After 8 track days this year with Speed Research, and I have learned a ton. Primary amongst those lessons is, “Don’t open the throttle all the way when you are still fully leaned over.” My scratched fairing, broken shift lever, and scuffed leathers will remind me of that learning experience for some time.
Another […]

After swapping the stock fork from my 2006 SV1000s for a 2005 GSX-R 600 unit, I took the bike to the track and had it professionally set up by a track-side suspension expert. The spring rate and oil weight (described in the swap article linked above) were spot-on, and the shorter overall length of the […]

2005 GSX-R 600 fork and caliper swap onto 2006 SV1000s
Installing an upside down fork and radial calipers on a 2006 SV1000s is something many owners are interested in doing. Having just completed this swap myself, I can say with complete assurance that the actual work is quite simple, providing you start with the correct […]

After removing the stock exhaust from my SV1000S and replacing it with a Yoshimura 3/4 system, I have to say, the stock system is a mess.
Have look at the pictures below and imagine you are a molecule of combustion gas trying to escape an engine through the labyrinth of flattened, bent, twisted and hideously ugly […]

The stock exhaust on the SV1000S definitely gives the bike some of its “big twin” character, thanks to the dual pipes - but the sound from those pipes does not do justice to the motor, and the pipes are so low and wide as to severely limit cornering clearance at the track.
To remedy this, I […]

After having crashed my SV650 on track due to a nasty headshake, I was determined to never again get a bike without some kind of steering damper installed. The SV1000S had such a damper, and I was therefore reassured that horrific headshake would be less likely to toss me off.
Well, turns out that after […]

I have already posted pictures of my SV1000 on track, but I didn’t post any “Hey, it looks like this” kind of shots.
So, uh… Hey, it looks like this.
Well, it did. Before I started modifying it. Stupid winter. Too wet to ride, but not too wet to spend money. Damn.

With the recent passing of my beloved sv650, I was left with nothing. Perhaps that’s a little melodramatic. I had the love of my family, and my wonderful wife, good friends and a cute house, a mediocre cat, and more cars than I have a right to. Oh, and a welder. […]