I spoke to Kevin's widow on Saturday. Unfortunately she had seen the County Times article and was not best pleased. So too had Kevin's father who was more than a little angry and got onto the paper. The article below appeared last Friday, I'm not sure if it was a result of Kev's Dad but it does paint Kev in the correct light even though the article is still poor and inaccurate. I suppose an apology is too much to ask for.  Trained Journalists eh, never let a few facts get in the way of a good story!

o0o

FATHER PAYS TRIBUTE TO SON THE GRIEVING father of a motorcyclist killed in a road accident in Powys has described his son as both a ‘safe and experienced’ rider. Kevin Jones, 36, a British Telecom manager from Trefonen, near Oswestry, died on the B4396 between Llangedwyn and Penybont on April 15, after strenuous efforts were made by both police officers and paramedics to resuscitate him. 

Steady rider

Police believe Mr Jones’ Honda motorbike was the only vehicle involved. He leaves a wife and two daughters and his father, David Jones, of Maesbury, paid tribute to him this week saying his son was a kind and caring man. He also said his son was a steady rider, who was an enthusiast of motorbikes rather than of speed. Motorcyclists, so touched by his death, plan a rideout in his memory on May 25. 

‘Sensible’ 

At the time of the accident, in the early afternoon, Kevin Jones was returning from work. David Jones said witnesses had reported that his son was not speeding at the time of the accident and said he had previously completed an advanced driving course with the police. He had been riding motorbikes for around 10 or 12 years. ‘He was a sensible 36-year-old,’ said David Jones. ‘His interest was in the machine rather than speed and he was a real motorbike enthusiast. ‘He was always ready to help anybody - that was Kevin. He was a good sort.’ Kevin Jones was also the founder of a web site for motorbike enthusiasts - www.sv650.org through which he organised outings and charity events. 

Donations 

On the web site his friend John Tapley, from Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, has paid tribute to him. His family and friends have asked for any contributions to be made in the form of donations to Hope House Hospice, a charity close to Kevin Jones’ heart.

www.countytimes.co.uk (do a site search on 'honda' to find the original, although this is a true transcibe)

John, had to show off.... Paid a visit to the Carbon Can Co today and came back with a nice addition to the SV. I'm sure you'll agree - looks the biz. Sounds nice too for a road legal, burbles at low revs, growls with a few more but not enough to upset passers-by. Roy at the shop was very helpful. Paul

Looks very nice too.

John, To day we received the first of the 03 model sv650, so of course we dyno tested it !, supplied is a copy of the graph with a 2000 model for comparison. The advent of fuel injection is going to make the job of tuning much more easy as we can adjust fuel/air ratio via our TECKA adjustment system, keep an eye on our site for further details. JH www.jhsracing.co.uk 

We have also made the frame sliders for the new model sv650 priced at £69.99 in black, we also have in stock sliders for the sv1000 at the same price.

We have now had the first three rounds of the new MiniTwins series and it looks like being a great success. People are gradually getting used to the bikes and overcoming any minor problems although that hasn't stopped the front runners from putting in times that would make some of the racers on much larger bikes proud. 

I plan on keeping a diary in case people want to see more about what goes on before, during and after a race weekend. http://www.biketrackdays.co.uk/2003/diary.html 

So far I have managed 2 x 12th places at the first round, 2 x 10th places in the second and 2 x 7th places at the last round. Hope things continue to improve once I've got my brakes and power problems sorted. 

We had 16 entries for the two rounds at Lydden and 17 for Oulton Park. We are expecting around 20 bikes for the next race at Snetterton on the 3rd and 4th May. I think this photo sums it up best - It's from a test day I did recently at Brands Hatch (feel free to copy it locally if you need to). 

http://www.biketrackdays.co.uk/2003/images/photos/brands_apr_22/brands_apr_22_02.jpg

If anyone wants any more information on the MiniTwins format then they are listed at http://www.biketrackdays.co.uk/minitwins/  Thanks, Mike

Gareth Evans was kind enough to send me this clipping from the country times, which covers the Powys area of Wales. I'll let you read it and decide how you feel about it. Personally I'm sad that they couldn't write a separate article on the rising levels of bike deaths and kept Kev out of it. Banging on about burn ups and racing implies that Kev was that kind or rider. There is no attempt to understand about how the accident happened, and once discovered how it could be prevented in the future. The comment from Cllr Tyler about road repairs rang alarm bells in my head. I noticed at the scene that there was a significant amount of gravel at the edges of the road. Kev was always keen on correct positioning and he may have wandered too far to the left before banking into the right hander and lost it on the 'marbles'. I can't help wondering whether this road has been recently 'spray tarred'. It's quite common around here. It's cheap for the council but lethal even after the road has been swept. I shall be dropping an email to Barry Hancock about this. If anyone feels like writing to the editor, you can reach him @ Editor's Postbag, County times, 11c Broad Street, Welshpool, SY21 7LE.

PS I was quite shocked to see the photo of Kev's bike. I was tempted to remove it before posting here. I decided not to because I'm not here to censor and because seeing these things often brings home the reality of the situation. It happened. Be careful out there.

Hi m8 , ive just found ur little corner on the web, site looks cool and the forum is very handy. ive attached a pic of my new steed SV650s K3, i look forward to meeting some of you at boxhill on your 2k3 run, ill go straight there. Regards Dave C

It's an un-written rule that I have to test drive all new members bikes. Just forward your address and I'll be right round. John

John, Thought you might want this one for the gallery. We don't often see both bikes & riders together, so here's a picture taken when we "tested" this years rideout route. The picture was taken at "RV Point 2", (on the Southbound carriageway of the A355 just off of J2 of the M40). Left to right are: My mate Pete with his Hayabusa - He'll be running with us on May 25th with a "bikecam" Steve Hayes, a regular on the site, whose bike now unfortunately needs major surgery Matt, alias Dynamite. Matt is responsible for picking out the northern sections of the route. Mark Horridge, who has put most of the work into the rideout. The good looking guy on the black SV is yours truly. The cool dude next to me is my son Alex. Hope those who come have as much fun riding the route as we did testing it...

Once again thank you to all of you for putting this rideout together. I really do appreciate it. John

Hello, I'd like you to put my website address in your links page : perso.wanadoo.fr/sv650s-mclaren  Thanks Vin's

An SV650 in McLaren F1 colours.

John, Attached is the instructions I've found for installing the ignition advancing woodruff key. I haven't changed anything as i think this is unfair to the bloke who took the time to do the instruction. cheers ash

I agree. the authors details are contained within and the credit is his.

1.2Mb!

Not a lot of text in this email, in fact none. I guess the proud owner wants to share his bike with us but maybe his English is not so good. Lovely colour isn't it.

Hello John, Today Wednesday the 16th of April 2003 i had my 1st shot of the new sv650sk3, bloody lovely, cupar motorcycles have a silver demo so please let your Scottish members know. what a cracking bike. cans on order!!!! all the best......Roger sv fanatic

Hi John! Thanks for interest in my chain guard what I made home :o) We have there, in Czech Republic, SV CZ KLAN ( 40 members ) We will have first session in fist weekend in May. I´ll do some fotos, and I´ll send you it. if you want you could look on www.svrider.cz  Lukas

Hello! I'm Lukas from Czech Republic. Very nice site, really. I own sv650s r.v.99 what you can see on pics.

  Chain guard looks nice.

John, I "borrowed" an official Suzuki dealer newsletter whilst in a local emporium this weekend. (OK I pinched it of Martins desk from Bikesmart!) which shows a SV1k with lowers... The document says "....currently under development are fairing lowers, rear hugger, & seat cowl". The 1000 belly pan will also be available as an option on the 650S. An alternative hugger is being designed for the naked bike. A Datatool/Suzuki GB Thatcham approved alarm system will also be developed this year. Small and larger pictures attached, sorry about the quality, but they've been scanned from a glossy... Regards, Steve

Hi John, well it finally arrived, I've put some comments about it on the forum but thought I would send you some pics of it because it has some alterations from the spec of the display model at the NEC. Also is a pic of one of our friend's (Dawn) SV1000. Image sv2 was taken somewhere in Yorkshire (don't know exactly)  fork.5 shows new forks with three way brake splitter on fork leg, flap that protects the front spark plug and part of the oil cooler. oil cooler.5 shows .....you guessed it, the oil cooler dawn & pauls.5 shows Dawn's SV1000 and her husbands (Paul) tl1000. Paul's comments on the sv1000 injection system are in his words "Dawn's SV makes my TL feel like a tractor" . regards Dave.

The TL owner on the MCN test day said much the same about the SV. He thought it felt quicker than his TL!

Hello john, I'm 18 years old and live in Ireland and have recently purchased a 00' SV650S from Kent in London and brought it back to Ireland. I'm not insured on it yet but i have rode it for a while and there is plenty of power there easy for a beginner and the sound of those lovely twin Renegades in Ducati Esk. Keep up the good work. I live in Dublin if anyone from Ireland wants to meet up. Cheers John

Hi there John, Here's a Pic of my mate Russell before he crashed his bike into the side of a car!... Though the bloke in the car did pull out on a red light while he was on his mobile. He's been unable to get the photo's on any other site, and I'm sure it will cheer him up if it apears on here. He said that he'll send some more pic's as soon as he gets it back and gets all his kit back on it. Parts were a Blue Flame power port can, blue and silver wheels, anodised blue Harris rear sets, belly pan with halagon lamps (from bandit mania), flush rear indicators, renthal handle bars, solo seat unit and a colour matched undertray. Cheers Dan

Hi John, funny finding out that you have had your cam chain tensioners out at about the same time that I replaced mine. I bought 2 new ones, £75 the pair. I removed the old ones and fitted the new ones in about 2 hours. Had the same sort of problems you had as well. I had already tinkered with the old ones last year, when I dismantled them and put extra tension on the springs. I found that the front one was quite dry, the rear one had oil in it. But it was the rear one that seemed to be stuck. They lasted about 2 days before the noise returned when the engine was hot (always sounded OK when cold), even tho' I'd swapped them between cylinders. I posted the article in the tuning and tweaking section somewhere. The new ones do appear to have stronger springs fitted, and the engine sounded much better after a test ride. One tip gleaned from the forum was to soak the tensioners in Slick 50 (they make a 4-stroke motorcycle one). I did this with the new ones, and added the Slick 50 to the oil when I changed the oil after the test ride. I wonder if it will make any difference. The "special tools" are 2 small flat pieces of metal, similar to the one you made. The fact that you made it longer is a good idea, the Suzuki one is difficult to get hold of when the tensioners are fitted to the bike. And what are the yellow dots for? The only way to see which way round the tensioners are is by looking at the small cut-out for the end of the spring. The new ones had yellow dots, but on different sides!!!! Nothing in the manual about the yellow dots. Anyway enough words, cheers for now Tony Wirral http://www.angelfire.com/va2/tonyp2020/ 

I thought the yellow dots, were just anti tamper markers. I recall seeing them but don't recall if they were on the seam where the tensioner meets the cyclinder. We'll see how long before my engine starts to rattle again.

John, You may want to add this to the site somewhere.... Carbontek do those great little mirrors with the indicators in.... 

CARBONTEK RACING CHANGE OF ADDRESS Please note that we will be moving to new bigger premises in Redhill Surrey as from 21st of April.The new phone number is 01737 789878

I've had a quick look around the site to see if the old details were recorded anywhere, they weren't. The URL for Carbontek is in the Jan 2003 page following Mark Horridges item on these mirrors. 

Hi John Just got back from JHS having had a Stage 3 Dynojet kit, BMC race filter and full M4 system fitted. What can I say? Awesome. The filter mods give the SV a lovely induction sound that barks from under the tank, especially when shifting at high revs. The large bore of the M4 system makes a nice deep growl, quite unlike the Micron/Scorpion combination that was on there before. I'd even go so far as to say the new system is quieter than the old. (I'll ask the neighbours in a day or two ;-) Throttle response is improved, and the power builds in a beautifully linear way, from almost zero revs to the redline. There was a certain amount of coarseness with the old set-up, and that has been smoothed out nicely. It even felt smoother than the SV1000S I took out while JHS were working on my bike. It's a very nice package, and for a moment I was thinking $od the expense, I'll have one of these. It really does feel like the 650's big brother. However, getting back on Thumper and testing the new mods I think I'll cope for another year! (Maybe) Cheers, Mark

Hi John, After visiting your site for the last 3 years I had to send you an e-mail when I saw the his and hers mail (April 7). Enclosed you will see our two V-twins. The blue 2000 SV650S was mine, now hers, since I upgraded to the black 2002 TL1000S. We both have much fun with the V-twins. I also use them a lot for commuting to work every day. On the two combined I ride ± 20k km per year. Best wishes and and keep up the good Work. Marc & Carolien van der Kuijp

P.S. have you visited our Dutch www.SVcontact.com site yet?

I hadn't heard of the Svcontact site until now. I'll add it to the links section. 

I've just written a piece on checking and replacing cam chain tensioners. I've placed it in the FAQ section or you can view it here. John

I mentioned below that Axxent, my sticker supplier are interested in expanding their range. Julian of Axxent has sent me this sample sticker in a carbon style look. It measures 240mm x 60mm. It's not a brilliant photo, but you can at least see the detail and amount of reflectiveness. The second photo shows a close-up of the R, I have overlaid a sample of the type B carbon that Julian has access to. I think, as does Julian, that the type B looks better. Julian mentioned in his email below that he also has brushed chrome and shiny chrome as backgrounds. Personally I think the dark carbon would look great on a bright coloured background whilst a Brushed chrome would look better on darker paint. But what do I know?  Let me know your comments and I'll pass them back to Julian, so we can decide on a way forward and of course cost!  John

Hi there! And thanks for a great site and loads of info. I've been around here for a couple of years already and lots of my mods done has come from tips and info from this site. So I thought I'll send you some pics of the bike and dyno. 

Chassis mods: Öhlins rear (3mm longer than stock), Race Tech emulators and springs front (down 6mm from stock), rearset plates (up ~3,4cm, back ~2,5cm), homemade pegs, Powerbronze belly pan and double bubble screen, steel braided 2-line system front, polished rims, grip-heaters, Renthal 46 rear, "chopped off" rear fender, rised tank about 2cm. 

Engine (dynopic hp and Nm): What I started with: Renegades highlevel twins, #140 main jets Needles at 3rd clip After 26 dyno runs I ended up with about 72hp and 61Nm at the rear wheel. 

Mods done: Renegade highlevel twins. Desnorkeled stock airfilter Unplugged TPS Drilled slides to 1.4mm. Ignition 1 degree earlier Mainjets drilled to about #170 Stock needles 3rd clip (one clip up) After that I also unplugged the gear indicator ignition retarder . Keep up the good work. Tomas "Lokke" Larka Finland

I would like to convert my naked to a 'cafe racer' with stock svs clipons. I'd like to keep the rest of the 'naked' bike, including the headlight and triple tree. Looking at my brother's svs I think that this involves two main problems. 1/ the clipon clamp will not fit due to the naked's headlight/ indicator bracket. 2/ space is limited in the brake reservoir area and hoses may intrude the clocks. The first problem may be solved by fabricating a new bracket to hold the headlight which fits below the new clamps. The stock item is corroding anyways. the other problem I haven't found a solution for till now, other than replacing with svs parts. Am I worrying too much? Has anybody done this cafe racer conversion?

I've already sent some of my own suggestions to Stephen but feel free to reply to him (or me) sspiteri@mps.com.mt . Stephen also told that the later version of the K&N filter has been improved. The inlet has been increased to allow better airflow. Stephen tried the original and went back to the standard due to poor performance. The new version is a great improvement.

A great review of the new SV650.  Unfortunately the delivery of my SV650S has been postponed until April 23 :-(
Regards, Gunnar

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/09april03suzuki2003sv650.htm 

I posted this in the forum but I figure many people won't see it there, so here it is again. Having read a recent contribution on the subject, I thought I'd add my tuppence-worth, having just fitted a pair to my SVS. 

Electrics

Because the SV650 has a 'switched-negative' horn button, you can use the existing live wire for your permanent live feed. You simply need to use a piggyback spade connector so you can 'bounce' a live feed from the 'live horn' connection on the relay to the 'permanent live' terminal. This existing live feed is already fused so it eliminates the need for a separate fuse-holder and saves the grief of having to run a wire back to the battery. 

Mounting

I found it relatively easy, bending the supplied brackets slightly, to insert the brackets between the fairing and the fairing bracket just above the radiator. Firstly attach the horns to the brackets. Then bend a slight 'S' shape in them so the horn sits slightly lower than the other end of the bracket. Undo the fairing bolts (the ones just above the radiator) and insert the end of the bracket between the bracket and the fairing. Replace the bolts, tightening loosely. You can then swing the horns back inside the bulge of the fairing and tighten the fairing bolts up. This makes them very easy to get to for maintenance, they don't get in the way of the forks, they face forward and the top edge of the fairing shelters them from the rain. I can send you pics if this is not clear. Rgds Howard Rogers

John On a more personal note, it pays not to be too sure! On Saturday, in between assisting with the severe pruning of an apple tree, I decided to give the front brakes their treatment as I hadn't done it when I stopped using the bike for the salty season (I've got a winter hack). Having said to you that I never have any problems I should have known that something would go wrong. One piston was sticking, though there was no rust, and it dragged the dust seal out with it. A trip to the local dealer and no time to do it thought I. For once I was actually able to recover the seal and a strip and clean out of the muck in the seal groove worked. There was a trace of white powder between the two seals but what it was I don't know as it blew off and did not leave a corrosion mark, but it was this that caused the stiction. I have never known a thin seal come out and not be twice the size to fit back again but it worked this time. The spray is DX silicon spray, made by Duco and I got it at Partco motor factors. Cheers Peter.

I think the white dust that Peter is referring to, it oxide powder, corrosion from the caliper body itself. As Pete says, regular checks can save a whole heap of trouble.

Just thought I'd send some pics of my bike. I've only done cosmetic changes, no mechanical ones. except the renegade which is awesome hope to see some of you in Blackpool on the lands end run.

Here`s a pici of the seat cowl mod i did it might help. 

Doesn't mean much to me, as I haven't seen the original fitting, but I'm sure it'll interest others.

John, 
Their are a few changes to the route, to make it a better ride. Both Steve and I have now covered all the sections. I've updated the maps and direction documents accordingly.

Attached to this mail are the update (.zip format, wont make the size mistake again).If you have any problems with the attachments let me know and I'll re-send . Please remove all the old stuff on the web page and replace with this.

We have a few more things to sort out (marshalling, designated photographer and such like) but the route is now settled. Cheers Mark.
P.S.
If you look at RV3, we thought it might be appropriate for you to lead this last bit for the grand entrance to box hill (only a few miles), You up for it ? Cheers Mark

Oh-err. Do I have to? We'll see how confident I feel about not balls'ing up the last few miles by getting us all lost ;-o.  Seriously, many thanks to Mark and Steve for organising this. I'm looking forward to it already. I think a tank bag is going to be essential to keep all those maps in.

John, Love the site! I've had the yellow SV for almost a year. I got tired of having the wife as a passenger so we just bought her the silver SV-S. She's still learning to ride but so far she's doing great! Her Bike is pretty much stock, Mine has had the tail trimmed, blinkers replaced, gel seat, and replaced the stock mirrors with napolean barend mirrors. Here's a pic of our bikes.

Thanks Jim. Best of both worlds a naked and faired SV, which is the most popular with you two. In fact I wonder how the sales of the SV break down for the naked and faired, 50-50?

Hi Andre,
I read your post to John on the board, I'm not to sure about the yellow and red thing( but it's all personnel choice). I think it's a good idea to change the standard bolts however as they are one of the cheap bits fitted by Suzuki( they go furry over winter). 

However you asked about mods to the SV, 
Simple answer is "shed loads", these fall into three main categories 1.power, 2.handling & 3.cosmetics

1. Power:- You can go from just an end can change to a full system, air filter upgrade and jet kit (stage 1,2 or 3) Big bore 700cc,750cc or 803cc, then you can either add a G-PAK ( little box of tricks to fool the bike into believing its in top gear all the time so the ignition retard on 2nd and 3rd gear isn't evident) or do the mod ( it's on the board under "how to" section. ). then we get to the almost over the top bit, power shifters, nitrox, turbos, but i think if you're going that far you've got the wrong bike

2.Handling:- The SV is built to a price and this is most evident in the suspension. On a pre-2002 bike you can add the 2002 pre-load adjusters to the front forks, change the springs to either progressively wound or stiff single rate ones, change the front fork oil to higher viscosity, add spacers to the internals to increase pre-load. or drop the forks through the yokes to increase turn-in.you can buy a steering damper for the SV. At the back you can upgrade the rear shock with an aftermarket one, change just the spring of the shock or just increase pr-load. Also you can change the "dog bones" (rear shock jackup plates) to either raise or lower the back end. Biggest handling upgrade you can do is change the TYRES!!!!!
silly time again, you can also fit the front end of a gsxr 600/750 or 1000, which require custom headstock adaptors making.

3.Cosmetics:- Simply put the world is you oyster, you can get almost any parts for the SV for complete body kits to OEM accessories. To see even more I'd recommend you get yourself down to the SV 2003 RIDEOUT, and bring a camera, the guys are normally more than happy to explain how and why they have done the mods to their bikes.

Here's a list of the mods I've done and a couple of pic's

Mods:-Power
Full M4 exhaust system, Stage three needles and air filter, 2nd & third gear ignition retard mod done, Tank spacers fitted

Handling:-
Progressive front fork springs, rear shock jackup plates, Pressure caps (warn is any tyre pressure loss)

Cosmetics:-
Double Bubble dark tint screen, Head light covers (Dark tint), single seat cowl, Rear Hugger, 
Fender extender, Flush fit front indicators, Mirrors with indicators, Front cruise Lights, Mini clear rear indicators, Gold meshed Vents, Yellow sprayed wheels and some panels, Tank Bra ( SV logo'd), Scotoiler, Twin( high & Low) Fiamm horns, Customs decals, Alu weave fork covering, Clear tail light

I've also got hold of a set of yellow lowers which I'm currently spraying( gloss black with the bottom left yellow like a belly pan.) you can see the fitting kit attached to the bike.

I hope this mail isn't to big, but you did ask. Cheers Mark.

That should keep you busy for a couple of months. I think Marks bike is a travelling M&P parts catalogue. I can't think of anything he hasn't fitted ;-)

Hi there, Just started to look around for sv websites and came across this one, from what I've seen it's the best. (of course) Just thought id send in pic of my 2002 SV650s. Its yellow as you can see (I know I know there's loads of yellow ones!!!!!) But i have added an oval t1 powerflow quill can in red, red engine bolts, iridium mini indicators (hard but not impossible to fit to the front!) and a clear rear light which looks cool. Any way i would appreciate it if you put the picture on your website. And also please anyone email me if you have any cool ideas for bits to change on an sv650. Cheers Ande

I've included Ande's email on this occasion, as he's requested comment.

Hi John, Your decals are en-route!! I also included a sample of the carbon fiber SV650typeR decal for front fairing side. I had to fold it to fit it into the package, but it should be ok as a sample. There is also small little piece of a different style carbon fiber which I actually prefer, so take a look and let me know what you think...The set will probably consist of two of the larger ones (like the sample), two 1/2 or 3/4 size of the same, 2 "SUZUKI" for tank sides, and 2 "S" logo symbols and probably 2 "V-TWIN" decals for the tail section, maybe about 5" or so long and about 2" tall. I can do the whole set out of carbon fiber vinyl in either of the two types you will see in the package, and also I have a "white" carbon fiber as well which could be used. I can also do a "plain" set in any solid-colour vinyl like black, white, blue, red, etc... and I can also produce them in a brushed chrome or a bright mirror chrome.I think they will sell pretty well, considering the price of the original replacements from Suzuki. Take care, hope you get the package soon. Regards, Julian

I mentioned Julian's new sticker line in this months editorial. I'll reproduce them here as soon as they are received.  For those of you waiting for Sv650.org stickers, I'll get them in the post to you as soon as they arrive, thanks for being patient. John

April 5 ' Sv1000' from Keith Fender 

John, Just a quick line to say I've come over to the sv way of thinking, here's a pic of the new bike! 

Keith Fender. You lucky man! Welcome to the club.

John. Fortunately I have not suffered seized brake pins but have taken the trouble to ensure I don't. I was never keen on putting copper grease in contact with rubber seals via the pistons and silicon grease seemed the obvious alternative. This is however very expensive and difficult to get in quantity. I discovered an aerosol, available in car accessory shops, which contains a silicon spray for lubricating car windows etc. I find this easily reaches all awkward to get at areas. Spray this on to the pistons etc after cleaning (BEFORE putting the pads back), let the surplus run off, then reassemble. The silicon stops water and dirt getting a grip and means that the dirt just wipes off next time you come to work on the brake. It also stops the corrosion occurring though I can't say how it would perform during prolonged use in salty conditions. It is however only a five minute a brake job to strip and re-treat if pins and bolt threads are copper greased. I do mine perhaps twice a year depending on use and have had no trouble in four years and 27,000 miles. Cheers Peter

I wrote back to Pete asking for the name of the aerosol he was using. This is his reply.

At the motor factors where last I got it the name was just So and So's silicon spray but Halfords I think called it rubber lubricant or window ease or somesuch.

I use rubber grease, as recommended by the guys in the Honda shop next to where I work. They sold me little sachets of this red grease at a £1 a go. I have since got a big tin of the stuff from Bearing Man for a fiver. No brand name on it, just 'Rubber Grease'

John, I fitted A pair of Fiamm electric horns today. I know others have fitted them before but on looking I couldn't find a how to ? I don't know if it's just me but the "how to" stuff helps not making the same mistakes as someone else. So I've created one for you, if you want to use it? Cheers Mark. I'm sure others will find it useful. I'll add it to the FAQ section. 

115k

Hi John, While searching for SV1K specs on the 'net, found this page which includes three piccies of an SV1000 with a fairly tasty underseat exhaust conversion..
Thought some of the potential 1K buyers might be interested in it.. (Site's in German though). Have a look: http://www.dl1000v-strom.de/sv-1000.net/tuning/index.htm  

Cheers, Krusty

Thanks Krusty (Why do you call yourself Krusty, do you have a passing resemblance?) Doesn't take long before someone gets the hacksaw out. Looks like the rear mudguard has been attacked as well.   John

Hi, It's Kevin from Wheeltrax Motorcycle Tours here again. Well I'm now one week into SV ownership and the first initial impressions are very good. Light, punchy, good handling (I'll come back to this one) and a bit of a looker to boot. As soon as I knew I was going to buy an SV I spent several hours on this site getting to know some of the bikes "characteristics" a bit better. One of the things that kept cropping up was the subject of the O.E Metzler tyres..... Yeah O.K, I know, all old news to all you SV veterans out there, but I thought "Hey, how bad can these tyres be". The answer decided to turn up and kick me in the chops on my very first (proper) ride. Lovely sweeping left hand bend and the front tyre let go BIG time. The bike stayed up but take it from me adrenalin is definitely brown! So how did I approach this problem? Straight back home to get on the SV web site for some more research and a change of undies! I read with interest the information from the Avon technician regarding upping the standard pressures to 36/42psi front/rear. O.K., lets give that a go. Front end feeling much better..... only the back end now doesn't seem to want to follow on! That's right, more sliding fun. After two "biggies" from the rear end (the bikes and mine) I have come to the conclusion that 40psi rear is just about spot on. After all that I'm still going to swap to good old Bridgestone's at the earliest opportunity. 010's or 020's seem to be favourite at the moment. Has anyone tried out BT96's on an SV? I raced on them in the CB500 Cup a couple of years a go and was mighty impressed. Keep up the good work, Kev (leanin' it and meanin' it) Smith

Glad you're enjoying your SV. Back in the '70s the first thing we did when buying a new Jap bike was to chuck away the Yokohamas and Bridgestones, they were absolutely rubbish.....how the world changes.   John

Hi fellow SV owners, One thing that has always irritated me is those ugly naked SV clocks. Their readout faces are ok, the fact that one is centered and the other is offset to its left makes me puke. I spent a lot of time trying to design a new 'streetfighter' style upper fairing on the lines of KTM Duke, with two vertically mounted lights from a fiat punto headlight (Blue light via lenses) but that Rev. counter sticking out ruined every effort. Hooray! the new 2003 SV has decent looking instruments from any angle. Now I'm very curious whether these fit as a direct replacement to the older bike. Wouldn't that be great. If any of you guys have more info on the subject let me know or start a forum on the subject. I guess the best way to know for sure is when somebody gets his lucky hands on the new bike and compares it to the older version when parked next to it. Also checking the harness connector would help. I'm sure Suzuki will keep the same speed sensor as the previous version (they have the fine sense to keep using parts from older models which don't have a great effect on performance or handling). The engine is the same so I see no cause of the pickup for the rev counter should be different. Lets hope they kept the same wiring. 

Regards, Zunkus Think positive and keep the balance

Sounds feasible that the new clocks should work. If anyone can shed any light contact Stephen via myself..John

Hi John, just wondered if you wanted to include these images of my svs on the web site. The bike is standard apart from a few minor, inexpensive mods to individualise it such as flush fitting front indicators, shortened rear indicators, cut-down rear mudguard and of course those leopard skin seat covers. The bike is used regularly around East Lancashire and has now covered 19,000 miles in 4 years. Regards Paul. 

ps. no leopards were harmed during the making of the seat covers !

Paul, why does you email id say 'Erika' do you have a secret you wish to share!  Only kidding, I love the leopard skin seats.

Hi John Great site mate, a fountain of knowledge in the how to etc. and a good larf too. Attached are some pics of my bike.

Mods are

Black Nuvo double bubble screen
Black Powerbronze hugger (cut down)
Black Powerbronze bellypan
Black Powerbronze undertray
Black solo seat cowl from Buster's
Flush indicators front and rear
Scottoiler
Art oval stainless exhaust and re-jet

Cheers Al

John Please find attached a procedure for replacing and renewing the rear calliper brake pins on the SV. I hope that you can find this useful and can put it on the site. Let me know if you need the pictures separately. Regards Ian (Viney) 

Ian has produced a very good 'How To'. Make sure your rear brake pins are well greased or you'll find yourself making use of this item sooner than you think. I speak from experience!

(530mb)

Thanks again to all of you who have bought stickers. I have now sold all of the original 100. Another batch is on it's way, so If you've sent me an order, don't worry, I'll return your stickers as soon as the new consignment arrives. I won't cash any of the cheques either. Axxent, who print the stickers are also experimenting with some fairing stickers, not specific to SV650.org, more of an alternative/replacement for the originals on the bike. I'll let you see them once they've arrived and gauge your interest. 

I'm considering the direction that the site should be taking over the next year or so. I'm concerned that the site name tends to give the impression that we are just concerned with the 650. This is not the case, I want to cover anything SV. I wondered if I should consider a new name for the site to reflect this, something like SVrider!! (I think Rob Chappell made a shrewd choice there) To this end I have registered www.svowner.co.uk . I won't be renaming the site in the immediate future, that would be unfair to the people that have bought stickers, I only registered the new name to stop it being taken by someone else. Meantime svowner.co.uk is redirected to SV650.org.

There has been some movement on the matter of service reliability. The server owner, Steven Nance is hoping to clinch a deal with a friend of his. The deal includes a new server and a connection to a T1 network. Steven has been concerned about the reliability current server for some time. He feels it has been compromised by a virus and it needs a complete reload of the OS and some updates to bring it's security up to current standards. Unfortunately the server isn't in the basement, it's few hundred miles away from where he lives. Steven originally planned to buy a new server in April, build it and then drive it down to the where the current server is sited and do a swap. This new plan makes life a lot easier for him and ultimately me.

Rideout 2003 is taking shape thanks to Mark Horridge and Steve Jelly. Looks like a marathon compared to previous years but I reckon it'll be the biggest yet due to it's southerly venue. I'll add a 'Guest book' to record who's attending in the next couple of days. So drop me a line if you plan to attend.

I've been reviewing the FAQ section and removing some dated stuff. I also thought I'd add a reviews section on the articles page. There's bound to be lots of reviews and stats hitting media soon on the new models.

I won't be including the email-id's of contributors any longer. I've had confirmation that a few people have been 'spammed to death' since their items have appeared on these pages.

Hope you like the cover image this month. Being April, I thought something humorous would go down well. The translation for the French is something like 'the bike always goes where the rider looks'

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