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SV1000 for commuting?

BWARD76

BWARD76

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2010
Location
Sacramento
Moto(s)
2014 Street Triple R, 89 Honda Hawk. 64 Triumph. 07 TRX 450R
Well it looks like I'll be commuting from Sac to the bay for work hopefully starting around May/June. At 6'1" I just don't care to be stuck in a small car for that time. In an effort to not run my truck into the ground I decided to pick up another bike just for this purpose. My other bikes are older and not very commute worthy. Immediately I'm drawn towards Sv 650's and fz's just for the comfort and dependability alone (also a sub $5k budget). I've stumbled on a couple SV1000's for pretty reasonable and was curious of how they fit. Ive had back issues in the past, so an all out sport bike is out. I don't want to bug anyone that's selling one because I'm not buying it until the beginning of may. I've been riding for years so the size doesn't bother me but just curious if anyone here has any input on commuting on one. Thanks, Bob.
 
mate an SV with a handlebar kit, lowered pegs, & a shield - you'll be good to go......
 
Well I have not used an SV to ride to work, but I have on an FZ1 which was your other choice.

I ride from Danville to Redwood City ( hour each way)

The FZ was great. Plenty of power, very upright, comfortable bars. Decent wind protection since its naked on the bottom but jas a windscreen up top. I actually wound up selling because it didn't get fantastic fuel economy and ate tires. I was getting sub 35 MPG which for a freeway commute didn't seem so great. I was running sport turing tires but quickly got tired of buying a 190 rear just to ride freeway.

Have you considered something smaller displacement?

I sold my FZ1 for a CBR250. Yeah, quite a power loss I know. The reason I suggest this is because you will get killer MPG ~70, everything is cheap on those bikes, and easy to find. You could spend about $3k on a nice CBR or ninja 250 and be good to go. I would never have taken this advice without first buying the FZ and then wanting something different (I like to learn the hard way). But for such a long commute and so many miles, just buy something dirt cheap.


Oh and I'm 6'3" 200lbs so although the bike is relatively small you should have no trouble
 
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Maybe the V-Strom should be considered also. Ugly as sin but very comfortable.
Or TL with yoshimura cans, you'll ride it just for the music.
 
Hi Bob......I have an 03 SV1000S that has been my daily driver and all around "go to" means of transportation for the past year. I am also a long time rider and I can't say enough good things about this as a commuter and long distance ride. My commute is from Santa Cruz to San Jose up 17 so I'm on the bike for atleast 2 hours per day and I've done some traveling on it as well, Yosemite, NV, So Cal to Mexico, coastal runs down 1 to Malibu and am considering the Iron Butt this year. I would not hesitate to hop on for another trip at any time. The ride is comfy (I have a Sargent seat), positioning is good for a tall person (I'm 5'9) as a rider and a passenger (the bf and I commute together on it) and am comfy with my arm and leg reach. I've also had 0 mechanical issues. Extremely reliable. Starts every time. Put on a set of Pirelli Angels ST or your favorite touring tires and off you go! You'll love it! Great bike, great ride! :party

:ride
 
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Awesome. Great input. I do plan on doing a bit of traveling on it as well. I know a cruiser type would be a comfy choice but I just can't do it. Not knocking you guys who do just personal preference. Thanks all.
 
BWARD76 said:
Awesome. Great input. I do plan on doing a bit of traveling on it as well. I know a cruiser type would be a comfy choice but I just can't do it. Not knocking you guys who do just personal preference. Thanks all.
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If the positioning is too far forward for your back, I have 1 1/2" risers that have never been used if you want to consider them. I'm probably not going to use them. This year, she's going to do triple duty for me, commuting, traveling and track. I'll end up with a tall windscreen as well. Something you might want to consider as well for your commute.
 
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Hi Bob,

I have been using 2003 SV1000N for my daily commute. It is an excellent commute bike with a higher bar (than SV1000S). I used to ride Z750S but I had to rev it high to get going at a reasonable pace. With SV1000, it is much easier as the engine provides an ample torque from the low end to all the way to rev limit. SV1000S with a bar riser would give you an excellent commute bike. The only coplaint I have is the gas tank size. I have to go to a gas station every 120 miles.
 
SV1000 would be a great commuter bike....except for tank size.

that's one reason I'm still using the ZRX. I can go 200 miles a tank so I refill every other day.
 
Smilygo said:
Hi Bob,

With SV1000, it is much easier as the engine provides an ample torque from the low end to all the way to rev limit. SV1000S with a bar riser would give you an excellent commute bike. The only complaint I have is the gas tank size. I have to go to a gas station every 120 miles.
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^^^^Agreed. The torque is quite nice on the low end. Giggles when you get in the power band at the top end. Commuting I fill up about every 120-150 miles. Traveling, fill ups are between 150-165.
 
Well I'm looking at potentially a 180mi round trip. Gassing up both ways could be a PITA.
 
Yea....Mine is 100 mile round trip. It's a PITA in the cold and rain, but otherwise tolerable. On the freeway, you'll get about 150-165 per tank.
 
An old Bandit 1200 for freeway commute. Good low end torque. Good size rider triangle. Cheap to buy/insure.
Gas mileage is in the 45's cruising but easily goes to 30ish if you abuse the throttle.

Its pretty comfortable as well.
 
Are you talking about making a 180 mile round trip every day?

That would get old fast.

I've made the 100 mile trip between Pleasanton and Folsom a bunch of times, including several times on my KTM 990 Adventure. You need enough power to stay out of the way of all the big trucks on I-5 and Highway 99, so you should reject that CBR 250 suggestion. You need 50-80 horsepower to easily deal with traffic, and good wind protection.

Most of the big bikes suggested so far sound like they would work. A sport touring bike would be best for that long commute. I usually don't worry much about fuel range, but I agree that life would be better with a bike that can easily go 200 miles on a single tank of gas.

As for riding position, I found that the Ducati ST2 that I used to own, which had me leaning forward about four inches from vertical, felt better on my back than the totally upright position of my KTM. It took quite a few months for me to adjust to the straight upright position on the KTM so that my back didn't bother me on a long ride. For some reason I'm okay now, and I don't know what changed.

If this job change is a long-term thing, consider moving closer. Even on a motorcycle every day, that long of a commute has to be quite stressful.
 
I bought an SV1000 last november that I'm planning on doing the same with! bar risers and a nicer seat for commuting. had suspension softened by Catalyst. It has yoshimura cans and people who hear it tell me, "you're gonna get sick of that noise" and i just laugh...no freaking way. I think you'd love an SV1000.

but admittedly, I am sacrificing various kinds of comfort for an irrational love of gnarly bike.
 
180 miles a day is going to wear out your bike, wallet, and most importantly, your brain. That's basically 4 hours a day driving or riding. It gets old after a year or two. I commute about 100, and any more would simply interfere too much with having a life.
 
ScottRNelson said:
Are you talking about making a 180 mile round trip every day?

That would get old fast.

I've made the 100 mile trip between Pleasanton and Folsom a bunch of times, including several times on my KTM 990 Adventure. You need enough power to stay out of the way of all the big trucks on I-5 and Highway 99, so you should reject that CBR 250 suggestion. You need 50-80 horsepower to easily deal with traffic, and good wind protection.

Most of the big bikes suggested so far sound like they would work. A sport touring bike would be best for that long commute. I usually don't worry much about fuel range, but I agree that life would be better with a bike that can easily go 200 miles on a single tank of gas.

As for riding position, I found that the Ducati ST2 that I used to own, which had me leaning forward about four inches from vertical, felt better on my back than the totally upright position of my KTM. It took quite a few months for me to adjust to the straight upright position on the KTM so that my back didn't bother me on a long ride. For some reason I'm okay now, and I don't know what changed.

If this job change is a long-term thing, consider moving closer. Even on a motorcycle every day, that long of a commute has to be quite stressful.
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I would be working down there m-f for probably 6months to a year. I'm pretty planted where I'm at as I'm buying the house I'm in now in the Arden Park area. I'm a Union Electrician and based out of the Sacramento local. I was laid off in January and there is no work in sight for at least 6months to a year. San Francisco is picking up hence why I'm opting to travel for a bit. I do have my truck that fits me well and I love to drive but I just wanted to cut down on the miles I'd put on it. And truth be told, I'd rather buy another bike than a little car. Maybe not the smartest decision but what the hell, I was divorced last year and expect to make a few stupid decisions. Lol
 
BWARD76 said:
I would be working down there m-f for probably 6months to a year. I'm pretty planted where I'm at as I'm buying the house I'm in now in the Arden Park area. I'm a Union Electrician and based out of the Sacramento local. I was laid off in January and there is no work in sight for at least 6 months to a year. San Francisco is picking up hence why I'm opting to travel for a bit. I do have my truck that fits me well and I love to drive but I just wanted to cut down on the miles I'd put on it. And truth be told, I'd rather buy another bike than a little car. Maybe not the smartest decision but what the hell, I was divorced last year and expect to make a few stupid decisions.
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Okay, got it.

I would still suggest that you look into renting a room somewhere closer to where you'll be working. I did that in Folsom for a couple of months two years ago, so I was only making the trip each way once a week. It will get to be a real drag riding home for two hours at the end of a hard day, staying there just long enough to sleep, then heading back out in the morning for two more hours to go back to work.

Maybe after you've tried commuting daily for a few weeks you'll see the advantages of renting a room local to your work.

Good luck. :cool
 
SV1000 is an underrated bike, IMO.

But again IMO, for that kind of commute, get a Wee-Strom. The one before they shrank the tank (2011 and earlier, IIRC). The range is ridiculous. It's very comfy, particuarly for tall folk, and particularly if you get a MadStad bracket for the windscreen and hand guards to keep your hands happy. The only downside is that the power is pretty moderate, but that keeps the range long. You can put a lot of luggage on it, and it's as reliable as an SV650. Oh, and you can see over traffic very easily on it.
 
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