by "carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
Published 02/17/2017 at 11:08
by "carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
Published 02/17/2017 at 11:08
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STARS: 1
So yesterday I said goodbye to my old trusty (and annoyingly carbed) bike, a 2002 Suzuki SV650s. It may not be the fastest bike out there, but it was my first street bike and it got me through college, had my first low side on the street (which cause a cracked shoulder blade), and many other great small adventures throughout the years.
I had the bike for 11 years, did all the maintenance & mods myself, and put about 20,000 miles on it, most of which was used during college commuting to school, work, and home. I loved using it as my daily cause you could skip tons of traffic by using the HOV lanes, and at school you parked right next to your building instead of having to park out in BFE and walk forever with a load of books and crap. (I do remember lugging a 13B rotor in my backpack on the bike a couple of times though, glad the rear seat was there to rest the weight on).
In the last couple of years it didn’t get much use and has been overshadowed by cars and driving events. And having the bike sit was the only thing that really worked against the bike in regards to maintenance and being able to jump on it and go whenever I wanted.
Most work done on the bike was oil changes, chain maintenance, and of course dealing with the carbs. Not that the carbs required much work when the bike was ridden regularly. But anytime I let it sit it would be hard to start, or developed flat spots in the powerband until I yanked and cleaned the carbs. The only thing I Had to fix on the bike was a failed speedometer pickup.
Thanks to Suzuki for making a light weight bike with a fun spirit and great reliability! These bikes really are the Miata’s of the bike world . I’m glad they updated and brought back the soul of the SV650 as I’m sure it will continue to lure in potential new riders (like the original did for me) and veterans alike.
Only regret I have is that I never took the little blue bomber to the track like I had originally planned for it, since SV’s are supposed to make for such great track bikes too. (Also that I appreantly never took pictures of the bike either, only have the ones I took for the sales add.)
"jimz" (jimz)
02/17/2017 at 11:16, STARS: 1
love that color. judging by the car it looks like you do too.
"Nonster" (noahnic)
02/17/2017 at 11:17, STARS: 2
Awww, well it sounds like you got a good use out of it!
Side note: I feel like a lot of SV guys also have Subaru BRZ’s. At least I think you and Decay do. Did I miss the memo? Do I need to get a matching Toyobaru!?
"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
02/17/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 0
Ha ha, yeah I’m a sucker for Blue
"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
02/17/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
Thanks, I did get a lot out of riding that bike. Crazy thing is decade later, I sold it for not much less than I bought it for. These bike have kept their value pretty darn well.
I don’t know if there is a tie between the 86's and SV’s, but I can see why people have both, great blank canvas that you can do whatever you want with for not a lot of money and learn so much.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
02/17/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 1
Sad day. you are making my girls cry...
yes i have 2 Sv650s. and a DR650. I have a thing for 650s.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
02/17/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 1
I dont have a BRZ.
I have a second SV though LOL
"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
02/17/2017 at 13:20, STARS: 0
Ohhh, that’s a nice set of bikes. I think the 650 is a sweet spot for fun, durable, smallish engines.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
02/17/2017 at 13:51, STARS: 1
there are 3 more hiding off camera. LOL
"carzcarzcarz" (carzcarzcarz)
02/17/2017 at 14:03, STARS: 0
Wow, thought I was getting a collection of bikes for a bit. Wait, are the other 3 650's too?
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
02/17/2017 at 14:24, STARS: 1
no, the other 3 are a shadow 750, a BMW F800R and a kawasaki Vulcan 1500.
I DID have another 650, a versys, but i sold it about a month ago.