Good value twin? SV1000S, do advise please.

[bacon]

Ok, so it is worth noting I do not need a second bike, I could use it for commuting on when I get a closer and new job very soon, but otherwise it's not needed.

But a friend is selling a 2003 Suzuki SV1000S in red, fully faired. He bought it from a dealer as a 1 owner bike, he is of course the second owner. It has 13k on the clock and from memory (I have ridden with him before) it is bloody tidy (minus a graze on an exhaust can thanks to the company that delivered it to him), he gets it serviced by a garage every year, it started first time after months of standing in his mothers garage with no issues.

He is offering it to me for £2000, and will be advertising it for £2500. I am tempted having never owned a twin before, I have limited storage space though so it will mean my shed becomes crowded with this and my zx7r inside.

It seems a bargain to me, any advice?

[redeem ouzzer]

Good bikes. Not as quick as TL but frame design much better.
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[stevo as b4]

It depends on if you want (not need) two bikes and can you justify the running costs? Will you tax and use both bikes regularly or will one end up unused and thus neglected?

Personally if I had a ZX7R and wanted to justify another bike it would need to be a bike with a comfortable riding position and great effortless long distance touring ability, or a lightweight simple but fun town bike, or an off roader.

The SV is none of those things, and will be worse on fuel than the ZX7R probably too. If pushed I'd rather put my hand in my pocket for a cheaper but better VTR or Aprilia SL1000 than a big SV. But you should buy on condition and price instead of model maybe? I'd expect a nicer VTR for a fair bit less cash than the SV your mate is offering you.

[Matt B]

If you want a twin for £2-2.5k then walk straight past the SV and go find a decent Aprilia RSV
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[MarJay]

It's not a bad bike, but it's neither fish nor fowl. It's not sporty enough for a sportsbike, and it's not comfortable enough to be a sports tourer. I rode one a few years back and the seat was like a plank.

I think if you got it and put a set of GSXR forks on it, raise the rear end you could have quite a nice trackday sleeper, but otherwise it's a bit bland, it's a bit uncomfortable, and it's a bit low tech. It's like an uncomfortable Firestorm or an uncomfortable twin Bandit.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[kgm]

[redeem ouzzer]

The VTR is shite. My mate who has an SV had one, we were very close to cutting it up to fit in a wheelie bin because it was nearly impossible to sell. I used to annihilate him on my 750M but I wouldn't fancy dicing with him on his SV, even on the 1100.
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[Crumbso]

[chris-red]

[Kris]

Big capacity twins can be an acquired taste but if the bike is as clean and tidy as you say then moving it on if you didn't gel with it should be easy enough. Might even make a small profit come summer time.

I had a naked one with a few tweaks. I really rate them.
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[jjdugen]

Its the only sorted big V out there.
Aprilias can get expensive, very quickly, whisper sprag clutch.
Vtr's too, whisper cam chain adjuser. Apart from a crap chassis and looks to puke over.
Ducatis start expensive and don't get any cheaper.
Not many more out there.... I wonder why?
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[MarJay]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[ThatDippyTwat]

[spnorm]

I had a long testride on a new one in the Yorkshire Dales when it was first released and thought it was horrible. The suspension was poor, it steered quite slowly and it was uncomfortable. It felt very cheap compared to my VFR800FIY at the time

[stevo as b4]

I've never ridden one, but have used a VTR for a few long rides. Its a matter of personal opinion but I agree with probably Matt B, and Jjdugen really in that the best sports bike twin for that budget would be an RSV, and also that they all have issues.

I don't think the SV 1000 like the VTR is particularly quick at the top end, a G-series> ZX6R would be faster than both at the top end easily. I think the SV looks a bit budget and thrown together which it is really. Its best feature is the engine by far. The VTR is cheap now, and I'd say it's more like a sportier 2cylinder VFR750. They like the other twins all have got their own issues, but I've always liked the VTR far more than the ugly TL1000S, which in my mind is probably the worst 1000cc twin of them all. They have a big reputation and cult following though so are fetching stronger prices now than Falco's, VTR's or SV's.

I think the semi sporty 1000cc twins as above are better road bikes than the more focused twins for many people though. I knew a bloke at work who really wanted an SP1, and when he finally got one after 8months he couldn't stand it any longer due to how harsh and uncomfortable it was to ride. He went back to an RF900 after that.

[Snowdonia Rider]

I just sold my K5 SV650S two days ago. For the most part I liked the bike but main reason for selling was the uncomfy (for me) riding position. Biggest other gripe was poor tank range. The SV1000S would be just as uncomfortable and even worse on fuel. Just my 2p.
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[bacon]

Appreciate the replies, a variety of opinions, I'll go and see it later on tonight anyway, see how it feels riding position wise and go from there.

I do fancy a go on a big twin, but truth be known I'm a bit tight on storage space, so unless its immaculate and possibly a money maker, if I change my mind later on, I night just pass on it.

Firestorms seem to cost bugger all though don't they?

[Crumbso]

They're also pretty crap IMHO. The cam chain tensioners (emphasis on plural) go, the range is truly shit (90 miles or so on the early ones), the forks are too soft and the rear spring is too hard. The one I had also suffered from fairly severe sounding piston slap when warm.

I think if you want budget performance then I reiterate the Aprilia Falco. As cheap as some VTRs but way more capable. Just make sure the battery is always charged and sprag clutches won't be an issue.

If you want a future investment then maybe an original Tuono? I don't know the values at the mo though.

[bacon]

Ok I saw the bike, very clean aside some paint chips on the grab handle from pillion boots, a stone chip he said he covered with a sticker on the front cowl and a mark on the left side can from where the delivery driver let it hit the side of the van the day he got it.

Feels like a comfortable seating position, though I didn't ride it, tyres still have stipples on the edges, nearly new Dunlop Sportmax F+R (think it was sportmax, the dual compound tyre), both keys present. 13,100 miles, 1 previous owner. Engine sounds good, nothing to report basically.


Looking on ebay and autotrader, £2500-£3000 buys a fairly low mileage Falco.

Is it really that much a better bike? I'm not really after a second bike but this came up with my work mate and seems a bargain, hence my interest.

[hmmmnz]

ive had a few big vtwins
ive had the vstrom (sv engine in a off/on road frame)
the kawasaki klv1000 (actually a vstom in orange)
a ktm990 adventure,
a old hont vt750
and currently a vtr1000

i really liked the vstrom/klv but its lacking quite a bit of punch compared to the ktm or the vtr.

the ktm was an absolute fucken pig to work on, id never have another one.
the vtr is actually quite good, but the whole "cam chain tensioner" will always be hanging over its head

my vtr is the mk2 (post 2001) so has the updated tensioners. only thing i dont like about the vtr is that i feel the wheel base is a bit short and if you snatch the throttle the front wheel comes up damn quick,

an rsv1000 i rode a few times had the same issue
funnily enough a tlr1000 i had for a few weeks didnt.
i guess because peak torque is further up the rev range.
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[Jayy]

Only experience with a big V is my Panigale 1299 (2015) which on the road, is a fucking handful at anything below 40mph.

Feels like it wants to stall all the time unless you feather the fuck out of the clutch constantly. It's real sluggish under 60ish but once you snap the throttle back, 205bhp of V-twin goodness just pulls your arms out the sockets all the way up to 6th gear.

I have to say, for pure torqueness, I have never ridden/owned anything quiet like it.

My new RSV4 RF is a different beast from the 1299 but fuck me, what a lovely noise and serious grunt. Another 200 bhp bike and the smile factor is 10/10 when you crack it open. Can't wait to put an Austin Racing exhaust on it and piss everyone off in a 3 mile radius.

I think I prefer the RSV4 over the 1299 for road riding, it's more comfortable and smoother delivery and it can be a little grabby below 10mph but nothing like the 1299.

Now Ducati just announced a V4 superbike to replace the 1299. Maybe I will get one in 2019, as you can't go wrong with Ducati looks and V4 powaahhhh.

Back to the topic, neither of said above bikes are good value

[Crumbso]

[bacon]

Well, for better or worse we did a deal at £1900. if I get bored of it I'll look a little closer to the Falco.

But for now, here it is on the day I got it (last saturday)

https://s19.postimg.org/498ta3f43/IMG_20170304_WA0002_1.jpg

https://s19.postimg.org/493rcz8sj/IMG_20170304_WA0000.jpg

Things I have already got here ready to sort as soon as I get a second to scratch my ass are:

* Oil and filter change
* Replace the mismatched grips with some firm renthals
* Replace the smoked rear light with a stock one (was a bargain at £15), I hate chavvy bling...

Aside that I may keep an eye out for some used cans to replace the oem ones.

First impressions so far from the ride home are that its very linear in power delivery, more comfy than my 7r, loads more usable power and sounds brilliant at full chat. This is my first big V twin.

So we will see how it goes from here, I start a new (much more local) job on monday, so I intend to use it to commute come spring/summer.

Plus it will be better with a pillion than my 7r

Cheers for the advice all, I did listen to it all, but decided there wasn't much to lose in giving it a go first

[Hahadumball]

having ridden both i do prefer the vtr, the fact you can pick up a damn good condition vtr for under £1600 is always good!

fit manual ccts and youre all good

they lift the front so easy and plenty of poke up to 140 and then they start to run out of steam as youre hitting 160~

so much can be done to them.

played with mine loads i barely get 70 miles to a tank but i get a million smiles per mile (how gay)

mine is an utter cunt and wont stop breaking but i wont get rid of it... not yet anyway
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