E
very few years, it seems,
the good people who
design and build our
motorcycles step back, take a
deep breath, unplug their own
internal processors and reboot
the business of two-wheeled
fun. The end result is a return to
the primal machine, with fewer
cylinders, less (or no) body-
work, reduced unsprung weight
and hold the gadgets, please.
Think of the Yamaha SR500,
the Harley-Davidson 883, Ducati
Monster and more recently, the
Honda Grom. Less will be more
and the companies gamble that
riders who believe that motor-
cycles had become too complex,
too heavy and maybe even too
fast are going to love these new/
old machines.
Some, like the Monster, were
immediately welcomed with
open arms, even becoming
Ducati's top-selling model of all
time! Others, like the kickstart-
only SR500, needed a stiff boot
from the dealer in the form of
deep discounts to keep them
from wearing in a butt groove on
the showroom floor.
In 1999, Suzuki decided that
riders were ready for a break
from the four-cylinder sport bike,
which had become the flavor
of the day. Engineers borrowed
tech from their own TL1000
models, squished it into 643cc's
and the result was the SV650,
released to a public that didn't
even know it wanted it. Yet!
"Suzuki's third generation
sport V-twin is all about fun,"
gushed Cycle News in April,
1999. Lacking any fairing or
bodywork, the little Suzuki was
not only naked, it was also un
-
ashamed—and deservedly so, as
its 363-pound dry weight was a
whopping 80 pounds lighter than
its four-cylinder, fully faired GSX-
R brother, the Suzuki GSXR-600.
The aluminum trellis frame
was not only a stunning depar-
ture from decades of cradle
frames with front downtubes,
it was also clearly a nod to the
increasingly popular Ducati Mon-
ster, with its trademark (though,
apparently, not trademarked)
trellis frame. Truth be told, the
SV was like a Ducati Monster
for the masses! While the Italian
company was still something of
a boutique brand in the late '90's,
Suzuki dealers were everywhere.
Just like the Ducati Monster,
CNIIARCHIVES
P114
BY KENT TAYLOR
SUZUKI'S
SV650
BACK TO
THE BASICS
The Cycle News
editors were
impressed with
the first Suzuki
SV650 in 1999.
