Changing the color of your SV650/SV650S.
Suzuki has given us (especially in the US), an odd choice of colors for our Suzuki SV650 motorcycles.
For example, if your preference is red, and you want a naked bike, you need to purchase either a '99, an '00 or an '01. And the color of the '99's is a bright red called "Pearl Helis Red", whereas the only color choices for a naked '02 were Black or Yellow.
So what can you do if you want a different color for your sv?
You could take your bike into an automotive paint shop, and have them paint
it... which would cost close to $1000.00 for a professional job. Or with a
compressor, HVLP paint gun about $100 worth of paint and lots of elbow grease,
you could paint it yourself. Or you could even cheese out and with about $15
worth of rattle-can paint you could paint your own bike.
If you do decide to paint, you will probably not want to tackle painting the gas tank. Suzuki puts a vinyl sticker underneath the clearcoat on the tank. You won't be able to remove the sticker without damaging the clearcoat on the tank. The only way to properly paint the tank would be to sandblast it first, then paint it. You could even get fancy, and obtain a Vinyl Suzuki sticker before you apply the clearcoat. The other issue about the tank would be sandblasting. In my experience, once you sandblast, its almost impossible to get all the sand out - and sand and gas do not mix (actually, they mix and get stuck in the fuel filter.)
But can you believe that you could have the same or better results and it would cost you (probably) next to nothing?
Simply the best way to change the color of your SV is to purchase the desired colored parts from other users, swap out the parts, then sell your own parts. I call it the "Great SV Color Swap".
At any given time on Ebay there are usually 2 or 3 auctions currently running with the parts that you'll need to change the color of your bike. If you don't want to use Ebay, try the discussion boards for the SV:
SocalSV-Riders website want-ads.
Basically, for a naked bike you'll need:
Left and right rear fairings
Front Fender
Tank.
For an SVS, you'll also need all three front fairings.
My recommendation is to gather the parts you'll need first, then swap them out. Once you've completed the swap, sell your parts. Either put them up in the classifieds (which is free), or list them on Ebay (which costs a nominal fee, but you will get whatever the market determines is the value at the time of your auction closes).
Prices on Ebay will vary depending on a variety of factors. If you're selling stuff on Ebay, it goes a long way in your favor if you've had a long history of selling, with lots of good feedback. Also, complete descriptions with photos will help potential buyers determine that you have the parts they want.
You might also need a guide to the various color availability. I made up the following guide for this very purpose:
http://www.itrocks.com/editorials/sv650colors.html
This covers SV colors in the US. You might even try Canadian or the UK or Australian Ebay sellers to get colors that are not available in the US like Black or Yellow SVS parts.
I found a few auctions on Ebay for rear fairing pieces in good shape for about $17 a piece, although they will close for $60 a piece or more. If you are patient when you use Ebay, and keep your eyes open for a bargain, you can find them towards the lower end of the price spectrum.
Tanks can go for as much as $300 (I believe Suzuki charges $400). Although I got a black tank for $150. Again, timing can be everything. (Black goes with everything - and I think the demand is so low since in the US it was only used for one year).
Basically, expect to pay out about $500 (as much as $1000 for SVS) to collect all the pieces that you need. Swap the parts out, then sell your parts (or keep them if you ever want to change the bike back, or if you want to keep spares for a crash.) Although you may have to pay to have parts shipped across the country, if you do it properly, you should be able to recover most of the money that you spent.
There will always be a strong demand for parts on Ebay, because many people purchase crash replacement parts here, or they too are looking to change the color of their bikes. Besides people selling their old colors off, some racers buy SV's, and remove the stock plastic and sell it on Ebay. Many people buy aftermarket tails, and sell their rear fairings on Ebay, and some people even buy crashed bikes, and sell off the undamaged parts.
I actually got all my parts from Ebay and the boards, except for the front Fender, which I painted myself.
Can you believe this is the same bike?
(yes, I know, the first picture is a naked SV, and the second is an SVS... thats a long story - for an upcoming article).
One thing to keep in mind: '99-'02 year bikes all pretty much will swap one year to the next. '03 bikes appear to have all different plastic parts and tanks. This includes the front fenders, from what I've seen. (Oh, and the front fender from the Suzuki Bandit appears to be identical to the SV650 - although I have not confirmed that yet).