Big boy SV finally tastes some track action!
Well it finally happened, I was able to get everything sorted out with my 2006 Suzuki SV650 so that I could take it onto a track. And boy was it glorious!
I have done a lot of suspension upgrades to the SV and I think it really paid off.
- 2001 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 forks (Racetech Springs/Emulators)
- Vesrah front brake pads
- GSX-R steering damper
- 2010 Kawasaki ZX-14 rear shock
- eBay levers
- SV Racing Parts rear sets
The bike handled way better than in stock trim and the front forks kept the acceleration and deceleration in check. I think that was the best thing I could have every done to my SV.
The only trade off here was that the GSX-R forks were slightly shorter than my SV forks. And I haven’t swapped out my SV tire yet, so that also makes the bike a little bit lower in the front. This all results in more forward rake than I would have liked. The result was a lot of weight on my palms, EVEN when I clamped down on the tank with my knees.
Unfortunately that made me a lot more tired than I thought I would of been. In addition to the very very hot day, this made me extremely fatigued.
I gotta hand it to the riders of the bigger bikes, it definitely takes a fitter person than me to stay in control for an extended period of time. I got in a handful of good laps, but I just barely beat out the times I got when I was on the Ninja 250R.
I’d like to thank Coach Can for the great times and learnings on the track and Dean Lonskey for the great videos and pictures. You can check out the pictures here and take a look at his videos below:
You’re glorious.
Am I glorious? You’re, you’re!