Suzuki Sv650
SUZUKI SV650
Specatacularly styled, persuasively priced and a real kick in the pants
ON ANY GIVEN DAY HERE AT THE CYCLE WORLD offices, we have a half-dozen or more brand-new motorcycles just waiting to be ridden. Thing is, over time the bikes in our garage have become super-specialized. Niche-oriented, if you will. In the streetbike category alone, you have your sportbikes, sport-tourers, luxo-tourers, touring cruisers, mega-cruisers, etc. More and more motorcycles are doing one thing extraordinarily, at the expense of doing everything well. What ever happened to the honest-to-goodness, straight-forward bike? The motorcycle's motorcycle?
Say hello to Suzuki's SV650. Sort of a standard, sort of a commuter, not quite a sportbike but sporty nonetheless. "It is a unique model that will fit into a lot of categories," explains a Suzuki spokesman.
Some of these include: 1) female riders, due to the bike's small stature; 2) re-entry enthusiasts, because of the unintimidating V-Twin motor; 3) those looking for lower insurance costs, thanks to the naked design (read: "no expensive plastic"); and 4) riders who simply want a per formance-oriented midsize motorcycle.
CYCLE WORLD TEST
The SV joins Suzuki’s already crowded middleweight stable. At $5699, it’s financially on par with the Bandit 600 and less expensive than the Katana 600, while costing just a little more than the entry-level GS500E. From the other manufacturers, competition comes in the form of Honda’s $5799 Nighthawk 750, Kawasaki’s $4999 Ninja 500 or Ducati’s $6995 Monster 750. The latter being the little brother to the popular Monster 900.
Of these bikes, it is the Ducati that the SV most resembles. But more than that, the SV looks like a small version of Suzuki’s TL1000S. Says a Suzuki type, “We wanted a smaller sporting V-Twin. The idea was to take the TL styling and mechanicals, and put them in something smaller and lighter.”
So. A kinder and gentler TL? Actually, yes. The SV’s smooth-running 645cc V-Twin, for example, shares the larger-displacement TL’s 90-degree configuration, liquid cooling, four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts.
There are, of course, discrepancies. Most notable is the cam-drive system. The SV’s bumpsticks are driven by chains off the crankshaft, and not the nifty hybrid chain/gear setup afforded the TL. And unlike the fuel-injected TL, the SV is carbureted; it does its breathing through two Mikuni 39mm downdraft carbs. Spent gases exit from a stainless-steel 2-into-l exhaust system.
So in spite of some similarities, the SV engine is no TL clone. The spunky motor has a personality all its own, and a vibrant one at that. On the CW dyno, it made 64.2 rear-wheel horsepower at 9000 rpm and 42.3 foot-pounds of torque at 7200 rpm. Impressive, particularly when you compare that to the pricier Monster 750, which made 58 bhp when last we tested one.
Even more interesting is comparing the SV to Ducati’s Monster 900. Yes, the Due makes 6 more horsepower than the Suzuki, and 13 ft.-lbs. more torque. But at the dragstrip, the energetic SV sprinted through the quartermile in just 11.85 seconds at 110 mph, compared to the 900’s 11.98/108. Top speed for the unfaired SV is a very respectable 128 mph, as opposed to the Monster’s 125.
That said, we should note that before we took it to the dragstrip, we pointed the SV toward some of California’s more awe-inspiring roads. Southeast, toward the mountains above the Anza Borrego Desert, where the winding roads are plentiful, lengthy and wellpaved. We also journeyed north to the popular Angeles Crest Highway, to explore the surrounding and less-traveled thoroughfares.
What we found was a compact, userfriendly package. Novice riders enjoy the SV's light weight and easy-handling personality. More experi enced enthusiasts appreciate its extensive cornering clearance and willingness to be flicked into tight turns.
It's also easy to appreciate the bike's almost vibration-free engine, which revs with a feline growl. Good torque off the bottom, too. There's no need to carefully balance throttle/clutch machi nations-the thing just goes.
Underway is when the SV’s naughty side starts to show. Hold the throttle full-on in first gear and the SV will perform a nice, progressive wheelie as the tach needle sweeps past 7000 rpm-no clutch work required. When the front wheel is back on the tarmac, the bike contentedly chugs around in higher gears all day long. Fussy it ain’t.
Not that there’s any reason to avoid the transmission. The six-speed box offers light, smooth shifting with a very indexed feel. Missed shifts are nonexistent and neutral is easy to find at stoplights.
The chassis offers nothing to gripe about. Not only is the attractive aluminum truss-style frame an integral part of the SV’s naked styling, it endows the bike with light handling and neutral steering. Combine that with the wide, Superbikestyle handlebar, and you have ample leverage for effortless turn-in. These characteristics are most entertaining on the spi ralling Angeles Forest Highway, where the SV hunkers down smoothly for ever-tightening curves winding through snow-covered hills. In fact, the bike is so easy to flick back and forth that turning around and re-running sec tions of ess-turns isn't just an option, it's a necessity.
Some of the SV’s performance-oriented personality can be credited to its sportbike-like specs. Weighing-in at 392 pounds dry, the narrow-waisted machine has sporty rake/trail figures of 25 degrees/3.9 inches, a relatively short, 56.9-inch wheelbase and low, 32.2-inch-high seat.
The seat itself is firmly padded and quite accommodating, though all-day excursions can leave the rider a little stiff. But overall, the riding position is upright enough that back and neck aches aren’t a problem. The SV’s seatbar-peg relationship works well in virtually any riding situation.
Further helping the SV’s ride are the non-adjustable Kayaba 41mm fork and single rear damper-in this case a conventional preload-adjustable shock rather than the controversial rotary unit employed on the TL. The suspension is supple enough to soak up freeway expansion joints, yet competent in moderate to hard sport riding conditions. Even on pavement riddled with midcorner ripples and blemishes, the SV holds its course and doesn’t shake its head when leaned over.
Confidence-inspiring? Yes, and the brakes are even more so. Macho twopiston, single-action Tokico calipers grip twin 290mm rotors up front, while a smaller two-opposed-piston caliper acts on a single 240mm disc in the rear. On the tight, descending, serpentine route that leads into Borrego Springs, the front brakes provide fine stopping power with positive, progressive feel. Perfect for scrubbing off speed before diving for the apex. The rear, and this is our only complaint about the brakes, borders on oversensitive.
As sporting a ride as the SV is, it also is up to commuting. With its slim, girlish figure, it lane-split through the most congested of L.A. freeway messes. And bungee hooks for tying down parcels are conveniently located beneath the passenger seat. Underseat storage, which accommodates a toolkit, disc lock and a few odds and ends, is easily accessible with the key.
The last time Suzuki set out to build a middleweight standard, the result was the quirky VX800, whose rakedout steering head and shaft drive were about as far from sportbike-spec as you could get. The SV650, on the other hand, is a sporting yet versatile middleweight with plenty of high-performance character. It’s reasonably priced, trendily styled and fun to ride. Really fun to ride. You got a problem with that? □ >
EDITOR'S NOTES
TAKE A SPiN ON THE SV650, AND you'll probably wonder when the last time was that you had so much fun on a motorcycle. The SV is such a hoot to cruise around on, it makes me wish I was back on campus. A true Monster for the Masses, the SV is a wheelie showman's delight. And even school poor, I could probably swing it. Stunning two-wheeled entertainment for less than one diverted student-loan check? Sold!
A bike that actually makes you laugh out loud in your helmet for just $5699 could get a whole new generation into bikes. On a bang-per-buck, smile-per-mile scale, this thing has the needle pegged.
So, Europe gets the cool fairing and dropped set of bars...who cares? Ours is more comf~j in the real world; this thing is so upright, there should be an illustration of the SV in every modem dictionary next to the word "motorcycle." Pray for a spec roadracing series. -Paul Seredvnski, Associate Editor
WHEN I WAS JUST A UTILE GIRL GRO WIN' up in the South, my mama warned me about motorcycles like Suzuki's new SV650. "Now you stay away from the likes of that, Wendy Christine," she'd admonish sternly, wagging a well-man icured finger in my general direction. "Things like that are positively sinful."
And ooooohh, she was right. Sinful is indeed the word to describe the SV. Which-heh, heh, heh-is why I love it so. From its naked (gasp!), visceral styling to its rich, grumbling exhaust note, the Suzuki tugged at my heart strings before I even rode it. And then, after experiencing the pleasure of the bike's easyhandling, nimble performance on some of SoCal's twistier roads, 1 was about ready to swoon. The salacious, unexpur gated truth of the whole matter is that 1 guess the SV has wrapped me around its little metaphorical finger. Good heavens, Mama would never understand... -Wendy F. Black, Associate Editor
WHETHER YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR A MiD dleweight value that provides plenty of performance for the dollar, or a light handling Twin in particular, the new Suzuki SV650 delivers the goods.
I'm outright impressed at how well this package works around town, on the freeway and even when sport riding the backroads. Suzuki has found a true balance with the SV650; it's every bit as well-rounded as the distinguished Katana 750, but fresh on the scene and full of twin-cylinder charm.
While the SV650 may offer the perfect stepping stone for riders who have outgrown Suzuki's entry-level GS500, it's also a good choice for riders of any ability who are looking for a comfortable and capable machine. Think Honda Hawk GT, think Yamaha RD400-heck, think Triumph Bonneville. And did I mention that it does great wheelies? That, in itself, just about doubles the SV's fun factor. At $5699, the SV may be the poor man's TLI000S, but it's a lot better than going without. -Don (`anet, Road Test Editor
SUZUKI
SV650
$5699
