Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128211
2003 Suzuki SV650/S wildfire. It also didn't take long for club racers around the country to take a liking to the inexpensive SV for their racing steed, which offered an inexpens"JV~ way to go ra ·og. With over 17,000 SV650s sold In the United States since the bike's introduction (including both the standard and S ersions), it's obvious that the bike .nas been well received. In order to keep, the bike's popularity up, Suzuki decided that a facelift was in order for the 2003 model year. Both bikes have been dramatically cmanged, including an all-new chassis, updated motor, and a fresh new-look. By BLAKE CONNER PHOTOS By BRIAN J. NELSON n 1999, Suzuki introduced the SV650 series to the world, and as Suzuki's own Mark Reese recalls, "When Suzuki Japan told us that we were getting a 650cc V-twin back in 1999, I remember saying, 'What are we going to do with a 650 twin?' As it turns out, it ended up being a huge success." Anyone who scoffs at the idea of taking the SV650 seriously is missing out. I mean here is a bike that is absolutely the perfect entry-level machine, yet you won't have to get rid of it the second your riding skills improve. Not only is the bike q ite affordable - $5899 for the naked version and $6299 for the S version with the half fairing - it's a blast to nide. I was recently invited to ride the new SV650 and SV650S around the hills north of San Diego, California, and here are my initial impressions ,after a day in the saddle. Maybe it took a little while for the bike to catch on and gain popularity, but once the word got out, it was like I 10 APRIL 30. 2003' eye I MOTOR TECH The 90-degree V-twin powerplant has received many updates to further improv.e the performance in the SV650/S, starting with the cylinder heads, which: are still DOHC fourvalve per cyli'nder units with shimunder-bucket valve actuation. The key change to the heads is the grind on the camshafts' profile in an effort to improve power and torque. The cams 'now have more duration than e n e _ s the previous model's (both intake and exhaust); the intake cam opens sooner and closes later, helping to improve power, while the exhaust cam opens sooner and closes later to get rid of spent gasses. The cams also have more lift for both the intake (increased from 8.1 to 8.7) and exhaust (increased from 6.1 to 7.3) valves and are now a hollow design for weight reduction. Another key change to the engine is the new shot-peened connecting rods, which are not only beefier their thickness has been increased from 8 to 12mm - but are 10 grams lighter each. To help the engine run cooler with the increased power output, an oil cooler has been added. Fuel injection is the most important change to the bike's engine. The new system features new twin 39mm throttle bodies fitted with Suzuki's SDTV (Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve) system, which incorporates a servocontrolled secondary butterfly to optimize airflow to the combustion chambers just upwind from the injectors. Information from the throttle position sensor, crank position sensor and gear position sensor is fed into the 16-bit CPU-equipped ECM (Electric Control Module), and then the computer picks one of two 3-D injection maps to optimize the fuel mixture. The fuel injection system features an Auto Fast Idle System, so no more worrying about warming the bike up in the morning. There is also a new airbox that features a new panel-type air filter and an increase in capacity from 5.8 to 8.5 liters. On the exhaust side the muffler's capacity has been increased from 5.2 to 6.5 liters by increasing the diameter of the canister by 12mm. For emissions, the exhaust features a catalyzer inside the canister, in addition to the bike's PAIR (Pulsed-Secondary Air Injection). CHASSIS AND STYLING The frame on the SV650/S is all new this year and is formed from three different sections; first there is the sandcast aluminum steering head section; second, the main frame is formed by a high-vacuum-mold technology diecasting method to form the trellis style spars; while the swingarm pivot