Suzuki Sv650

Suzuki SV650

CYCLE WORLD TEST

As surprising as a gourmet meal in a brown paper bag

MARK CERNICKY

ARE YOU BROWN-BAGGING IT AGAIN while your co-workers head off to some trendy new restaurant where the drinks are cold and the waitresses hot, their favorite “dish" the one in the short skirt? They leave mocking you, but you know that inside your unassuming paper sack is a smorgasbord of favorite vittles, packed by your one-and-only true love.

Suzuki’s SV650 is a lot like that. Even the company’s PR department is surprised by how successful the unassuming middleweight has been since its inception in 1999. The quarterfaired S-model hit our shores two years later, and fared even better. The 2003 model year should see that sale success continue, as both SVs are all-new designs.

We opted for the $5899 standard model, not just for the “totally tubular handlebar, dude,” but because the upright, Supermoto-style riding position is more functional than fashionable. We can appreciate the wind protection provided by the $6299 SV650S's newly shaped fairing, but we also dig the standard model’s comfy, sit-up ergos, especially when riding with a passenger. We’ll take a little wind in the hice to keep our wrists happy-there’s always a trade-off. Subtleties such as footrests a touch lower and farther forward also make the bike better for those with a palate pleased by long rides.

A scant, compact, uncluttered design defines the new SV line. Okay, maybe not that enormous rear fender, which does a great job of stopping water roost from the tire, but is an eyesore and doesn’t follow' the hard lines slashing through the SV’s motif. If it were ours, we’d lop off the fender right beneath the twin LED taillights that flash a red number 11 every time you outbrake a buddy into your favorite bend.

There are changes everywhere you look on the ’03 SV, starting with the stoppers. Though the “plates” are smaller-front rotors went from 320mm to 290mm in diameter; rear from 240mm to 220mm-braking hasn’t suffered in the least. A pair of two-piston Tokico calipers up front and a single-piston Nissin caliper out back let the SV stop with the best of them. An additional two positions of brake-lever adjustment bring the total to a half-dozen for your greasy digits to choose from.

A redesigned truss-style aluminum frame replaces the ovoid tubes used on the old SV, and benefits from new high-vacuum aluminum die-casting, resulting in a smooth exterior that conceals entrails of spiderwebbed bracing for strength. A welcomed addition for those who plan on taking advantage of roadrace contingencies in place for this model is a removable subframe. Crash repairs made simple!

On road and track, line selection courtesy of leverage provided by the wide-ish handlebar allows this mild-mannered machine to reveal its wilder side. With the right amount of anger management, the SV can be ridden very aggressively in the tightest, twistiest pavement pretzels, the solid, together-feeling chassis never tying itself in knots.

Tasty ingredients such as completely predictable handling accented with generous degrees of lean angle mean that deep comer entries are free from the dragging of valuable shiny parts on the deck. And that, combined with commend-

ably gummy Dunlop radiais, helps this little brown-bag special feed a lot of bigger bikes their lunch: soup du jour comer speed garnished with early throttle opening, followed by a dessert of humble-pie served cold!

Up front, you’ll enjoy the company of the Kayaba twins with their 41mm preloadadjustable legs, the standard model getting 1.5mm less triple-clamp offset for an accompanying increase in trail and thus stability.

The base model also gets a 4mm-longer swingarm, but both bikes share a 30 percent increase in rear leverage ratio and a 3 mmlarger-diameter rear axle to give the rear end a more taut, solid feeling. A slightly lower final drive gives the standard model a little more poop to pop you and your passenger away from stops when the lights go green, yet doesn’t sacrifice much in top speed. >

Back to the top of the menu, a new gauge cluster is a noticeable improvement over the previous bill of fare. At a glance, you can read the dial of the central analog tach or the large numbers of the digital speedo directly below. Smaller but still visible are the tripmeter, temperature and time in liquid-crystal display, plus the well-placed warning lights.

Suzuki’s four-valve-per-cylinder, 645cc, 90-degree V-Twin makes extremely linear power without a single glitch in its new fuel-injection system’s delivery. The reason you can grab second while leaned over and exit comers on the rear wheel is the new 16-bit central processing unit. This takes electronic signals from the throttle-position, crank-position, gear-position and intake-pressure sensors on the fly, and turns that data into precise commands for ignition and fuel-mapping efficiency. Talk about sensory overload, an electronically controlled reed valve (dubbed PAIR for “Pulsed secondary AIR injection”) injects fresh air into the exhaust ports, igniting unbumed hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide before they escape into the atmosphere.

Increased airbox volume contributes to a slight performance gain but takes up more space, pushing the fuel tank up into the rider’s personal space, i.e. the area between the seat and bar. Big bellies beware! New camshafts open the valves earlier and close them later, with less lift to give the new, larger intake valves more time to breathe. Ten grams are 10 grams when they’re removed from a connecting rod, each of which was narrowed and shotpeened, making ’em smaller yet stronger. A new oil-cooler is mounted down below the forward cylinder to keep the oil from cooking. Muffler volume has been increased 1.3 liters to ease the exodus of exhaust gasses, which contributes to a power increase but limits flatulence to a non-offensive level. This keeps Officer Friendly off your back and Mr. Insurance Man out of your pocket.

Whether you’re looking for a friendly entry-level streetbike, a lightweight, easy-to-ride sportbike or even a Middleweight Twins racer, the surprisingly versatile SV650 is your bike. It offers a well-balanced diet of fun, practicality and financial feasibility. Brown-bagging it not required.

SUZUKI SV650

SPECIFICATIONS

$5899