I have done some research and have a couple of people I am going to contact but would like to hear from other SV650 enthusiasts. Who do you trust for solid information specifically about engine building for track day reliability? No plans to race, just want to build as bullet proof of an engine as I can for a mid to upper pace intermediate rider. I have a 2004 (second generation) dedicated track bike that is already set up chassis wise and now moving on to building a worry free engine. Again, not looking for horsepower, just reliability. Thanks in advance for any info you may have...
Leave it stock! It's a reliable enough platform as it is. Mine does fine in advanced and the bike lives in the 7k-redline -- I give it hell. It goes and goes without trouble. If I had to ask someone something very specific, I'd hit up Zoran over at TWF Racing. Dude's helped me a fair bit over the years as I learned the ins and outs of the SV, but I was also a regular customer of his for a while. There's also lots of info floating around SVRider if you have the patience to wade through it.
I would definitely agree with Prufrock. I ran my '01 naked SV well into Adv. with a stock motor. Zoran and SVRider were great resources for me while I had mine.
I put about 150 street miles on my 2003 SV650S and took it racing for an entire season. No issues whatsoever. Pretty solid bikes.
Thanks for the positive feedback! I have read about 2nd gens issues and the main things are crankshaft breakage at the flywheel and weaker rods that may give vs the first gen. I am already doing the flywheel/starter sprag mod to reduce weight and was thinking maybe I should pull the engine and rebuild it with stronger rods but would rather not if this is a rare problem. The engine is completely stock other than a full Yosh exhaust system and I like it just fine but sometimes when going full tilt down a straight with a kink in it I can't help but think about throwing a rod, lol! I guess it's more about mental insurance in my case....
Those issues tend to present themselves when more HP is produced. If you plan to run modified heads, intake, TB's and start looking at more HP then I would suggest a lighter flywheel and built bottom end. As others said, they are solid motors! Keep it stock and get it tuned right. I miss my SV
As JTR said, its the higher hp motors (big bore motors like the 700cc) that those issues pop up. Hell my race SV still has the stock motor. 4yrs on it, no problems.
I had an 03 SV that I bought with 10k on it. I sold it last summer with 28k+ including 15 trackdays. I never touched the motor, and it still had the original clutch. Gas, oil changes, tires, ride, repeat.
After emailing Gregg Spears and Zoran, yes, the rods are a "weak link." Spears suggests replacing with Carrillo A rods, Zoran says it's cheaper to buy another engine if it blows than what the rods cost and that is true. Neither one has given me a percentage of failure but this post along with another one I did when I first got this bike has produced only 1 confirmed case of rod failure. I'm not wringing it out like a racer would so I'm gonna let it go. I will just do the flywheel lightening and replace the shift star with a 2005+ unit and leave it at that. Thanks again everybody!
Being smooth on downshifts helps too. All the rotating mass and sudden attempted changes in direction help break things too. I've got 8 years on SV's if you have any questions. I won 7 regional titles on a stock SV and i'm not a small guy. Just ride the piss out of them. Mine are first gens. Ben Probst is a great SV builder down here in St. Louis. I've had excellent experience with Performance Cycle and Dyno in Harvard IL. They run SV motors in their flat track bikes. You know how to find me if you have questions
