I got a new bike!
Well, not really but it almost seems like it.
Tires aside, the SV has been in the shop exactly twice in the eight and a half years that I've owned it. The first trip was about four years ago for a general safety check. I figured that all of my ham-fisted wrench turning earned it a trip to a real mechanic. The second occurred last spring when she decided to run on one cylinder. One very expensive, brand new ECU later and all was once again right with the world. That happened just as the weather was improving. I missed a weeks worth of prime riding weather while the shop diagnosed the problem, ordered the part and installed it.
This year, I was smart. I decided that I no longer have the time or interest in doing all of my own maintenance. Sure I'll adjust the chain and change the oil but the other stuff, the more complicated stuff that gets done less frequently, someone else can do that. I also decided that i would get this stuff done in January while the weather is less then ideal. After asking around I settled on SpeedWerks in Dover. That's about 40 miles away from my front door. There's no way I was going to get there before they closed on a weeknight so I arranged to drop off on a Saturday and pick up the following Saturday. The ride down was warm enough with temps in the high 30's. I don't have electrics but the gear I do have did it's job well. I walked in and we went over the laundry list of stuff that needed doing. Change the coolant, change the chain and sprockets, new brake fluid, check the pads, figure out why it's difficult to start in the cold...
Then we talked about the things I would like to have done. Primarily, the front suspension. We ran down that list. Seals, oil, new Race Tech springs and Race Tech Gold Valve emulators. We worked out a price on the suspension work that turned out to be lower then I expected. As it happens, SpeedWerks does a lot of work on SVs of all years. They had all the parts on hand. I didn't have to place a special order and I didn't have to commit to anything. I left the shop with instructions to do the suspension work if they could do everything for less then a specific dollar amount. As it turns out, they did everything I asked and came in well under budget.
The cold starting issue was apparently due to a bad battery. I didn't look at that immediately only because it wasn't very old. I got 6 years out of the previous battery and only 2 out of this one. The charging system checked out fine and it's perfectly happy to start at all temperatures now. It was 26° F this past Saturday when I picked it up and even colder that evening when I fired it up just to make sure all was working as it should. It was.
The funny thing about the SV is that 6th gear is absolutely useless everywhere except on the highway. At the same time, I'd occasionally find my self reaching for a 7th gear that wasn't there. I decided to go up a tooth in the front and down one in the back. Cruising RPM has come down quite a bit. So, I might need to down shift more frequently but the bike feels better at a nice lazy cruise and I should see better fuel mileage. Look for more on that in the future.
The most dramatic difference came from the new suspenders. I really should have done the Race Tech treatment years ago. The difference is remarkable. The front end feels much more planted, better connected to road. I found my self riding deeper in the corners with out even trying. There's no wallowing, no unwanted bouncing, just lots of confidence and great road feel. It really does feel like a new bike. I have to think that this is what Suzuki intended in the first place.
Next up? I've got my eye on a Penske Sport shock. I'll go back to SpeedWerks for that. They've earned a regular customer.
Tires aside, the SV has been in the shop exactly twice in the eight and a half years that I've owned it. The first trip was about four years ago for a general safety check. I figured that all of my ham-fisted wrench turning earned it a trip to a real mechanic. The second occurred last spring when she decided to run on one cylinder. One very expensive, brand new ECU later and all was once again right with the world. That happened just as the weather was improving. I missed a weeks worth of prime riding weather while the shop diagnosed the problem, ordered the part and installed it.
This year, I was smart. I decided that I no longer have the time or interest in doing all of my own maintenance. Sure I'll adjust the chain and change the oil but the other stuff, the more complicated stuff that gets done less frequently, someone else can do that. I also decided that i would get this stuff done in January while the weather is less then ideal. After asking around I settled on SpeedWerks in Dover. That's about 40 miles away from my front door. There's no way I was going to get there before they closed on a weeknight so I arranged to drop off on a Saturday and pick up the following Saturday. The ride down was warm enough with temps in the high 30's. I don't have electrics but the gear I do have did it's job well. I walked in and we went over the laundry list of stuff that needed doing. Change the coolant, change the chain and sprockets, new brake fluid, check the pads, figure out why it's difficult to start in the cold...
Then we talked about the things I would like to have done. Primarily, the front suspension. We ran down that list. Seals, oil, new Race Tech springs and Race Tech Gold Valve emulators. We worked out a price on the suspension work that turned out to be lower then I expected. As it happens, SpeedWerks does a lot of work on SVs of all years. They had all the parts on hand. I didn't have to place a special order and I didn't have to commit to anything. I left the shop with instructions to do the suspension work if they could do everything for less then a specific dollar amount. As it turns out, they did everything I asked and came in well under budget.
The cold starting issue was apparently due to a bad battery. I didn't look at that immediately only because it wasn't very old. I got 6 years out of the previous battery and only 2 out of this one. The charging system checked out fine and it's perfectly happy to start at all temperatures now. It was 26° F this past Saturday when I picked it up and even colder that evening when I fired it up just to make sure all was working as it should. It was.
The funny thing about the SV is that 6th gear is absolutely useless everywhere except on the highway. At the same time, I'd occasionally find my self reaching for a 7th gear that wasn't there. I decided to go up a tooth in the front and down one in the back. Cruising RPM has come down quite a bit. So, I might need to down shift more frequently but the bike feels better at a nice lazy cruise and I should see better fuel mileage. Look for more on that in the future.
The most dramatic difference came from the new suspenders. I really should have done the Race Tech treatment years ago. The difference is remarkable. The front end feels much more planted, better connected to road. I found my self riding deeper in the corners with out even trying. There's no wallowing, no unwanted bouncing, just lots of confidence and great road feel. It really does feel like a new bike. I have to think that this is what Suzuki intended in the first place.
Next up? I've got my eye on a Penske Sport shock. I'll go back to SpeedWerks for that. They've earned a regular customer.
Awesome! I did race-tech kits to both Harleys and the difference is amazing, especially on the big bike. In fact, I want to pull the valves out of the Sportster and add in another turn of preload to the valves; tighten up some of the low-speed compression. I back and forth on how much is enough on that bike, and last time, I softened it up just a little too much, I think.
You won't be disappointed over time.
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That's what happens when you have the skills needed to tinker. Nothing is ever quite good enough. Fortunately, I have very little mechanical aptitude.
I got out for a longer ride today. The difference really is amazing and SpeedWerks did a great job. I would recommend them to anyone.
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