alright you guys, im hearing alot of differnt things about the fzr's. is this the bike i should go with or is there seem to be somthing better out there. i have a limited budget with the new bike coming and cant go crazy here.(at least not this year) what the deal with this sv650 . what kinda bike is it and why is it such a good race bike? thanks for all the responses on my first post your all such a bunch of swell guys(tear in my eye). im the boss here need the info(lol) thanks lance
The FZR is a ten year old 400cc 4 cyclinder race bike that is still competitive in a couple of the small bike classes we hold and can usually be found used and race ready fairly cheap. The SV650 is a brand new design twin that came out last year and can be found fairly cheap for a brand new bike at your local Suzuki dealer. For a limited budget look at the FZR. Also check out EX500's and already raced Honda Hawks, any of these will be perfect for a first year racer.
I can use the word "outdated" without making reference to any particular brand. I get the best deals on outdated equipment (gloves, boots, etc.) just because it's last year's model and nobody wants it. Never mind the fact that it's still brand new wrapped in plastic. I've found it's the best way to get new gear cheap. What's that? A blue light special? I gotta run........
The SV650 isn't a "great" racebike (wait, wait.. don't flame me yet, read on!!) The R6 is a "great" racebike. The SV is a great sporty-standard that happens to be the only new ightweight bike brought into the US in the last 10 years. With some modification, it makes a really good lightweight race bike. The FZR400 *was* a great racebike... 10 years ago. It's now an "outdated" bike, but since nothing else Lightweight was ever imported into the states (until the SV), "outdated" is a relative term - it's only outdated when compared to modern bikes of greater displacement. There was a great debate here over the SV, and whether it was actually a "lightweight" bike, and what the term "lightweight" actually meant - The definition for the last 10 years has been a 400cc 4-cyl (the FZR) making about 65hp at the rear wheel. I don't want to start that argument all over again, but the basic problem is that an SV with a jet-kit and pipe makes about 70hp. To get that out of a FZR, you need to build the motor pretty significantly. If you classified the SV as a "lightweight" bike, and let people build it into a superbike, the only viable platform to race in the LW ranks was going to be an SV (if you wated to win). So... in the end, a compromise was made. For right now, the FZR gets a little more displacement (You can go to 2mm over pistons), and the SV can't be built past a pipe and jet-kit. Why buy a FZR instead of a SV? Money. (and/or personal preference) For $2000 - $3000 you can buy a race-ready, superbike built FZR with enough spares to get you through at least a season, if not more. The SV will cost you around $5400 at your local suzuki dealer, and then you're going to have to put at least another $2000 into it (this is being nice - most guys I know have sunk far more) to get it on the track. As far as the personal preference thing does - some people (including myself) just don't want to race a twin. I'm a fan of 4-cly bikes. - Brian Roach #699
