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By DrSatan Mar2005
SUZUKI SV1000 N K3 2003 “The Blue Meanie”
Performance
1. Blueflame Cans. Biggest single item, both size and cost, has been
the addition of Blueflame twin-port, anodoised titanium cans. The
blue anodising matches the bike’s colour (nice), and the sound is
awesome. Each can has a blanked-off outlet and one with a baffle,
all retained on circlips, giving you 4 sound options; strictly road
legal but throaty, loud, very loud and straight-through. Fortunately
I got them second hand at £330; new price is £560. Bike runs a bit
lean on straight through pipes, but the ECU and related sensors seem
to compensate well for the other 3 options. Overall power is
increased, with no apparent loss anywhere in the rev range. Highly
recommended.
2. TRE. I’ve seen a lot of argument about TREs. Don’t believe the
‘downers’ – they do make a difference, but not to overall power –
the difference is more subtle than that. The snatchiness of the
stock engine is much improved; it becomes much nicer to ride in
traffic, and low gear power delivery is smoother. I fitted the
Ivan’s Smart TRE5, which doesn’t spoil tickover when in neutral.
3. Blindspot mirrors. At £5 for the pair, these must be the best and
cheapest performance and safety enhancement you can get – nice to be
able to see, and you soon get used to the 4 images you can see,
although the different magnifications take a bit longer to adjust
to.
4. Dynojet Power Commander PCIII USB. Wish I’d read all the threads
before buying this. What a con! Maybe the biz for racing, but for
road use it’s not worth the hassle or the expense. Wouldn’t buy
another. Does enable me to run on straight through pipes without
going lean, but the bike’s own systems do just fine on anything but
an all out race setup. Be warned.
5. Air Intake Mods. Thanks to the Portal for all the advice about
airbox mods and snorkel etc. Didn’t take the snorkel off, but did a
gasflow job on it and cut the plastic out between the ribs on the
airbox cover. Does make a difference and very little downside if any
I have noticed.
6. Suspension. Again, thanks to the Portal. The road holding was
fine at standard setting, but the feel just wasn’t right – a bit
unnerving on bumpy corners. Beefed up the fork spring setting,
adjusted the rebound and damping to the settings for my weight and
‘hey presto’ – handles a dream.
7. Scottoiler. A must for anyone doing serious mileage. After 8,000
miles of hard driving, in all weathers, my chain and sprockets are
still as good as new. Fits very neatly under the rear seat, routed
under the front seat and down the frame to the pivot end of the
swingarm, and then along the swingarm. Hardly noticeable.
Cosmetic / Comfort / Convenience
8. Suzuki belly pan. Real rip off price from Suzuki, about £270, but
it do look nice.
9. Suzuki seat cowl. Another nice addition and quite cheap at £50
compared to some of the after-market options. Bikes like this with
high pillion seats are not meant for carrying passengers – and if
you haven’t got a seat for them, you have the ideal excuse.
10. Suzuki hugger & chainguard. Do they actually do anything – who
cares, looks great. Got this at a remarkably cheap price off ebay.
11. Powerbronze Flyscreen. Another nice colour-coded addition, and
takes away that otherwise unfinished look the front of the Naked
has.
12. Pyramid Fender Extender. Result is a largely crap-free engine,
and living in a rural area as I do, crap is a real problem!
13. Hamicad radiator covers. Say no more.
14. Swingarm bobbins
15. Motrax crash mushrooms.
16. Tail tidy (Vines). Another ebay purchase, and while it now looks
and works well, it was a bit of a sod to fit. Anyone getting one of
these, drop me an e-mail -- can probably save you an hour or two of
frustration.
17. Motech 20mm handlebar risers. Fitted these since the photos were
taken. They didn’t quite line up with the existing holes on the bars
and caps, so a bit of drilling needed, but being long in the arm as
I am it is now much more comfy around town.
18. Harris tank protector
19. Harris handlebar grips. More colour-coded goodies with Suzuki
logos, just to remind me, lest I forget, that it is a Suzuki SV1000
that I am riding!
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