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budget 2002 sv650 cafe racer

32K views 252 replies 20 participants last post by  gt alex 
#1 ·
Hi just registered, I am half way through but this is my first cafe racer so any advice is welcome.
Here are some photos to kick things off.
 

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#4 ·
Not quite running yet. the reg/rec blew taking out the cdi, battery(li-ion), gauge cluster and headlight as well.(hope all else is ok) got a used cdi suzi wanted over $800. get reg/rec and still have the std battery so once the battery tray is finished(nearly there, this week I hope) fingers crossed it fires up. Then saving some money for a aftermarket gauge cluster and headlight.
 
#8 ·
I almost bought a new SV650 in 06'... was ready to sign paperwork when a sweet deal on an 02' Sportster 883 dropped in my lap. I still wonder if I made the right choice. For me the SV650 was the perfect naked bike, easy enough for a young rider, but enough fun for an advanced rider too. Good looking off the factory floor and in need of nothing IMO.

I had to do a double take on the underside of that seat pan, looked like plywood for a second lol. Make sure you address all the functionality first, function over form...always. Personally I think it looked better stock, but if you like the seat that will hammer your back side like Broke back mountain, go for it. As long as your happy with the end product and it is safe, then who cares what assholes like me think lol.
 
#13 · (Edited)


This is how I started, learn to cut ninety degree fishmouths, tack and weld. repeat. I have buckets and buckets of these.
This one I used a really small filler rod. Oh yeah, and a reasonably priced, but good quality chinese TIG.

Welds may not be instagram worthy, but I make sure they are quality and at least better than the 70's frame welds I see on the bike.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I don’t think I’ll ever get instagram worthy TIG welds unless I build some sort of power assist for the rod. My left hand is just too buggered up. Might get better with practice... I still tell myself that I should try feeding rod while I’m watching the next episode of “As the stomach turns” on the national news channel. I look at MIG the same way. I’m never “really” happy with the way they turn out, but they usually look as good or better than the factory welds. There seems to be some sort of law or rule that if the weld is hidden it will be flawless. The more visible it is, the higher the odds you’re going to shit the bed, the breaker will blow, or the feed will hiccup. That Lincoln TIG just hoses out the argon. No post flow adjustment, so the cost of practicing isn’t cheap. Might add a manual solenoid valve. My AC TIG hasn’t improved since I did this a good while back.... not sure I want to get really good cause then folks start showing up at your door. Did some for a friend the other day and thought afterwords I should have fucked it up. Something to be said for creative incompetence. Keeps them from coming back or sending work your way.

Metal Aluminium Steel Composite material Rectangle
 
#16 · (Edited)
50% art 50% science, if you don't get equal penetration to both pieces of metal or lack back fill you're going to have a failure.
Is way easier to weld 2 pieces of the same type and thickness material to begin with,
if you are welding washing machines to motorcycle frames it just became 99% science and 1% art.

I used to sell and service microscopes that were used in destructive testing of such things, they do a test weld, cut a cross section of the test weld and then examine the metal structures and boundaries, was very cool stuff and gives you a far better appreciation of the science involved to do it right.
 
#18 ·
its been slow going but time for a update.
1st the engine is running again so the gumtree used cdi worked.
The wiring looms have been rerun to fit the new rear
the rear end is ready for sand blasting then I will be epoxy priming it, and I will get some 2 pack paint to match the oem frame colour.
The new lithium battery fits just.
I have started work on a single throttle body manifold which is just a experiment, the 42mm tb flows 450cfm and is a vintage mechanical setup (who knows how it will end up, I just can't help myself)

Anyway here's some pics
 

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#21 ·
I read this with interest and what you have done looks in proportion and aesthetically pleasing.
I have a 2002 sv 650s myself just got it a month or so ago and it has surprised me how a small v twin with just 70hp and around 380lbs performs so well, its no rocket ship but its handling keeps you entertained and the more i use it the more i like it.
I plan on putting my SV on a diet everything i own ends up being looked at for what is not 100% necessary yet stay legal and practical for intended use. If you can shed a side stand inhibitor switch and associated wiring , and save 100 grams, and look at everything else with the same dietitians eye the grams turn to kilograms and its amassing what you can save. Tyres are not created equal a little research can give the weight saving and even chains vary in weight.
Holes weigh nothing remember and as long as structural integrity of a component is not compromised is free power to weigh ratio gain , it as become a obsession with me and along with reducing overall gearing, good things can happen often at zero or low cost.
 
#22 ·
Holes weigh nothing remember and as long as structural integrity of a component is not compromised is free power to weigh ratio gain , it as become a obsession with me and along with reducing overall gearing, good things can happen often at zero or low cost.

Thanks gravel rash I am pleased you like the path it is taking, a 520 spocket conversion is down the track when the budget allows. the rear end has allready lost a lot of weight but it's hard to shed the kilo's on the front.
I am fitting a after market gauge set since the old one burntout.
cuting down the oem front gaurd
changing the duell brake lines
smaller head light and indicators
and will try my lighter single throttle body once the rest is done and will keep it if over all performance is the same or better

Gearing I'm not to sure on at the moment. I read the nake sv650 with 1 extra rear tooth is quicker to 130km then areodynamics kick in and the S with fairings gets the advantagem
I'm going naked and light. I was thinking if the s has 44, naked 45, my cafe racer 46 so as not to give the fairings the edge?
 
#23 ·
There are some CRAZY lightweight SV's. A few are just sub 300#'s but the price to get there is multiple times what the bike originally cost.
Beautiful ones out there though. It is a great platform to play with from what I hear.

380#'s is probably not that light anymore. Most of the supersport 600's will get close with an empty tank if you go with track plastics and strip the lights and mirrors.
I am down around upper 350#'s with my gsxr750 now with some lightweight wheels and 1/2 tank of gas in track trim.
 
#24 ·
I bought a smaller head light for my cafe racer SV650
It arrived today but the good thing I found was the h4 spare globe I had fitted straight in so I didn't have to change wiring.
There are no locating groves for the H4 so you just need to face it the same way as the original headlight and cut a bigger hole in the dust cover
 

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#25 ·
Just got my chinese gauge set, I have done my homework and don't really predict any deal breaking problems.
My goal is to get all functions working even things a bit tricky for my model including gear indicator and fuel gauge and use the standard speed sensor.
The only strange thing will be the engine warning light will be repurposed as a oil pressure warning (the chinese must not care about a oil light.
 
#26 ·
I the sv 650 cafe project has been waiting but today I have made some steps toward getting the frontend the way I want it.
rubbers on the fork tubes, twin brake lines to front calipers, cut up a drag bar to made more adjustable clip ons (the clip on bracket .had a 7 deg angle now rotating the bars gives huge adjustment)
then i decided to chop the front fender.
All being well I should get it finished tomorrow
 

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#30 ·
All seems good. been doing some test rides. Althought the the preloads had been set for static sag before the rear frame was changed. Due to bike weight lose I had to reduce rear preload by 2 full turns.
Having been there, I'll bet eventually you'll hit a bump that will make that rear tire contact the rear fender. Remember the rear tire will extend a little as it compresses.
Nice looking bike, though! I'd ride it!
 
#32 ·
Compression dampening is a function of shock absorption (resistance to change)
it is the spring that carries the weight and determines the ride height of the motorcycle.

You won't be adjusting ride height and fender clearances by adjusting the shock absorber dampening settings, she don't work that way.
 
#33 ·
The spring rate is spot on with correct sag both static and loaded. in that situation if the wheel is traveling to much on bumps the compression damping fine tunes that travel.
So I was not suggesting this would change ride height or static fender clearance. That would be silly. thanks
 
#34 ·
The bike has a linkage on the rear suspension,
that makes adjusting the swingarm position super cheap and easy with no actual change to the shock or spring.

... I have no idea how one could know it is correct without riding it to see if it actually rides like a pogo-stick or follows the road bumps well, ymmv.
best luck with your project :cool:
 
#35 ·
To check sping rate at the rear for a given application. with the rear wheel off the ground get a vertical measurment to a frame datum. the with someome holding the bike up with wheels on level ground remeasure and adjust preload so the sag from the full drop measurment is 1cm less, then still with help holding the bike get on with full gear in riding position and remeasure. if that measurment drops a futher 35mm +- 5mm the spring rate is suitable for performance street use. if it sags too much it is too soft and not enough too hard. on the front I normally go 25 bike sag and further 25 with rider and tune to taste fiddling with preload.
pogoing is normaly a result of mismatched damping front/rear.
Changing dogbone length raises or lowers the back with only small impack on spring rate from altered geometry and none on damping.
It is a bit like cooking different cheffs have their own reciepes
I would like to hear reciepes others use when setting up. it all helps
 
#37 ·
My BMW rides nice on the street, that has a tiny bit of spring sag even with my uber lightweight ass on it, mostly because the thing is fitted with progressive rate springs designed to provide some rider comfort on little bumps. (bike is definitely not a high performance suspension setup) My MV Agusta by sharp contrast is all about performance and screw the comfort, constant rate springs, stiff as shit in the rear, the only way I can make the rear suspension actually work as it is designed to do is to ride it very illegal like (high speed and frequently on the rear wheel only, it thrives on that kind of riding) My trials bikes are dead easy to suspension test and adjust :/ just ride up and down a few 4 foot vertical rock faces, the spring rates, tire pressures and shock settings become immediately apparent. Performance street use? Not sure what that even is, imho it's either a great performance bike, a great street bike, or a bike that has been performance compromised.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I've been chasing suspension settings and monitoring tire wear at the track this year. I've exhausted a lot of mental energy contemplating the topics of geometry and springs and suspension and the role they play in motorcycle dynamics.

As far as spring rates, my little synopsis is this...

Springs function to 1) support the bike and its rider 2) absorb some of the forces that are applied to the tire and wheels (ie bumps) 3) maintain the tires' contact with the ground for traction.

Without going into extensive discussion, softer springs that are set with enough preload will accomplish the above effectively. There is a youtube channel Engineering Explained I believe that has an video that explains why softer springs are actually better at maintaining tire contact with the ground than stiffer springs.The video pertains to cars but the same explanation can be applied to bikes in this example.

So, why then are track bikes sprung so stiff?
The simple reason is that in a corner or braking or accelerating, load is put on the front or back or both suspensions that a softer spring is unable to support the bike and rider while maintaining adequate suspension travel. For example, imagine a race bike cornering at 45-50 deg lean angle and around 1.0g load. the springs are now loaded with twice the sprung weight of the motorcycle and rider. Can that be an additional 500 pounds? Maybe, I don't know the math enough to be sure. But it is a significant amount of additional weight compressing the springs. This requires a higher spring rate to keep the suspension from bottoming out if it encounters a bump while compressed.
It is not uncommon for a 140 pound professional rider needing a spring stiffer than a 200 pound weekend trackday rider. The reason all comes down to how hard they ride the bike.
This is the reason why one "correct" spring rate for a racing motorcycle is a fallacy. Many times, there will be different "correct" spring rates for different tracks depending on the amount of braking, accelerating and the types of corners present.

By setting preload, you can fine tune the chassis in a corner by adjusting the ride heights front and rear so that the bike will either be more stable or more responsive. This fine tuning of preload is way more important on track than what free and rider sag is when the bike is sitting in the pits.

In contrast, a street rider cornering at 20-30deg lean and modest braking levels won't need the heavy stiff springs that a racer might and would actually benefit from a comfort and safety standpoint with a softer spring as long as ride height is maintained.
 
#42 ·
It appears to have less then half the rear wheel travel clearance of a normal sportbike. Not sure how you could ever stand that thing up on the rear wheel coming out of a corner under hard acceleration and not be dragging hard parts on the tire.
 
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