Hating new bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

Hating new bike

adrisen

adrisen

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Hi everyone.

So I picked up my bike on Thursday June 8, 2017 and I think I absolutely hate it. Knowing that where do I go from here. I am having quite a few issues, and really don't think I can get over them. I went from a Suzuki GW250 to a Suzuki SV650. I understand that there are MANY differences between the two bit I just can't get comfortable on the new one. Where would I go from here? Do I sell it, trade it in? Or should I contact the school I took my course with and see if the can assist with the issues. I loved it when I saw it, but now it is terrifying me.

Lost and could use direction.
 
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You are not even remotely close to getting used to it, you haven't owned it long enough.

The SV650 is a very good all-around bike. What is it that you don't like about it?
 
Brian P said:
You are not even remotely close to getting used to it, you haven't owned it long enough.

The SV650 is a very good all-around bike. What is it that you don't like about it?
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1) Vibration causes my hands to go numb
2) Constantly stall
I never had an issue with slow speeds until now
3) Attempting to turn etc is like a horror movie, Almost dropped it twice but it was an almost,
4) I find the size of the bike in general or just the ability of its power awkward and frighting.

There was something that I obviously loved about it, but now......
 
Thank you, I will play with some of that tomorrow and see if it helps. I am just so overwhelmed with this machine. I know it was a big jump from my smaller bike.
 
adrisen said:
Thank you, I will play with some of that tomorrow and see if it helps. I am just so overwhelmed with this machine. I know it was a big jump from my smaller bike.
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Nervousness and anxiety is totally normal when jumping on a bigger, heavier and more powerful machine. Don't let this feeling deter you from exploring and learning your new bike ... SV650 is an amazing mid-range motorcycle and I'm sure if you ride it frequently enough you will get used to it. By the end of the summer I bet ya you'll be laughing at your post ... stay cool and safe!
 
1. It's a twin, they buzz. Get grip buddies or grip puppies and don't have a death grip on the bars. You don't need to grip so hard.
2. It's an FI bike isn't it? The fuel maps of some FI bikes aren't too smooth at low speeds so learn to feather the clutch if that's the case at low speeds, it will smooth things out.
3. Bigger bike = heavier. Once it's moving all should be well, if you are almost dropping it you're probably grabbing the brakes too much which are most likely a lot better than your old bike. Turning at low speeds is a skill you should practice but if you go too slow then Mr Gravity will come and play.
4. You get used to the size but it takes time. When I was a little kid 125s looked huge, many years ago I thought a VStrom 650 was too big....I have a 1300cc tall adventure bike now with massive fuel capacity and it feels fine.
 
So there's hope. I take it out everyday. I guess I really need to just get used to it. I was told i would love it. I want to. It makes me happy


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Some great advice on this thread... It took some adjustment for me when I went from my CB 750 to my 1250 Bandit; especially in low speed situations and starting off with an immediate turn (e.g. being at a red light turning red). There was just so much more torque than my old bike. In time I got comfortable with it. Going from your 250 to a SV650 is not a crazy jump.

You could also look at lowering your seat a bit if it is higher than your old bikes, adjusting the levers etc (as others have suggested). I suspect you are using the same amount of throttle as you did on your bike and you are used to launching your old bike and the new bike needs less throttle etc when starting out. In time I suspect you will adjust to your new bike. Give it a few weeks. Your bike is very adaptable and there are tons of aftermarket and factory options to tweak it to your liking.

Also, some use foam grips to help with the vibration. Not sure if that would help you or not.
 
Zoodles95 thanks. It's been lowered a little. I do think it needs to come down abut more. The dealer loosened the shocks a bit. Perhaps it needs a tiny bit more. But I do think you are correct with the throttle. I give too much and I jerk and have not released the clutch enough and install. Turning from a stop is the issue.


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adrisen said:
Zoodles95 thanks. It's been lowered a little. I do think it needs to come down abut more. The dealer loosened the shocks a bit. Perhaps it needs a tiny bit more. But I do think you are correct with the throttle. I give too much and I jerk and have not released the clutch enough and install. Turning from a stop is the issue.


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It will get better. I loved my Bandit on the highway but was unhappy in the city at first. That came in time.

Hit a school parking lot or something on a Sunday. Snag some cheap traffic cones from Dollarama and do some of the low speed drills you did when you did your riding course.

I do think you made a great choice for your next bike; they are popular for a reason. A few more tweaks in the ergonomics and some more time in the saddle and I suspect you will warm up to it.

Edit: For the stalling just do the old school friction zone thing for a bit. See how much play you have before the clutch engages. Adjusting your lever might help but you are so used to when your old bike's clutch engaged. Also, being a 250 you probably were using 2000 rpm or so to launch the thing. Do that on a V Twin like your 650 which are torquey but nature and it is going to want to jump out of the hole. Just try to idle out and see what happens. Likely you just need to add a few hundred rpm to launch smoothly. On an incline yes a bit more rpm would be needed but likely not as much as you think it needs.

Weird doing a demo day. The CB 500 barely needed any throttle to launch smoothly. F6B with the 1800cc flat six needed no throttle at all, and oddly enough the 1000cc parallel twin in the Africa Twin needed a few extra hundred rpm or else it would stall! Who would have thought that a 1000cc parallel twin needed to be at a higher rpm than a 500cc parallel twin to get going? Probably something with the way that bike was geared.

You are going to learn a ton going up to a larger bike. You must notice how much better it handles and brakes as well. Some decent hardware on that bike. The components will be at a higher level than your old bike. You are likely a little jumpy with the brakes as well. That will smooth out. You will be a much better rider by the end of this season. Enjoy the journey! :)
 
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I am meeting with my old instructor and her mechanic friend. I will get them to help me tweek it. I love it on the highway. It's the city driving.


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adrisen said:
I am meeting with my old instructor and her mechanic friend. I will get them to help me tweek it. I love it on the highway. It's the city driving.


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I suspected as much. I felt the same way about my 1250 Bandit for the first few weeks. It will get better. You made a great choice for your next bike. You will adapt to it and with some tweaks you can adapt it to you.
 
adrisen said:
I am meeting with my old instructor and her mechanic friend. I will get them to help me tweek it. I love it on the highway. It's the city driving.


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I was researching this for my 2005 SV. They talk about the low speed throttle response set at about 3000 rpm before it kicks in. You can tweak it down to about 1450 rpm for better low speed riding. It involved the TPS being moved ever so little. I have not done it yet as I'm waiting on new handle bars first.

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=55459
 
As long as you find the bike comfortable for you overall, you will get used to the rest with time and practice. It takes a while to get used to a new bike, even when you are a veteran rider. One thing you can look into if the vibration in the handlebars is bothering you is either a "bar snake" if you have real handlebars, or bar end weights if you have clip-ons. One of these combined with a slightly more plush set of grips can solve the vibration issues on most newer bikes.
 
I will have the dealer look into that. I would screw that up. But very jerky.


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Morrissey said:
As long as you find the bike comfortable for you overall, you will get used to the rest with time and practice. It takes a while to get used to a new bike, even when you are a veteran rider. One thing you can look into if the vibration in the handlebars is bothering you is either a "bar snake" if you have real handlebars, or bar end weights if you have clip-ons. One of these combined with a slightly more plush set of grips can solve the vibration issues on most newer bikes.
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I just have what the bike came with. It was suggested that I raise them.
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