Which bike should a novice racer get?

[Zac]

The SV is a good choice.  When you're learning a gas-n-go bike is good, because you can worry more about riding than setup.  With the TZ, I might spend a good portion of practice getting jetting and gearing dailed in, pulling the tranny during lunch to make an internal change, etc.  Once it is set up it is awesome.  Personally I'm a gear head and this is part of the fun.  Not so for most others.

The SVs are also so plentiful that you'll always be able to ask someone a setup question.  With a less popular bike such as a hawk or rvf400, there aren't as many people to ask for help.

Not to say some newbies shouldn't be on a 2-stroke.  It seems like the guys who have done a lot of MX on 2-strokes but not much street bike riding excel on them.  They are already used to the power characteristics and the maintanace, they can feel where the jetting is at, and are used to light bikes where body english makes a bigger difference in handling.  Some 16 year old MX kids can fly on a 125.

-z.

[Nbot]

Is getting a pre-2003 SV w/o the fuel injection a huge hinderance? Am I probably more likely to be affected by rider skill than the carbs?

[lightweightgp]

nope.

the FI bikes only have 3-4 more HP.   no big deal.  the carbed bikes are cheaper, since everyone is selling them to trade up to a newer bike to stay eligible for suzuki contingency.   So look for a 2000, 2001 SV, all race prepped, without a built up motor.  

[Nbot]

Does a  2000 model SV650 with race cams, 2mm over bore, degreeable cam sprocket, and a Serdi valve job with JE pistons considered risky to buy? Does this work stress other engine internals/transmission?

[Burt Munro]

SV looks to be a good option for a number of new racers.  One issue you may want to consider is some reliability problems that have occurred on '03 and '04 SV's.....  see this link:
http://www.racemotorcycles.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1083779810;start=9

My understanding is the '05 will be reworked to hopefully eliminate these problems.

For that reason going with a pre '03 might make sense for you (as well as the lower purchase price for an older bike).

Rick

[tigerblade]

SV looks to be a good option for a number of new racers.  One issue you may want to consider is some reliability problems that have occurred on '03 and '04 SV's.....  see this link:
http://www.racemotorcycles.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1083779810;start=9

My understanding is the '05 will be reworked to hopefully eliminate these problems.

For that reason going with a pre '03 might make sense for you (as well as the lower purchase price for an older bike).

Rick

FWIW, I put 50 street miles on my new '03 SV this year then raced it all season without a single problem (well, without a single bike-related problem  :P ;) ).  Bone stock motor.  Haven't opened it up yet to see how things are going inside, but put over 1k racing miles on it.  

Your mileage may vary...   8)  

[Super Dave]

Does a  2000 model SV650 with race cams, 2mm over bore, degreeable cam sprocket, and a Serdi valve job with JE pistons considered risky to buy? Does this work stress other engine internals/transmission?

It can be a bit more work to get to run properly, you can't race in in Supersport, etc.  Each used bike is individualistic.  You're not just buying a whole bunch of parts...you're buying a package.  

Really, the most important part of any race bike is going to be the quality of the suspension components, and then whether the owner/rider was knowledgeable enough to figure out the proper shock lengths, fork ride heights, etc.  That will make it easy to ride.  I use the GMD Computrack system on my bikes, and I have enough experience to do it all on my own...but the time it takes me is too valuable in the form of track time and tires to waste time.

So, if the motor is all done up and there's no suspension...well, the power might not get to the ground properly, and it may be a bear to ride.

[Nbot]

Well the bike has got all the usual race stuff...incll/ Penske rear, and set up front forks with race tech .85 springs in them with imulaters and he has a set of .90 or .95 springs extra, extra sprockets, Cheetah, dampner rearsets etc etc...he's asking $4500.....

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Yeah, heh heh....  Give me the guy's e mail address, and I'll, um.... check it out for you.  Yeah, that's what I'll do!  No need to worry that I might buy it out from under you....

[motomadness]

Where's Edgar?

Edgar Dorn can shed some light on this setup.  Basically, a built SV is no simple intro bike for any racer.  The stock engines seem to be solid, but the built ones tend to go bad quickly.  This is another reason why I stated you should get an Aprilia RS250.  You get a lot of adjustment and great components without the reliability concerns.  Will you be the fastest out there?  Probably not, but you can have a lot of fun and focus on turning (entry speed, lines, etc.).  A full-on two-stroke will be a lot of work.  Before you make that step, build a superbike SV with a stock motor, unless you are prepared for some regular maintenance.  I don't imagine that a built SV requires any less maintenance than a full-on two-stroke.

[Protein Filled]

Hmm, sorry I was down in Oklahoma for the "Gold Rush" Hare scrambles race. Damn, I hurt today, but worth every minute.  ;D ;D

I would say that SV's go something like this:

99-02:
If you bore them out up to 2 MM, then you can use stock rods, but you are pushing it. Bigger than that and you pretty much must use aftermarket rods or you are risking big engine failure. Find out what kind of rods are in there. Also, find out which cams are being used. The Megacycle stage 2 cams really need a lot of upkeep since they are pretty aggresive. You will need to keep an eye on the valve springs and keepers since they tend to break, even the aftermarket one's. Yosh cams are a lot milder.


If the bike is putting out more than 85 hp, then maintenance really goes up quite a bit (The tranny can be a weak point on a built SV). A bone stock SV is very reliable. I have seen a few last 2-3 full race seasons with no internal engine upkeep. Granted, you should rebuild them after a couple of seasons since they get real tired. Do you know how much power that bike is making? From the mods you are talking about, 80-85 hp should be about where it's at.

The amount of maintenance that it will need also depends on who built the bike. A well built motor should last at least a full season, as long as everything does it's job.

03-04:
They went to a lighter rod and you should not bore them out more than one over without using aftermarket rods. A few people have seen some catastrophic rod failure with the new bikes even with stock motors. The 03+ models (once all set up) do handle better than the older bikes. It seems like the new frame really helped that.

One thing is to always keep your oil level on the high side. This is pretty important to prevent rod bearing failures. Lot's of SV's have spun the front rod bearing. It's one of their weak points.

One thing to consider: Even though a built SV is not legal for supersport, it wil make you more competitive on the other classes, such as thunderbike, LWGP, supertwins, etc. It's kind of a tradeoff.

[Nbot]

Allright, that's what I was looking for! Yes 80-84 hp is what he's quoting...but you're right, I think for now I should stick w/ less maintenance and just have some fun racing,,, a more stock motor is then the direction that I'm heading, even though it means I'll be on a bit slower of a bike.....

Sooo, I've also been talking to another guy w/ a 1999 SV with these mods (actually a pic says 1000words!):



The pistons are also into what's now a 69Xcc(700), any advice on the big bore job? pros/cons?

So besides keeping the oil on the upper for the rod bearing, what else should I look out for...nevermind, I'll go look thru the forums and do my due reading!!!