio]

Looks shaahp, dood.

I like the clip-ons & front end. Goldish forks & back wheel look slick. +1 on the Leo.

What's the mirror?

[spicy]

*bling bling*

nicely done. i'm waiting until i've got the cash to do a similar FE swap, but it'll likely not be for a while .

no worries, though, just makes me a better rider for having to deal with it, lol, and i'm pretty light so it's less of an issue

[TimmyB]

that looks great. i did a k51000 FE /k5750 RE swap on my k3600 and it was all bolt on. It made a great winter project and was super cheap when i found someone to buy my stock parts. I noticed an improvement in braking.
the only problem i have is with the ignition assembly. What did you do?

looks great!


-tim

[SVRACER01]

why would you put that shock on?
did you change the spring?

not to be a debbie downer but that shock swap was a bad move. shoulda just bought something that fits....like Penske.
FE swap was a wise choice.

[chiwawa444]

oreo- no idea on the mirror, the previous owner tossed em in when i bought em but had never put em on.

timmyb- i ended up grinding the back side of the ignition cylinder down on a sander, didn't hurt anything, only needed about an extra 1/4 inch, but i did lose my steering lock because of the different placing in the triple. (theres a pic on how much i ground off)

svracer01- the shock was a very close match to the original in dimensions: sv 330mm and gsxr 332.5 from top bolt hole to bottom bolt hole. It raised the rear very slightly but not enough to notice, and it has a stiffer spring rate: sv 430lbs /ft and gsxr 480lbs/ft. so its stiffer and adjustable, i think it balances pretty good. and it was only 56 bucks shipped, compared to a penske $$$ would like one though when i have the funds.

[BMFR6]

what Oxx is saying, its still a crap shock even though it fits.

i believe the best way to explain it, "if you can't afford to do it right, how are you going to afford to do it over"

but the front end is sweet, well done.

[OreoGaborio]

oreo- no idea on the mirror, the previous owner tossed em in when i bought em but had never put em on.

Well snap a couple pics of em w/ that fancy camera of yours

[chiwawa444]

yea i totally hear ya both about the shock. it is an improvement from the original, which is all im looking at at the moment. i do want an aftermarket shock, but this mod took quite a bit of money. so it will have to suffice untill then. how do the adjustable shocks rate in quality/price, penske, elka, ohlins? or which one do yall think would be a suitable match for the front end? im learning more about suspension as i go, but im still real new to the whole thing. i [I]did[I] set the sag on the rear when i put it in, and set the damp and ten screws to what sportrider.com suggested, but thats about all i know as far as setting up suspension. i did the same with the front end damp and tension screws too. any and all help appreciated on setting it up.

[OreoGaborio]

Suggested suspension settings are a load of crap... as the oil inside the shock & fork deteriorates your settings will change. They have no idea how old/new the oil is, nor your riding conditions, nor your ability, nor your preference for a firm/plush ride.

[chiwawa444]

heres a couple pics of the mirrors




they are kind of a bitch to tighten and set right (reason they were not installed when i bought the bike). there is an allen in the center which screws in the mount, and the stalk is only held on by the jam nut below it. once you get the hang of it you're golden.

so with the suspension i guess just set the sag then set the others to whatever feels right eh?

[davemon]

Awesome stuff! It does look bad ass and if adjusted right it should work really well. Those are some mean forks on the humble little machine. Bravo!

Dave

[SVRACER01]

i know the prob with the firt gen SVs was that you had to get a different spring for GSXR shock, maybe you dont have to worry about it on the 2nd gen SVs. PK would know best. i would imagine that its a better shock than stock, as long as the poundage was close.

[knarlydog]

SV's are just great platforms for cool perf mods. This is my buddy Larry's SV, totally tricked out, GSXR600 front end, adjustable offset triple tree's, Interceptor single sided swingarm in the rear with a 916 rear wheel, hand build exhast that sounds so killer... Not to mention all the killer little sub components. We had it up at NHIS (or whatever they are calling it these days) last week for a track day. It was a blast to ride with those big ass wide bars !!

[{PMS}fishy]

SV's are just great platforms for cool perf mods. This is my buddy Larry's SV, totally tricked out, GSXR600 front end, adjustable offset triple tree's, Interceptor single sided swingarm in the rear with a 916 rear wheel, hand build exhast that sounds so killer... Not to mention all the killer little sub components. We had it up at NHIS (or whatever they are calling it these days) last week for a track day. It was a blast to ride with those big ass wide bars !!

His bike is sick. I've seen it before, really clean.

[jcbell1007]

I saw it last Tuesday at ICCE for bike night. Bike looks super clean and sounds good. Those gold forks really add a subtle look but very nice.

Seems like you were really stretched out on that thing though, even more so that my K6 GSXR 600.

[chiwawa444]

SV's are just great platforms for cool perf mods. This is my buddy Larry's SV, totally tricked out, GSXR600 front end, adjustable offset triple tree's, Interceptor single sided swingarm in the rear with a 916 rear wheel, hand build exhast that sounds so killer... Not to mention all the killer little sub components. We had it up at NHIS (or whatever they are calling it these days) last week for a track day. It was a blast to ride with those big ass wide bars !!

That is one awesome looking sv! I have seen that one before online on the svrider forum, but thats awesome that he's a new englander! Veeeery unique exhaust, i like it.

And the riding position is almost exactly the same as when I had my stock handle bars flipped over, it is quite leaned over but I find it feels just right.

[markbvt]

Nice work, Mike. Planning to paint the rear wheel black to match the front? Would look great...

--mark

[chiwawa444]

thanks! still not sure yet about the wheel color. originally i had planned to powder coat it black or get a black sv wheel (2005-2008). but i also think the black front to silver frame and rear wheel looks good, but i may have to do something else to make the transition cleaner. im still rolling it around in my head tho, so idk