Third Time's the Charm - Yet Another SV650 Build

Final Product

They say third time’s the charm, and with SVs, that old adage seems to ring especially true. My journey with these bikes has been nothing short of a rollercoaster - from my first Copper '03 that carried me across the country and racked up 60k miles before meeting its unfortunate end in an accident, to a brief fling with a Gen1 that was stolen before we really got to know each other. Now, as most of the Philly crew pivots to Buells, I’ve found myself the proud owner of Morgan’s '01 SV, and this time, I’m doing things differently.

The bike came to me running strong, if a touch rich on the mixture, with only minor quirks - a missing license plate mount and what I swear is a magnetic attraction to trees. But I had plans. Big plans. With winter approaching and some recovery time still on the calendar, I hauled the bike straight to my father’s garage over Thanksgiving. The timing was perfect - I had a stash of parts originally destined for my previous SV just waiting to be put to use.

  • Initial Setup
  • Exhaust Component
  • Left Side Fit
  • Right Side View

Three months passed before I could really dig into the project again. When I finally got back to it, my camera battery was dead - leaving me with only cell phone photos to document what turned out to be a major progress session. The garage became command central as we tackled the cam swap, a job that went surprisingly smoothly with the bike up on the bench.

  • Garage Setup
  • Right Side Progress
  • Left Side Progress

Two weeks of focused wrenching brought the bike to another level. We tackled the persistent oil weep by replacing both side cover gaskets and the rear cam chain tension gasket. The exhaust mid pipes, despite Summit’s “stainless” claims, started browning - nothing a good session with sandpaper and paint couldn’t fix. Tech Spec tank pads found their way onto the bike, and plans were laid for recovering the seats in black.

The transformation was becoming more evident with each passing day:

  • Build Progress 1
  • Initial Stance
  • Surgery Prep
  • Progress Shot

The final assembly brought everything together - cleaned up wiring, modified headlight brackets (thanks to donated fork clamps), and countless small adjustments that make the difference between a good build and a great one.

  • Final Result

The two-hour ride back to Philly proved every modification worth the effort. The bike now plants itself in corners with newfound confidence, the front brakes are gloriously overkill, and the handling… well, let’s just say this SV has found its final form. Better photos are coming soon, but for now, I’m too busy enjoying the ride.

Sometimes the third time really is the charm.