ARGHHH. Drop.

[Jomega]

so I just bought a used SV650S yesterday (03).. quick back story I've been riding for about 4 months, took the MSF, put 500 miles on my ninja 500 and sold it yesterday.

I practied riding slowly all day yesterday to get the feel for the SV. good got it..

I went out riding today all day.. my friend and I decided to head down skyline. (slow speeds.. i'm not trying to be a badass)

at the end of the day, I'm tired my back is sore and I want to be on my couch. (dont get me wrong the riding was fun.. for the first 3 hours)

I do fine all day.. then I get to the turn RIGHT NEXT TO MY COMPLEX. less than a block away.. all I'm doing is making a right turn at a green light.. I swing too wide, my wheels hit the median and I fall into the shrubbery in the middle.

only damage I can see so FAR is a busted up front fairing. and a banged up pride.

I was sitting there trying to figure out how the hell that happened (good thing my roommate was there to help me get the bike out of the dirt and shrubbery)

he says I took the turn way too fast.

The weird thing is i didn't perceive it as too fast, nor was i trying to take it fast. so I'm just wondering why all of a sudden I decided to take it way faster than I should of..
Twisties all day? Fatigue?


oh.. and if anyone can tell me where to get an '03 SV650s upper fairing too that'd be great :barf

[Enchanter]

Other possible contributing factors could be that you were looking at the curb/median, or that you simply didn't press (forward) on the bar enough. When some riders get tired, they tend to lean their body to get the bike to turn rather than counter-steering correctly. Locked elbows tend to contribute to this.

[Holeshot]

I agree with Tim...Locked elbows and not looking where you want to go. Bikes literally STOP steering when you lock your arms.

[plambert]

Originally posted by Jomega
so I just bought a used SV650S yesterday (03).. quick back story I've been riding for about 4 months, took the MSF, put 500 miles on my ninja 500 and sold it yesterday.

I practied riding slowly all day yesterday to get the feel for the SV. good got it..

I went out riding today all day.. my friend and I decided to head down skyline. (slow speeds.. i'm not trying to be a badass)

at the end of the day, I'm tired my back is sore and I want to be on my couch. (dont get me wrong the riding was fun.. for the first 3 hours)

I do fine all day.. then I get to the turn RIGHT NEXT TO MY COMPLEX. less than a block away.. all I'm doing is making a right turn at a green light.. I swing too wide, my wheels hit the median and I fall into the shrubbery in the middle.

only damage I can see so FAR is a busted up front fairing. and a banged up pride.

I was sitting there trying to figure out how the hell that happened (good thing my roommate was there to help me get the bike out of the dirt and shrubbery)

he says I took the turn way too fast.

The weird thing is i didn't perceive it as too fast, nor was i trying to take it fast. so I'm just wondering why all of a sudden I decided to take it way faster than I should of..
Twisties all day? Fatigue?


oh.. and if anyone can tell me where to get an '03 SV650s upper fairing too that'd be great :barf


I have a Ninja 500 (my first bike), thinking about upgrading to an sv650 or sv650s this spring/summer.

How has the adjustment been? I know the seating position is substantially different, but is there a huge difference in power, response, handling, general feel, etc?

Sorry if this is a little off-topic.

[Jomega]

ahh.. good point about the elbows.. I'm having some problems with the elbows i noticed yesterday...

I guess you're supposed to keep em low for more turning.. But i would continuously extend my arms for some reason (seems more natural?)

but yeah i did see that curb and I pretty much had some target fixation going on, the thing is.. how can you not have some degree of target fixation when you're pretty sure you're going to stack? I mean you kind of want to have a feel of where you need to land or how you're going to brace yourself?

Also, when you guys are turning, do you put your weight on the pegs to lower your center of gravity? or is that unnecessary if you don't have the bike fully leaned?

I was practicing swerving the other day and it seemed like when I pushed down on the the pegs I seemed like the bike would move a lot quicker than when i just counter steered and leaned.


plambert, it depends a little on which 650 you're looking at.. the '03s and up are actually a good sizer bigger. If you look at them side by side you can really tell. so keep in mind the 01s (which are still really friggin cool) are a bit smaller and have a lower seat position. I would prolly recommend the 01s after riding my 03 and my roommates 01.

the 650s aren't going to be as nimble on low speed hard turns it seems due to the wider radials vs your narrow bias tires. the ninja seemed a little more forgiving to me, but the adjustment took all of about a day. theres a few times where I felt the bike wobble or do something though that I don't believe would have happened on the ninja. you feel like you're a bit more over the front tire so when the handle bars turn you sort of get nervous like its going to come out from under you.. takes a bit getting used to. it's a little torquer (=fun :) ) nothing crazy by any means.
keep in mind the standard (non s) has a bit more of a standard seating position and is geared lower for more torque).

At higher speeds though the SV650 def. feels a bit more stable than the 500

hope that cleared some stuff up, lemme know if you have any more questions..

and thanks for the feedback guys.

[Holeshot]

jomega, most certainly weighting the inside peg will help a bike to steer. In fact, counter steering is really refering to action before one enters a turn. A bike's tire always points away from a turn (counter steering) before turning into it. When the tire turns in the direction of the corner, you're now steering.

What happens with locked elbows, or a stiff inner arm, is the front wheel is not allowed to steer more into the direction of a corner, effectively locking the steering angle in place and not allowing a sharper turn.

You can absolutely change direction midcorner by loosening your inner elbow, pushing your shoulders and head toward the inside of the corner, and being loose on the bars.

Go try this in a longer sweeper type turn and see if helps any. Remember, we all use our lower bodies to hang onto a bike and our upper bodies to work the controls. Grip with your legs...

Let us know what you find.

[Enchanter]

Originally posted by Jomega
ahh.. good point about the elbows.. I'm having some problems with the elbows i noticed yesterday...

I guess you're supposed to keep em low for more turning.. But i would continuously extend my arms for some reason (seems more natural?)
Keeping your arms bent will allow you to actually turn the handlebars. Imagine trying to drive your car with locked elbows. Yeah, not impossible, but damn close.

Originally posted by Jomega
but yeah i did see that curb and I pretty much had some target fixation going on, the thing is.. how can you not have some degree of target fixation when you're pretty sure you're going to stack? I mean you kind of want to have a feel of where you need to land or how you're going to brace yourself?
Once I accepted that you go where you look, and that it is a primary factor of the crashes I had, then it didn’t take me long to stop doing things that would cause me to be injured. There is no way to ‘brace yourself’ or choose where to land. Motorcycle riding Ninja’s have been unable to use their fighting skills to tumble or tuck and roll to avoid injury.

Originally posted by Jomega
Also, when you guys are turning, do you put your weight on the pegs to lower your center of gravity? or is that unnecessary if you don't have the bike fully leaned?
Weighting the pegs can give the rider more leverage on the handlebars for more effective turning is some instances, but it doesn’t lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle/rider combination.

Originally posted by Jomega
I was practicing swerving the other day and it seemed like when I pushed down on the the pegs I seemed like the bike would move a lot quicker than when i just counter steered and leaned.
There is a possibility that you ‘perceived’ that it leaned more because your body actually leaned more in the opposite direction of the motorcycle due to your focus on the pegs. Don’t base your success or failure on how much the bike leaned. While coaching students in the technique of swerving, I have seen many students lean the motorcycle without the desired change to their path of travel. In other words they hit the obstacle they were trying to avoid.


Originally posted by Jomega
the 650s aren't going to be as nimble on low speed hard turns it seems due to the wider radials vs your narrow bias tires.
The tires are only small part of the ‘feeling’ you are describing. There are many more variables between the EX500 and the SV650 that have a greater influence on the handling.

[plambert]

Originally posted by Jomega

plambert, it depends a little on which 650 you're looking at.. the '03s and up are actually a good sizer bigger. If you look at them side by side you can really tell. so keep in mind the 01s (which are still really friggin cool) are a bit smaller and have a lower seat position. I would prolly recommend the 01s after riding my 03 and my roommates 01.

the 650s aren't going to be as nimble on low speed hard turns it seems due to the wider radials vs your narrow bias tires. the ninja seemed a little more forgiving to me, but the adjustment took all of about a day. theres a few times where I felt the bike wobble or do something though that I don't believe would have happened on the ninja. you feel like you're a bit more over the front tire so when the handle bars turn you sort of get nervous like its going to come out from under you.. takes a bit getting used to. it's a little torquer (=fun :) ) nothing crazy by any means.
keep in mind the standard (non s) has a bit more of a standard seating position and is geared lower for more torque).

At higher speeds though the SV650 def. feels a bit more stable than the 500

hope that cleared some stuff up, lemme know if you have any more questions..

and thanks for the feedback guys.


Thanks for the feedback. I didn't realize the differences between the SV revisions extended to the ergonomics -- if and when I start looking, I'll try and ride both if I can.

[Jomega]

once again thanks for all the advice guys.. sounds like i need to go hit up some more empty parking lots.
think i'm gonna cool it on the major roads and freeways for a bit too.



plambert., I highly recommend at least sitting on the 1st and 2nd gen sv650. and then a non S version, you'll notice they all feel somewhat different..

the non S version actually felt the most comfortable, but if you're into the look of the SV650s like me, just try the 1st and 2nd gen S

[PorradaVFR]

You want......a SHRUBBERY!

http://luminescencias.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/HolyGrail107_Knight-of-Ni-750166.jpg


;)

sorry


Ok...target fixation - check.
tense arms - check.

Try to remember the chicken dance - every now and then wiggle your elbows. If you can't, your elbows are locked and that's a Bad Thing™. As for target fixation, let "LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO" be your mantra.

[Jomega]

LMAO.
god that was random.

-go where i look
-bent elbows
-slow in fast out

I'm going to write these 3 things on my arm for the next 2 weeks.

[PorradaVFR]

Add one:

- Watch more Monty Python movies so I will get Intarweb joke references. ;)

[Jomega]

Ni!

i got it dood.. that doesnt make the reference any less random ;)