I recently got a stock SV650S and for some god awful reason I've got this urge to rip it apart and convert it. More or less going to turn this into a project bike that'll amuse me for however long it takes for me to accomplish this task. I tried looking around in the garage, but for some reason I couldn't find a thing. Guess my search fu sucks.
I figure I'm just going to throw a few ideas out there and see if they're viable options as I plan to use the SV650 for commuting and a bit of play on the weekends.
With a little research online I've found a few things that can be done on a mechanical level, part swapping for durability and performance. Things of that nature that are pretty self explanitory, though in that I'm not sure if they would be street legal. Last thing I need is to be zipping to work, pulled over by an officer and show up late for a deposition.
List of things that look like fun:
GSXR Front end Swap - I know I'll need to snag new bearings, the front end of a GSXR and maybe throttle cables as I think the stock ones are longer and may snag (Haven't measured, kinda eyeballing). I think I'll have to get a new Speedometer and convert an existing aftermarket piece onto the GSXR front end. (I think I'll have to CL,Ebay or Salvage dive for some of these parts. Though if anyone knows where I can get them for cheap, I'd appreciate it!)
Removal of passenger seat into something else? - Thinking of adding a removeable hard bag or finding a kit that'll smooth it out. I don't plan on ever having a passenger when I ride the SV, but if by some odd thing happens and I do decide to do that. It'd be nice if the swap would be an easy thing to switch around.
Tank Bag - Probably something that'll convert into a backpack or a briefcase thingymajigger for when I have to take more crap with me to work or on a trip. Might do this? I don't know, just spewing random ideas.
Reduce weight - I'd like to reduce weight and I'm not really sure on how to go about on doing this. Sure the SV is light at 380 lbs wet? Mostly doing this reduction for trailer/hauling purposes and I'm sure a little less weight wouldn't be a bad thing when it comes to handling.
Any ideas on how long this'll take me to complete? That is if I get all the parts I need at the same time and perhaps have a friend or two help me? Garage space is kind of a premium and I think I'd only be able to tinker/construct on the weekends. Granted in this I've never really worked on a cycle before, I only have mechanical knowledge of the basics for vehicle maintaince that I learned at an autoshop and whatever else I learned from building my Jeep and other family/friend vehicles I worked upon.
I've got a fair amount of tools and access to more if I pull the right strings, but would I need any specialized tools for this project?
The SV650S looks like a fun platform to frankenstein, but at the same time I'd like to keep it as street legal and safe as possible. Any tips and ideas would be greetly appreciated as I think I'm about to dive into something that may be a spot out of my league but by damn am I going to do this.
I figure I'm just going to throw a few ideas out there and see if they're viable options as I plan to use the SV650 for commuting and a bit of play on the weekends.
With a little research online I've found a few things that can be done on a mechanical level, part swapping for durability and performance. Things of that nature that are pretty self explanitory, though in that I'm not sure if they would be street legal. Last thing I need is to be zipping to work, pulled over by an officer and show up late for a deposition.
List of things that look like fun:
GSXR Front end Swap - I know I'll need to snag new bearings, the front end of a GSXR and maybe throttle cables as I think the stock ones are longer and may snag (Haven't measured, kinda eyeballing). I think I'll have to get a new Speedometer and convert an existing aftermarket piece onto the GSXR front end. (I think I'll have to CL,Ebay or Salvage dive for some of these parts. Though if anyone knows where I can get them for cheap, I'd appreciate it!)
Removal of passenger seat into something else? - Thinking of adding a removeable hard bag or finding a kit that'll smooth it out. I don't plan on ever having a passenger when I ride the SV, but if by some odd thing happens and I do decide to do that. It'd be nice if the swap would be an easy thing to switch around.
Tank Bag - Probably something that'll convert into a backpack or a briefcase thingymajigger for when I have to take more crap with me to work or on a trip. Might do this? I don't know, just spewing random ideas.
Reduce weight - I'd like to reduce weight and I'm not really sure on how to go about on doing this. Sure the SV is light at 380 lbs wet? Mostly doing this reduction for trailer/hauling purposes and I'm sure a little less weight wouldn't be a bad thing when it comes to handling.
Any ideas on how long this'll take me to complete? That is if I get all the parts I need at the same time and perhaps have a friend or two help me? Garage space is kind of a premium and I think I'd only be able to tinker/construct on the weekends. Granted in this I've never really worked on a cycle before, I only have mechanical knowledge of the basics for vehicle maintaince that I learned at an autoshop and whatever else I learned from building my Jeep and other family/friend vehicles I worked upon.
I've got a fair amount of tools and access to more if I pull the right strings, but would I need any specialized tools for this project?
The SV650S looks like a fun platform to frankenstein, but at the same time I'd like to keep it as street legal and safe as possible. Any tips and ideas would be greetly appreciated as I think I'm about to dive into something that may be a spot out of my league but by damn am I going to do this.
Last edited:
