Latios - SV650SF

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

I changed the oil and found the same filter situation as I had with my VFR 400, not compatible with a sandwich oil cooler/heater unless you get a special nut that likely no one makes. Threads are part of the block, so I would need a block from a model that came with the cooler/heater to install one.

I did actually find adapters which may work for my application!



Site offering these adapters alone: https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/s...xtension-bolts

They come with these oil filter adapter plates which are designed for tapping into oil flow for turbo use, pressure gauges, oil coolers, etc. I wouldn't need the plate in this case unless I want to rig up a pre lube pump(i do eventually), just the little screw thing for now. Now the problem is finding one that will fit the thread pitch of the SV: M20x1.0.

Most seem to be M20x1.5 or an imperial size. Either way, at least one of my vehicles in the stable is getting a sandwich oil filter cooler/heater.


My accord uses M20x1.5
The CBR 250R has an internal canister oil filter, so no luck there

Currently trying to figure out the VFR 400, it sounds like the oil filter thread can SCREW OUT by grabbing with vicegrips, I thought it was cast/machined into mine though. I could easily check by holding a magnet up to the threads, if it is steel while the rest is aluminum, that would pretty much confirm that it is threaded in. That being said, this is a rare vintage bike, so I want to play it safe. The CB/CBR 900 oil cooler that I got did come with its own screw, so we will see... IF I do go through with this, i'll probably try to find some nuts that are the same pitch so I can double nut the threaded rod out without damage.

Next time i'm at the junkyard I will see if I can get one out.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

I want the cat to reduce emissions. A huge reduction in emissions at the cost of ever so slightly reduced performance and increased weight is a trade off I am willing to make. Going to a free flowing pipe on my CBR dropped gas mileage. Of course I jetted it richer, but it did lose some low end power.

I'm not so obsessed about the emissions, but I also take exhaust mods with a grain of salt. But anyway, anything that trades off some low-end torque is not suitable for your 100 MPG goals...

[Daschicken]

Lots of new mods just installed! The rear tire hugger is off, and has been off for a while, I need to fabricate some brackets to move it further from the tire, it digs in a little. On to the mods.

V-Strom 650 camshafts are designed for improved low rpm power/rideability as opposed to the more top end oriented SV650 camshafts. V-Strom owners sometimes swap to the SV camshafts for more power, I went the other way. There are instructions on the DL to SV swap, which involves swapping only one pair of cams, shifting the other, and re-marking them. That is great and all, but that doesn't help me for going the other way..

I got a pair of heads with camshafts from a V-Strom and went ahead and installed them. This was a two day project with all the work and screw ups that happened. First time I went to start it, it would only pop a little bit and started pouring oil out the back of the engine. Turns out I didn't seat the valve cover gasket on the rear of the cover, it is really difficult to see back there and I didn't remove the gasket from the head as I would need to reseal it.





You can see a slight difference in the lobe profiles, but nothing significant. V-Strom set on left, SV on right. I think these were the rear cylinder cams. I measured the lobe heights and non lobe diameter as well, but no lobe separation angles or anything like that. The DL intake cams had 0.5mm less lift, while the DL exhaust cams had a whole 1.5mm less lift. The V-Strom cams also had a shallower ramp up, while the SV cams are pointier.

So I fixed the gasket situation and went ahead and rechecked the timing. In my excitement to get this done, I didn't realize I misread the directions that I had, and I should have been using V-Strom instructions to begin with anyways! The instructions for timing the rear cylinder said to spin the engine over one revolution and get back to the front cylinder timing mark. I missed that part, but I got it right anyways. The rear timing was correct to V-Strom specifications, but not the front cylinder. The front cylinder intake camshaft was 90 degrees off.

Luckily I only had to fix the front cylinder. Getting to those camshaft tensioners is no fun. I also didn't have to adjust valve clearances despite the new cams.

While the coolant was drained, I installed a hotter thermostat from the 2003-2006 SV650. It is a 88C (190F) thermostat instead of the 76.5C (170F) thermostat previously installed. As I was finishing this up, my backordered V-Strom velocity stack showed up. I had ordered the velocity stacks previously, with the new thermostat.



So the new velocity stacks went in as well! Definitely not easy, and you have to check by looking at the bottom to make sure they are seated correctly. They did not bulge out on the inside where they meet the airbox. These things are definitely an improvement over the puny ones the SV comes with standard.







When the bike was ready to test ride, all mods had been installed. Apparently I had forgotten another oil leak on the rear head, which I would find later. The bike seemed to idle smoother and quieter, but now had more mechanical noise and a new fizzing noise (oil leak!). Riding away it pulls smooth and strong. It also doesn't buck in higher gears until 1900-2000 RPM instead of the previous 2200 RPM. Accelerating hard below 3000 RPM is now MUCH smoother as it would previously vibrate. Before having to turn back due to the oil leak, I full throttled up to 7000 RPM with no signs of power loss yet. Just smooth torque! I did not pay close attention to coolant temperature on the ride, but the one temp I do remember seeing was 180F. It would usually be around 165F in similar conditions with the standard thermostat. Needs more radiator blocking!

That oil leak I mentioned? It was just a stupid missing gasket for one of the cylinder head cover bolts. It still managed to spray oil all over the areas above and behind the rear cylinder, some of which got on the edges of my rear tire. Replacing the missing gasket eliminated the fizzing noise, and the mechanical noise seems back to normal levels. I tried to spray and wipe all the oily areas, but I suspect it will continue to drip for the next few days.

No word on MPG, but hopefully it will be better! I may have to get a power commander to reduce the fuel, as there is no fuel mixture adjustment built into these things except for maybe altitude. Still have to do a plug chop and check.

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Next time i'm at the junkyard I will see if I can get one out.

I did go through with this, pulled one out of a V6 accord but it is a completely different thread diameter on the other end. It would make more sense to get one of the adapters I mentioned above.

[Daschicken]

I have run a partial tank through with the new cams in. It came out to be 75 MPG, which is disappointing. HOWEVER: I filled it in a different orientation, tank facing down on previous fill vs tank up on this fill, so this fill will be pessimistic. The small fillup only amplifies this inaccuracy.

Also, I only discovered after the trip was over that my radiator blocking tape was peeled away. While riding, the temperature would climb to 187-190F, then quickly drop to 174. This was the thermostat repeatedly opening and closing as the cooling system was too effective vs what was being demanded of it. I went ahead and blocked off half of the radiator, so hopefully that should eliminate the temperature fluctuations.

As far as the ride report goes, nothing bad to report! I took it up to 10,500 RPM this ride without noticeable power loss. Still another 1,000 to go, but even with the stock cams the bike noticeably loses power up there. I'm going to have to ride mine and my brother's back to back to notice a difference up there.



After the ride, I checked a spark plug, and it looked slightly rich. This is not a surprise, as this is an open loop fuel system. It does not adjust the fueling based on O2 sensor inputs, which when I found out, I was disappointed of course.

To compensate for this, and maybe get a little more intake noise, I went ahead and got a SV 1000 intake snorkel. This snorkel appears to have twice the intake area of the 650 snorkel. Unfortunately I haven't ridden it with the new snorkel yet, but it should improve the fueling.

EDIT: Tried the snorkel out, feels the same, intake noise at full throttle is monstrous. I checked a plug after the ride and it looked just as rich. It was a short ride, so it was warming up for a good bit of the trip. I’ll check it again after a longer trip.

[Daschicken]

Two fills with the new mods installed, 75 and 73 MPG.

I think it is safe to say that the new cams are not helping without a tune. As I have said before, this bike unfortunately has an open loop fuel system. This means that the FI runs off a programmed map rather than reading an O2 sensor and adjusting the mixture on the fly. What I have done here is allowed less air into the engine, but shifted the power down lower. This means that the bike is running richer, but I can hold gears slightly longer. Potentially needing more throttle to accelerate. So really I am using more gas right now.

It would be interesting if I could get my hands on a V strom ECU, I wonder if the rest of the bike will play nice. Otherwise I am looking at getting a Teka SFI tune to lean out the fuel maps. As opposed to a powercommander, the Teka reprograms the existing ECU. This should eliminate any potential reliability issues like what I have heard with powercommanders. I may even be able to get the idle speed turned down with the tune, it sits at 1,300 RPM right now, I think it could be dropped to 1,150 without issue.

Other than the cams, I have no reason to believe that the other mods are not helping. I should check the spark plugs again, plus compare them to my brother's stock SV.

These cams fall into the category of competition/range extension/environmental savings as opposed to cost savings. I suspect the tune will override any cost savings from improved fuel economy, but who knows. We will see!