Who knew a throttle body sync could make such a difference? Seriously. Who knew?
I left the dealer’s with a smile on my face and promptly carved up some corners on the fresh pavement on Salem’s River Road. Consistent fueling and throttle response makes a world of difference in being able to corner with confidence.
The smile matched the ones generated by test riding a Tiger and a Speed Triple. Though I must say there’s just something about downshifting a Speed Triple with aftermarket pipes. Mrrrowr!
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I never adjusted that on my SV. The new owner adjusted it and said it made a big difference. I never noticed a problem.
Tiger? I like that bike but its a little tall for me.
Stacy:
The Tiger is too tall for me too, but I love the speed triple.
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
@Mike P.: This SV has had a persistent fueling issue that presented itself as a very “notchy” throttle and a surging feeling at certain RPM ranges. I probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to it had I not owned a smooth-running SV before.
It could be that you never noticed it on your bike; and/or you got used to the feel of the throttle.
@bobskoot: The Tiger’s only too tall to those unwilling to bend it to their will.
I have to admit the Tiger is on my list for a future bike. Cant wait to see the new Tigers this summer.
The surprising part to me isn’t the value of a carb synch. It’s that you were able to carve some corners on River Road. I always encounter heavy traffic!
On my 850 boxer it is recommended that you sync the throttle bodies at the same time you adjust the valves. The throttle bodies (carb’s on your SV) drift over time, so it’s very hard to notice, until they are sync’ed, then you wonder how you were able to ride the bike. If you have a bike with multiply carbs or FI throttle bodies and you have never had them synced you might want to have it done.
How much does this cost? My SV650 (2007) has terrible engine braking and a super sensitive throttle. If I’m not really careful, it’s like the brakes are being slammed on when I’m in a low gear… kinda scary in the corners. Will this help that?
@irondad: I usually do too, but I guess the motorcycling gods were smiling upon me.
@GAW: The 2nd gen (2003+) SV650 has fuel injection. You’re right about throttle bodies needing to be sync’d (or at least checked) periodically. The SV650 service intervals chart shows every 7500 miles or so.
@cjbottaro: The dealer charged me for 1.5 hours of labor. At the $70/hr shop rate it came out to $105.
Will a throttle body sync help? It might.
I would also have the dealer check for any error codes on the various fuel injection sensors. You can do the easy part yourself if you know how to enable dealer mode. I DO NOT recommend that you do a TPS adjustment until you have the fuel injection sensors checked out and the throttle body sync done.