Yamaha FZ-07 vs Suzuki SV-650 argument!

[Cruizin]

Ok guys, the time has come for this thread. Some guys have started taking their FZ-07's to the track. This is an open invitation for them to come and talk about their experiences.
 
This is also an invitation for ex SV-650 owners to come talk about their comparisons with the FZ-07.
 
While the SV-650 is not the king of the track by any means, it has been very popular for years and so many have customized their SV's for the track because it handles well, has decent power and is pretty darned light. It's handling characteristics are infamous. The ultimate beginners bike, especially for those just getting into racing. And, many old timers still ride their SV-650's on the track.
 
But, now we have the FZ-07. Low in price, low in weight and if ya make some suspension changes all of a sudden you have a very very good handling bike with awesome low end power.
 
So, what say ye? Is the FZ-07 the ultimate beginners track or twisty bike? Please feel free to share this thread all over the internet on all social media formats.
 
Used FZ-07's are starting to pop up and deals are to be had out there. With so many being sold the past year, and so many more about to be sold, the market is filling up quickly.
 
Deals are to be had. More and more will be popping up on the tracks across the country.
 
Let the argument begin..

[ratlab]

there has been so much development around the sv650 as a track bike,and there are a lot of them around,it's going to be awhile before the fz can catch up.the engine of the fz makes it's power in such a way that,for me it's fun at certain tracks,buttonwillow and sonoma raceway in calif are two with short straights where the fz is a blast.the bigger tracks like thunderhill and big willow not so much.bike just goes flat down the long straights.APR is going to race one,but i think it will be a lot more work and money than the SV to get competitive right now.actually i really like the FZ as a street bike,i have more fun at the track on a super modded ninja 250 and a new R3 that i just got.

[thomascrown]

SV has gsxr fork/brembo swap, and a lot of rear shock swaps. You can get it nice with a swap meet budget.
 
The FZ is a better streetbike. More compact, better grunt off the bottom, and much lighter.

[riding4fun]

For me I am getting back into riding after being off a bike for 9 years. Had fast bikes in the past. The sv650 is a proven motorcycle but a bit dated. The fz-07 is sparking new interest with styling and engine along with the fz-09. I like the direction that Yamaha is going with this like of motorcycle. That is the reason I am serious about the fz-07 being my next (back to riding) motorcycle. Cant wait.

[RobMoore]

My SV650s was my 2nd bike. It came with a yoshi, so the first thing I did to it was a fork spring swap, and then a ZX10r shock. I tweaked everything and was very happy with the bike for a couple years. Then I got the 636 Ninja and haven't really rode the SV much. I was thinking about turning it into a naked bike when I bought the FZ.
 
There are similarities to the two bikes, and both make good beginner/all around bikes.
 
To me, the FZ is much more maneuverable, but the SV is more stable at speed. I never installed a steering damper on my SV, though I did on the 636 as a preventive measure.
 
The FZ needs one if you ride hard.
 
The SV hit 130 much easier, though didn't go much over. The FZ struggles to get there. This is probably more due to my SV being fully faired though, and not an engine/gearing issue.
 
The brakes on the FZ are better.
 
The FZ is more comfortable for me, probably because it's shorter from seat to bars.
 
With exhaust the FZ sounds a little better. They both sound like sewing machines stock.
 
The gauges are better on the FZ ('15 vs '08 duh!!) and an extra nod for our gear indicator.
 
The SV gets slightly better gas mileage, again probably due to the fairings.
 
Both are great bikes. I'm glad I still own both.

[YZEtc]

I owned a 2007 SV650K7 that I bought new in October of that year.
It was a fun-to-ride bike that I ended up spending lots of dollars on with modifications.
 
What I liked:
 
*Light weight.
 
*Good handling, and the bike felt light while in motion.
 
*Good power delivery of low-to-midrange.
 
*V-Twin sound, especially with the Leo Vince slip-on, was great.
 
*The bike had good styling.
 
*It was fun to ride, and then ride some more.
 
What I didn't like when stock:
 
*The front fork did not like sharp bumps at all.
I often joked that the Showa 41mm damper rod fork was straight out of the 1960s.
This seriously ate into my sport riding enjoyment.
Race Tech Emulators came to the rescue and made a big improvement, vaulting the fork up to about 1990-era performance.
Since the fork was then working well, I just had to buy an Ohlins rear shock.
In this state the SV was well-suspended.
 
*The front brakes were weak, even after a swap to more aggressive pads.
The bike came with 1983-esque, 2-piston, slide pin calipers.
The solution was using adapter plates that allowed mounting 2002 GSX-R750K2 4-piston Tokico calipers.
Great improvement to the brakes, and with the addition of a 2005 GSX-R600K5 radial Nissin master cylinder, the front brakes were thoroughly modern in performance.
 
How does my FZ-07 rate compared to my SV?
Basically, the FZ-07 is like an SV with less weight, more torque, much better front brakes (even with the conservative stock pads), and better suspension (even if the FZ-07, itself, has budget suspension).
 
I wish I still had my modded SV to directly compare to my FZ-07.
 
 
 

[Cruizin]

I would imagine that Dobeck Performance and 2 Wheel dyno works can help alot on the longer straights, power wise.

[paulibiker]

Owned a 01 and 07 SV650 (both nakeds). Not sure on the track, but heard the frame &/or geometry on the SV's works better then the 07's. Probably too early to tell.
 
A quick compare..............IMO
 
Ergos:
1. 01 SV650, fit like a glove.
2. FZ07, pretty close.
3. 07 SV650, just something not quite right.
 
Looks:
1. 07 SV650, loved the round headlight with color matched flyscreen.
2. FZ07
3. 01 SV650
 
Gauges:
1. FZ07, not even close.
2. 07 SV650.
3. 01 SV650, I did like it's fuel light. Flashed with about 1 gal left and stay on with about .5 gal left. Always knew how much fuel I had.
 
Engine:
It's a "wash". FZ has more "grunt" and the SV had more top end. Little to no engine braking with the SV (which I liked) and even after the ECU "flash" the FZ still has more engine braking than I like.
 
Brakes:
1. FZ07
2. 07 SV650
3. 01 SV650
 
Suspension:
Pretty much the same budget components that need a little attention.
 
All bikes have real close to the same range, with perfect gearing, with the FZ getting the best fuel mileage.
 
FZ is a lot more compact and lighter.
 
Fueling:
1. 01 SV650 (with an Ivan's jet kit). Smooth, surge free, & rarely had to use choke.
2. 07 SV650
3. FZ07, even after a flash it's still doesn't fuel as well as the other two. Probably due to the EPA. Still not sure why it cranks so long before it starts when cold.
 
This is Yamaha's "SV650". Bikes are very similar in a lot of ways. You would think there would be more differences in 16 years. Suzuki did a great job on the SV. Yamaha refined it and will sell a ton of them.

[Cruizin]

I think that in a few years, when we have 20,000 members and there are more used FZ-07's on the market there will be a ton of these bikes on the track. When you can get a used FZ-07 for $3,500 and put some suspension on, some better rotors, and some more ecu and fuel refinements, this bikes will be a blast on the tracks with short straights.

[mikebike]

The FZ07 has potential but it will be a few years before racers embrace the idea of racing one. I road race and currently I know of two FZ road race threads on other road racer/bike website groups. I was looking into racing a FZ07 next year but the cost is more than triple what it would cost to purchase a fully set up SV race bike. To set down $7K for a bike and strip/toss 25% of the crap parts off and install frame/bar sliders, rear shock, brake rotors, rearsets, race pipe, clip-ons (or low bars), fork mods (if available) and race rubber, I'll have close to $10K into an experimental racer. For that much money you can buy a used BMW 1000RR!!. And at best you will only see 80Hp until someone starts to sell motor build parts...
At some point we're going to run out of $3k SV race bikes, I'm simply suggesting this might be the one that replaces it. I'll be very interested to see how this bike with a simple suspension setup does on the track, if its competitive its going to start making a case for itself.
 
 

[pattonme]

Would that be WERA @mikebike? What rotors did you guys find because so far we've struck out.