Zach’s SV650

New go fast toy…

As of Wednesday, I now have two go fast toys. I picked up my brand new 2008.5 MazdaSpeed 3 GT. I’ve been shopping for a new car for a few months, and have driven everything in this class. I was all set on a fully loaded Mazda3, until I drove the ‘Speed. Nothing compares to the power this car has and how well it handles. The interior looks and feels like it could belong in a car costing twice as much. Stomp on it any gear and it GOES. Lots of photos here.

Gathering of the Nortons

On Sunday Jen and I rode to Washington Crossing State Park for the annual Gathering of the Nortons. Its a yearly meet the Delaware Valley Norton Riders organize where all manner of Nortons, and other vintage British bikes gather. We got there a little late, so some bikes had already left, but there were still plenty of other to enjoy. We saw a steady stream of bikes in the other direction on the way there as well. Plenty of cool old Nortons, Ducatis, Trumphs, in addition to all the usuals. Its finally Spring again, so hopefully we’ll be doing plenty more riding and I’ll be doing more posting.

Galfer brake lines

I was finally able to get my Galfer stainless steel brake lines installed this afternoon. I initially started installing them almost two weeks ago, but the double length banjo bolt included with the kit was the wrong size. Luckily I had heard of them sending incorrect bolts out, so I attempted to thread it in by hand before I would strip out my master cylinder. It took until now to get the right sized replacement bolt.

Installation was a little more complicated than on my Ninja, since it only had a single front brake disc, my SV has two, which means two new lines to run. It takes a bit longer to get the fresh fluid down through each side as well, and you have to go back and forth a few times. The hand vacuum pump made this much easier though. Routing is a little tricky since you can’t use most of the stock fittings, I ended up following the speedometer sender cable most of the way, using zip ties along the way to make sure everything stays in place. Looks like nothing but snow and wintry weather for the next week or so, so I won’t be able to try them out for a bit, but they sure look nice!

Happy holidays

Got lots of goodies for the bike, including Pazzo levers, Galfer SS front brake lines, and Sonic Springs with 20w fork oil. I already put the levers on this afternoon, it literally took 5 minutes each side. They look and feel great, I may get some red adjusters to better match my bike.

Chain cleaning

When I washed the bike to get all the crud off from my long ride last week, I also cleaned the chain. Until now I always cleaned it with WD40 before lubing it, but this time I took the advice of a few people on various message boards and used kerosene to clean it. The smallest container I could find locally was one gallon, so I’ll pretty much never have to worry about buying more again for years. I simply pour some into a small container and use a big toothbrush style brush to scrub the chain clean with it. It eats through all the gunk and gets it clean real well, just be sure to cover the wheel/tire/swingarm from splashes, you can see in the photo below I got my swingarm a little nasty from it. It’ll clean right off, I didn’t even notice until I looked at this picture. The chain looks brand new again. Afterwards its just a matter of applying your lube of choice, right now I’m using PJ1 Blue Label, I may try some kind of chain wax after this is used up to see if it flings off any less.

Also, I went out for a short ride today to try out the grip heaters. It was about 45F out. I wore my thinner summer leather gloves, and on the high setting my hands were almost too hot. I ended up alternating between high and low every 10-15 minutes or so. They work great and are easily worth the $30 or so.

Grip Heaters

I installed my grip heaters today. It took about 3 hours total, most of which was wiring work. Instead of simply tapping into an existing power source like the directions recommend, I instead used a relay wired to the license plate light. When the ignition is turned on, the signal wire from the plate light turns the relay on, which then powers the heaters directly from the battery. This way they get direct power, not piggybacked off another circuit, and I won’t have to worry about leaving them on since they turn off when the ignition is off. I spent a good deal of time soldering and heat-shrinking every connection so they’d be waterproof and wouldn’t vibrate loose. I mounted the relay and the bulk of the wiring directly in front of the airbox, and followed all the existing wires with zip ties. Getting the grips on and off was pretty easy using compressed air under each one. I ended up drilling a hole for the switch, something I didn’t want to do, but its not like I’ll be removing the grip heaters anyway and it looks pretty clean. Also had to be careful with the wires coming from under each grip, making sure there is enough room for the handlebars to move back and forth, and for the throttle to open and close. Tested it out in the garage, and on the high setting the grips are almost too hot to hold with bare hands. This should make cold weather riding much more enjoyable, and they didn’t cost much at all. Sorry for not having any pictures of the install, I didn’t really have time this afternoon before Thanksgiving dinner.

Whew

Logged almost 230 miles today riding with Bob, whom I met a few weeks ago on his SV1000. We went north and rode all around the Delaware Water Gap, some really nice roads which were unfortunately mostly still wet from the rain yesterday, so we had to take it pretty easy. Still a great ride, and not bad weather for late November.

Reflective Rim Tape

Another duplicate mod from my Ninja 250. Instead of black, this time I got tape that matched the color of my bike (as close as I could find, anyway) The key with this is to take it slow. I cleaned the wheels real well with soap and water, then again with rubbing alcohol. I find its pretty difficult to get them on perfect (they come in four pre-curved sections for each side of each wheel, with two extras) but from more than a foot or two back they look fine. I’ve been meaning to do this since I took the nasty looking stock reflectors off. The second photo is taken with flash.

GSX-R Shock

As with my old Ninja 250, the stock suspension on the SV leaves something to be desired. Luckily, the rear shock from any number of the GSX-R models is a relatively straightforward swap. After looking at all the spring rates and shock lengths, the one that best matched my weight and type of riding is from a 2003/2004 GSX-R 1000. Picked this one up on eBay for $13. Getting the old one out was cake, but extensive modification (read: Dremel’ing and cutting) of the battery box is required so the shock’s reservoir and the battery will fit back in place. A few hours later, it was in. It’s raining, so I won’t be able to try it out until next week, but from what I hear it should be a much nicer ride.

Update 10/29: I went out for a few hours, and the difference is definitely noticeable. The best way to describe the bike now is more stable. I feel much more confident going through curves now, the rear wheel feels much more planted.

Fall is coming…

Photos taken at Van Sant Airport

2008 Ninja 250

The news of the new SV reminded me about the new 2008 Ninja 250. After almost 20 years, Kawasaki have finally updated the baby Ninja, it finally looks like a modern sportbike! (instead of a sportbike from the eighties). 17″ wheels, updated suspension, a beefed up engine with a better powerband, and the looks! I think it looks great, and hopefully more people will be willing to start on a 250 now that it doesn’t look like a dinosaur.

2008 SV

Looks like details for the 2008 SV have been leaking out. They got rid of the half fairing on the S model, so now you have a choice between the naked and a fully faired “SF” model. Colors are grey and blue. Not bad looking, but the prices have gone up quite a bit.

Covered Bridge Road

I always see Covered Bridge Road on the maps of the area I tend to ride in, and have been on it briefly before, but today while aimlessly riding in the area again I ended up on it and stayed on it for a good while. Wouldn’t you know it, there was a covered bridge! Cabin Run Covered Bridge, to be precise.

Ducati Test Ride

A few weeks ago I got a flyer in the mail for Ducati SportClassic demo week. It had the address of the closest participating dealer, and promises of hassle-free test rides on the SportClassic line. These bikes are meant to be a throwback to the “cafe racer” days, where street bikes were customized with low handlebars, high rearsets and minimal bodywork.

On Wednesday, I set off on the SV, it took just over an hour to get to the dealer. When I parked out front, the only SportClassic I saw was the Sport 1000 S, in red with a white stripe. I headed inside and was amazed at the amount of bikes they had. They mainly sold Ducati, Triumph, and Aprilia, so all the exotics were on hand, in addition to plenty of used Japanese sport bikes. They also had some scooters, including the Piaggio MP3, the three-wheeled scooter. I wouldn’t mind trying one of those out.

Luckily it wasn’t crowded, I’m sure if I went on labor day it’d be a different story. I asked the sales guy if they were demoing the SportClassics today. “We sure are”. He asked me what I rode, how long I’ve been riding, etc. I’m sure this was all a feeler to see if they were going to let me play with their expensive toy. It didn’t hurt that I was wearing gear head to toe, I’m sure they’d be hesitant to let your average squid out on the bike.

They made a copy of my ID, had me sign a waiver, and we headed out front. The 1000 S was the only one I’d be able to ride without waiting. I initially wanted to ride the more naked Sport 1000 monoposto, but I wasn’t complaining. Other than the small “bubble” front fairing, they are essentially the same bike. He showed me a few of the differences with the Ducati compared to my SV. One neat feature was the way the starter works. You just have to touch the button once, then it continues to crank as long as it takes to start. Pretty cool.

I saddled up. It became very clear this bike is not made for comfort. I consider my SV to be relatively uncomfortable with its low clip-ons, but the Ducati had me feeling like I was strapped aboard a rocket. It burbled and vibrated as it idled, I could barely see out of the mirrors. Whoo-boy. I rocked the bike back and forth to get a feel for the clutch engagement. The hydraulic action was nice and smooth, and didn’t require too much effort. I’m sure last year’s dry clutch was much different. The only advice the sales guy had was “be careful with the throttle, and even more careful with the brakes.” With this in mind, I set off. He told me to take the first right, then head down a twisty road behind the shop for a few stop signs, it should be about 5 miles.

I babied it to the light, there was a lot of gravel and I didn’t intend to drop it or loop it right in front of the dealer. First gear felt pretty similar to my SV, a nice low punch from the torque of the v-twin. I took it easy for the first few minutes as the temperature display flashed “lo”. The gearbox was very notchy, but VERY precise. You really feel each gear slam into place. Once it was up to temperature, I began to feel out the throttle response some more. A few runs at mid-throttle in second and third gear revealed quite a bit more punch than my SV. Feeling a little more confident, and with a nice long staight stretch of road in front of me, I dropped down to second and gave it a handful of throttle.

I wish I could have seen my face. The neverending rush of acceleration was amazing. I looked down a few seconds later and was coming up on 100MPH. How in the hell did that happen so fast!? The next few miles were basically a repeat of the above, while keeping it slightly more legal. The power this bike has is indescribable, and is truly addictive. I was coming up to a nice set of curves, and discovered how strong the brakes were. Two fingers on the front brake were more than enough to bring me back to sane speeds. As for the handling? This thing sticks in the corners. Pick your line, and it will keep it until you tell it otherwise. It did feel heavier leaning in and out, but this was to be expected.

All too soon I was back at the dealer. I pulled up next to the sales guy. “Well?” I pulled off my helmet and must have had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. “Yeah.” We spent the next few minutes talking about the finer points of the bike. Not once did he pressure me for a sale or anything like that. I think he knew I was just there for the ride.

What an amazing bike. I never thought I’d get to ride something like that anytime soon. I can honestly say that, in a few years when its a remote possibility, I will be giving Ducatis a good look. Huge thanks to Martin Eurosports for making it possible. Now I just have to wait until next year to do it again…

Not much to report. Just about 1300 miles on the SV now, everything is running smoothly. I got another car to work on, so that’ll be sucking up a lot of my free time for a while.