# Sv650 makes a great track bike.
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257
**Category:** Shift518 Automotive
**Created:** [July 14, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257 "2010-07-14T22:35:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/1 "2010-07-14T22:35:46Z")
Me and Aaron agree, and personally the bike has never let me down in the last 4 years I’ve owned and beat on it, putting over 40,000 miles on it.
[http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/the-perfect-track-bike-only-38.html#more](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/the-perfect-track-bike-only-38.html#more)
> Despite riding like a complete and utter puss all day, I had a revelatory moment at Beaverun on Saturday. I discovered that I didn’t need a [Honda CBR600RR](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/galleries/skipbarber/wes-at-barber-2007.php) or a [KTM RC8](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2009/12/skip-barber-superbike-school-l.html) or an [Aprilia RSV4](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/05/2010-aprilia-rsv4-factory-vs-t.html)or an [MV Agusta F4](http://hellforleathermagazine.com/galleries/monticellotrack/sport-bike-track-time-at-monticello-5.php) to be really happy on the track, all I needed was a humble 70bhp, used motorcycle. Here’s why less is more.
> This SV650 doesn’t have a lot of things. It doesn’t have much power, it doesn’t even have much torque. The Elka rear shock has no damping – it must have disappeared some time between when the for sale ad was written and the new owner picked it up – and the rear tires have no life left in them. More importantly, it has no lights, no license plate, no complication and, most importantly no ego.
> It also has no huge price tag. At $3,800 we didn’t have to worry about riding it with no rear damping and a rear tire that only wanted to slide when you asked it to stick. At one of the most badly managed, aggressive and dangerous trackdays we’ve ever attended (NESBA), we didn’t have to worry about riding it like we did with the $18,500 MV that spend the day looking pretty in the parking lot.
> Here’s what this 2009 Suzuki SV650 does have:
> _Elka rear triple clicker
> GSXR forks
> Vortex sprockets
> Vortex rear sets
> Vortex clipons
> Galfer braided brake lines
> NGK plugs
> Yoshi exhaust
> CNR levers
> Power Commander
> Galfer pads
> Scott damper_
> That’s enough to transform a tame, boring, worthy street bike into a complete and utter hoot on the track.
> First of all, you can use all of it all the time, even if you ride as bad as I was on Saturday. Full throttle, off the rev limiter in every gear. Flat out in fifth down Beaverun’s short straight.
> Then there’s the suspension. Where every streetbike, no matter how sporty, will always be a little soft on a track, a track-only bike like this can afford to be stiff, stiff, stiff. The difference is amazing, at least when the rear shock cooperates. This SV goes where you point it, then stays there.
> That handling is accessible though, unlike higher-performance race bikes there’s no vagueness just because you’re riding it slow. Pick your speed, the SV will be there waiting to do what you tell it.
> Anyone could ride this bike too. It fits everyone. I’m 6’2" with a 34" inseam and I had plenty of room to move around, but shorties wouldn’t have a problem swinging a leg over either. You could have fun on it on your first trackday, or you could come back to it after year on an R1 and discover you still have lots to learn about riding now that the power is absent.
> The power _is_ absent too. The wide-open environment of a racetrack has a way of making all but the fastest bikes feel slow, so imagine swapping down from 170-odd to 70-ish. It’s a big difference, but not necessarily a bad one. That guy that just passed you on the GSX-R? That’s not your fault. Gears, you need to use them.
> All the stress, all the restraint all the what-ifs of riding other people’s expensive liter bikes, like I’ve been doing all summer, disappeared. It was just me, the bike and some corners to figure out. Amazing.
> _Thanks for letting me ride your bike [Michael](http://classiccarclubmanhattan.com/)._
Make sure you read the comments too
---
### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/2 "2010-07-14T22:37:13Z")
One thing that I did notice, is that he lists GSXR forks as one of the mods, yet the pictures show non inverted forks, when all K4+ Gsxr’s came with inverted forks.
I wonder if the picture is old or did the SRAD Gsxr’s come with typical forks?
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2010, 8:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/3 "2010-07-15T08:38:43Z")
Probably the most widely used bike in NA amateur racing in the light weight class. Good platform out of the box, but the stock suspensions are literally crap. Throw 2k parts at a completely stock bike and you can have yourself a class winning contender.
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/4 "2010-07-16T16:45:11Z")
> [@i need help with math](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-help-with-math/33471/24):
>
> Probably the most widely used bike in NA amateur racing in the light weight class. Good platform out of the box, but the stock suspensions are literally crap. Throw 2k parts at a completely stock bike and you can have yourself a class winning contender.
Yes indeed. There is a reason I still love mine to death 4 years later.
There is no replacement for the insane pull of an I4 when you get on them (unless you talking liter twin) but for streets, I can have fun under the speedlimit, which is nearly impossible with tall gearing and top end peak output of an I4.
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/5 "2011-06-06T23:42:06Z")
> [@i need help with math](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-help-with-math/33471/24):
>
> Probably the most widely used bike in NA amateur racing in the light weight class. Good platform out of the box, but the stock suspensions are literally crap. Throw 2k parts at a completely stock bike and you can have yourself a class winning contender.
When I said $2k, I really meant $4k. Cause I just realize the $2k plan on dumping on my bike will not be a class winning contender…:crackup
At least I had fun building it and will be fun racing it. Just hope it will be ready in time. :ponder:dunno
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### Author:  [@HiSpeed48](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HiSpeed48)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/6 "2011-06-07T01:21:18Z")
no forks, i guess you’re getting them revalved/resprung?
what’s left after that? race bodywork, pads, damper, transponder?
i wish i could go racing ☹
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2011, 8:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/7 "2011-06-07T08:07:19Z")
> [@FS:91 Ford Explorer Only 41,000 Miles $700/OBO](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-91-ford-explorer-only-41-000-miles-700-obo/42810/8):
>
> no forks, i guess you’re getting them revalved/resprung?
>
> what’s left after that? race bodywork, pads, damper, transponder?
>
> i wish i could go racing ☹
Just took the forks out yeaterday and did some bolt drilling and safety wiring.
At the mininum I still need:
Race DOT: $400
Wet DOT: $400
Tire warmer: $250
Supersprox rear: $90
Heat Wrap: $40
Good Tire gauge: $40
What I have:
Fork & Shock work: $800
Transponder: $350
Steering damper: $260
Race Body: $380 + DIY paint job
PCIII: $260
TRE: $20
PAIR valve kit: $80
What I want:
Lightweight fairing stay: $150
lightweight subframe: $290
Clip on’s: $150
520 conversion: $170
PCIII Custom Tune: $200
Quick shifter: $300
1/5 turn throttle tube: $25
Light weight battery: $300
Slipper Clutch: $800
Extra set of wheels: $250?
Vesrah brake pads: $40
Toe Guard: $40
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### Author:  [@HiSpeed48](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HiSpeed48)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/8 "2011-06-07T08:33:11Z")
oh, that is a lot of stuff! lol
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/9 "2011-06-07T08:51:11Z")
> [@FS:91 Ford Explorer Only 41,000 Miles $700/OBO](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-91-ford-explorer-only-41-000-miles-700-obo/42810/8):
>
> no forks, i guess you’re getting them revalved/resprung?
>
> what’s left after that? race bodywork, pads, damper, transponder?
>
> i wish i could go racing ☹
You can.
Just one problem, it’s addictive.
The first time out will be the most expensive one, you will have a time of you life and it would encourage you to go again as next time will be cheaper after you care of all the one time costs for the first day (suit, boots etc)
But then it gets expensive again, right Rocket? :lol
Edit: ^r6 tube should be about $10 shipped.
Talk to Boxersix about fabbing up a quick subframe for the bike.
There are cheaper lightweight batteries too, and you can mount them by the crank case to get your weight low.
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/10 "2011-06-11T16:13:05Z")
Watching Le Mans and building bikes. Suspension will arrive Tuesday. :excited
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### Author:  [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/11 "2011-06-11T16:56:31Z")
I’ve been trying to watch LeMans all day but all I get is sound, no video. :’(
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/12 "2011-06-11T17:43:54Z")
What are the limits of your class?
Are you allowed to run a 180 wheel/tire?
Let me know when you’re going to order the R6 tube, I’m going to need around 3 of the damn things.
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/13 "2011-06-11T17:58:00Z")
> [@WTB : D-series Tranny (urgent)](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wtb-d-series-tranny-urgent/42940/8):
>
> What are the limits of your class?
>
> Are you allowed to run a 180 wheel/tire?
>
> Let me know when you’re going to order the R6 tube, I’m going to need around 3 of the damn things.
I am forced to run in lightweight superbike class until i am out of novice, but I plan on running in supersport class to lower cost.
Don’t plan on doing rim conversion.
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/14 "2011-06-11T18:21:44Z")
A 160 tire allows you for a quicker turn in, but a 180 gives you a bigger contact patch, smoother transition and typically a lighter setup, which is why I was asking if you’re allowed to run it.
SS class is cheaper?
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/15 "2011-06-11T18:44:06Z")
> [@Wtb: b series parts](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wtb-b-series-parts/42852/17):
>
> A 160 tire allows you for a quicker turn in, but a 180 gives you a bigger contact patch, smoother transition and typically a lighter setup, which is why I was asking if you’re allowed to run it.
>
> SS class is cheaper?
Yes. More restrictions, less modifications.
You see the list of all the stuff I want and need? I can throw $2k after all that my bike will still be SS legal. Can you imagine how much I will have to spend to max out the mods legal in SB class?
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/16 "2011-06-11T18:55:08Z")
SB class?
I’m still somewhat confused by the whole class system.
Somewhat still wondering why you didn’t just put the R6 to the track in SS class?
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/17 "2011-06-11T19:00:32Z")
> [@Classic Audi hotness](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/classic-audi-hotness/42958/15):
>
> SB class?
>
> I’m still somewhat confused by the whole class system.
>
> Somewhat still wondering why you didn’t just put the R6 to the track in SS class?
SB = Super Bike Class (very little mod restriction)
SS = Super Sport Class (very close to stock)
They are then separate into weight classes: Heavy [HW] (liter), Middle MW, Light [LW] (sv + others), Ultra Light [UL] (500 or under…I think) some GT classes.
I am now forced to run in LWSB, but I plan to run in LWSS.
600 is more expensive to run.
Rule Book: [http://www.lrrsracing.com/2011/2011\_LRRS\_Rulebook.pdf](http://www.lrrsracing.com/2011/2011_LRRS_Rulebook.pdf)
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### Author:  [@Boost\_Creep](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boost_Creep)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/18 "2011-06-11T21:33:49Z")
really dig the sv650
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### Author:  [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/19 "2011-06-11T21:38:36Z")
> [@Boost Creep"](#):
>
> really dig the sv650
Once I get over the cold I got, I’ll find a day and swing by with mine.
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### Author:  [@RocketPunch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RocketPunch)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sv650-makes-a-great-track-bike/253257/20 "2011-06-14T18:27:47Z")
Transponder is on its way, all I need is fairing…
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