Installing a ZX10R Shock on an SV650

As an added bonus, the replacement is Clean

The internet said it could be done, so I did it. Although the internet wasn’t entirely correct, I did pull out the grody old Suzuki shock, and plonked in my New (to me) ZX10R shock and spring. Supposedly, I’ll get the following added bonuses:
-Increased spring rate for the rider who doesn’t frequent a gym as often as one should
-Full adjustability for Preload, Rebound, and Compression for the riders who knows what they’re doing
-Similar overall lengths to the assembly for the rider who does not want to sit any higher or lower
-Completely bolt in, almost no modification required* for the rider who wants the option to go back to stock (but why would you?)

*No Modification

I take issue with that last bit, the “no modiciation” business. The internet I was looking at when the internet told me this was an easy swap is at the following link: https://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80387

According to this poster, the only modification necessary was the removal of a redundant splash guard around the battery box. This poster was also referencing a 2nd Generation Naked SV650. I myself have a 1st Generation Naked SV650. I thought to myself, they couldn’t have changed that much about the battery between the generations, right? It’ll definitely be the same. It wasn’t the same.

The 1st Gen SV650 doesn’t have that “unnecessary spash guard” mentioned on the internet. No, in it’s place, is the physical battery box. I’m no expert in motorcycle design, but I wouldn’t call the battery, nor the box which contains it “Unnecessary.” So rather than give up, I got out my dremel tool. And my tin snips. And my 2nd pair of tin snips. And a variety of curse words I had forgotten existed. And, as you can see in the photo above, there is now a shock absorber reservoir sized hole in the corner of my battery box.

That battery now sits on top of the shock absorber (cushioned by some additional rubber), and sits maybe an inch higher. The fuse box (which used to sit on top of the battery) could not handle sitting an extra inch higher, and had to be relocated further into the tail section. I put everything back together, started it up, went on a few rides, and nothing has burned down.

Progression

The ride is much smoother with the new shock, so I’d say it was a success. Cost of the shock and the extra Kawasaki nut and bolt (The equivalent Suzuki bolt is 3mm to short) comes in at way less than $100, and I’d say it’s a worth it swap. Although battery re-location/re-design may be in order.

The picture above shows how the bike used to sit on the old shock vs. how is sits on Kawasaki tech. It also shows how much the bike has changed in the year and a half under my ownership. I generally document every modification I make on CT, but it’s nice to see a 1:1 comparison of the current progression.

The last thing which is apparent from the above image, is my unfortunate propensity to go riding on rainy days. Some things never change.