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SV650 Minimum Cost Racebike E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Sunday, 23 December 2007
This page is designed to document the absolute minimum cost to take a stock SV650 and race it in the AFM's new 650 Production Class.  These instructions will also work for WERA LWT Superstock with one noted exception, and are likely to work fine for WSMRC, OMRRA or CCS although I haven't compared
the rules to be certain.

Clutch Cover

First generation 99-02 SV650s require an after-market clutch cover for racing.  You can install this in about 5 minutes, just leave the bike on its kickstand. 

Belly Pan

You may want to get a full set of racing skins, but these are generally quite expensive and often require you to replace your instrument panel as well.  The absolute minimum entry point is a legal bellypan.  Here are some options.
  1. $225 BRG Racing's Belly Panz (US)
  2. $180 Twinshack's Belly Pan (UK) for 2nd Gen 03-08 or for 1st Gen 99-02

Number Plates

 If you invest in full race bodywork, you can put the numbers on the bodywork.  But the cheap option is to mount number plates on the stock bodywork.  I wish I could find some links to online places, but my searches are coming up short.
 
For now, I recommend going to the local dirt bike shop and purchasing the number plates there.  They should only run $10-20 apiece.  You need 3 - one for the front, and one for each side in the back.  

Safety Wire

 If you search the Internet you can find many guides for how to safety wire your bike.  But honestly you'll be better off just taking the bike to a local racer shop and having them do the safety wiring for you.  The following places are known for doing a good job, and seem to be in the $100 range.

There is another argument that says that doing this yourself is a great way to get a feel for what is on the bike and how it is put together. It's all part of become one with the machine stuff...

Things to Remove

All of the above places can remove all of these items for you, and it's probably easier just to have them do it.  But if you want to do it yourself, the following things must be removed:
  1. All lights -- headlights, tail lights, turn signals, etc
  2. License plate and mounting bracket
  3. Mirrors
  4. Passenger footrests
  5. Side stand
All told it's only a half-hour of work to do it yourself.

Steering Damper

The AFM does not require a steering damper, but WERA and most other organizations do.  Here are the best choices for steering dampers.

  1. GPR $395 from Viets Performance (not listed on page but contact them and they'll order it)
  2. Pit Bull $405 from Kneedraggers
  3. Scotts works fine but has some clearance problems, especially if you install a GSXR front end.
  4. Ohlins is available but very expensive

NOTE: Do not try to mount up a cheap side-mount steering damper.  I did this and it seemed to work until I was racing at Fontana, where I came in from the last race to find the cyclinder burst and oil all over my front fork.  I got lucky, save yourself the drama and don't go there. 

Leathers

This isnt' SV-specific, but you'll need a full set of racing leathers, back protector, gloves, boots and a Snell 2002-certified helmet.  For the cheap route you can purchase a premade suite (like Fieldsheer or Dainese) for $600 new, or $100-300 off ebay.  Always buy a helmet new.

Requirements

Now that the bike is ready, you need to get your AFM license.  Start at the AFM New Racer guide