I have a 2005 SV650 and I am currently trying to sell it because I cannot get comfortable on it. My back starts to hurt and I have to come off track. When I ride my friends GSXR I can stay on track all day long. I am unsure of what the issues is. Someone at the track told me to get the suspension set up, so we set up sag and adjusted compression and rebound front and back. It has GSXR front forks and a penske rear shock. I did not get a lot of track time after that and my back was already bothering me so I did not get a chance to see if that helped. Could suspension be the issue? There was not a professional suspension person at the track so it was just track riders trying to see if they could help me get it set up. I am just a beginner with about 10 track days. Any help would be appreciated. I would like to keep the bike so I don't have to borrow one for track days, but I will never be able to learn things if I am hurting. Thanks
My guess is ergonomics. The GSXR is a sport bike and the SV is more sport touring. These usually have different seating arrangements. Sport bike more crouched and sport touring more upright. I’m thinking the wind over the windscreen is hitting you differently on each bike. If you have access to the Gsxr take some measurements & compare to the SV. Seat height & reach to handlebars are most important. Also try a double bubble windscreen. I’m 6’5” 220 to 250lbs and struggle with seating position on ever bike I own.
The measurement from the seat to the clip-ons is longer and the seat hight is higher on the SV then it is on the GSXR. The SV has some aftermarket stuff on it to make it more track then street, Woodcraft clip-ons and Vortex rearsets. What do you do to your bikes to make them more comfortable for you. I am 6'2" and weigh 220lbs.
Are you using stock rearsets or aftermarket? If aftermarket are they high ones or normal height ones (usually these are a bit higher than stock). Have you tried stretching before putting the leathers on?
Vortex rearsets, I have them as far down as I can get them. I do need to stretch before I go out on track, I will start doing that and see if it helps, thanks for the suggestion
When setting up my 2015 BMW s1000rr I run a double bubble windscreen, push the clip-on’s as far forward as I can, I run a 2” taller seat and I run the Oem foot pegs. I epoxy the foot pegs so they can’t move while riding. I’m all legs 36” inseam. In the past I have had significant issues with back and knee pain. The thing that made the biggest difference was I started riding a bicycle more. Also like Woof said I warm up and stretch before ever getting on motorcycle. You’ll never see me at the track without my bicycle. All this helped dramatically with the knee and back pain.
If you're asking what the problem is, it sounds like back problems! LOL. But.....another issue is the gixxer forks and clip ons on a bike that originally came with different forks, risers, and handlebars. As explained by your mentioning of the reach being longer on the SV with gixxer forks as opposed to the reach on a stock gixxer. Highly doubt suspension is gonna be root cause, as no matter the suspension damping, running full track sessions is a rigorous activity regardless. Sounds like early signs of back problems and a bike that is not ergonomically ideal, even for a track setting. You might look into back strengthening exercises depending on the underlying issue there, but most of all, I'd be looking to move to a bike with better ergos for you.
On all of my 2nd gen SVs (which were nearly identical builds to yours) I built up the steering stops so I could rotate the clipons back pretty far without my thumbs hitting the tank at full lock. It shortened the reach and put me in a more comfortable position when hanging off the bike. I also ran 5 and 7 degree bars instead of the 9 degree ones you have on your bike. I'm the same size as you, and my SVs were probably more comfortable than any of my other track bikes.
I am a noob, what do you mean by 5 and 7 degree bars? I was thinking about getting some woodcraft clip-ons with the 3" risers to replace the ones I have now. Is that what you mean?
No. Look at the fork clamp. The bars aren't exactly perpendicular to the fork. They are angled down. Woodcraft angles theirs 9 degrees. Vortex is 7. Apex is 5, and 10 (if I remember right) depending on how you install them. It is just another adjustment available. 3 inches of rise is a lot. Maybe try 1 inch. Or you could try a set of stock GSXR clipons. They have some rise and less angle, and they are cheap.
Thanks for all the information, this gives me a lot of things to try out, and some things I need to look at.
Update: I am looking at an 2009 ZX6R and an 2012 R6. What are yalls thoughts between these 2 bikes,Good vs Bad?
Go to a track day and count the R6's and ZX6R's. There are a heckuva lot more R6s, and therefore more spare parts. And they are faster.
Sounds like a set of woodcraft or apex clip on risers are all you need... Maybe shim the front of the seat or add some padding to help keep your weight less on your wrists.
I just purchased my first R6 (2010) and I'm having back pains. To be fair, my previous bike was an FZ1 but still, the adjustment has been pretty difficult. It's not as bad on track but trying to ride it around town or on the interstate for over 15 minutes is very uncomfortable. Just installed some clip ons which raise the handlebars a little bit. I think that will help. Haven't been able to test it out just yet.
The forward lean angle (of your back) when riding the R6 is around 40 degrees. The FZ1, in stock form, was probably more like 14-16 degrees (the smaller the angle the better in terms of riding comfort). That is bound to get tiresome on the road. I hope the raised bars help.