VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P115
owners could even prop up their
fuel tanks with a small support
rod, a bonus which made some
maintenance chores less time-
consuming.
There were many features
on the SV650 that were mindful
of the luddite design mentality.
Twin 39mm Mikuni carburetors
sent fuel and air into the engine,
even though fuel injection was a
feature on many models of that
era. Conventional forks and rear
suspension, with only limited
adjustment available, were both
consistent with the less-is-more
approach and they served the SV
well. It was only during aggres
-
sive canyon carving, Cycle News
noted, that the budget suspen-
sion began to show that you get
what you pay for: "You'll start
wishing for those damping ad-
justments that you don't have."
It was hard to argue with the
results of Suzuki's efforts, both
on and off the spreadsheet.
Certainly, when stacked up
against its own GSX-R600, to the
surprise of no one, the 600 out-
performed the SV650. The inline
four cranked out more than 100
horses, 30 more than the SV
and its top speed of of 148 mph
easily eclipsed the 650, which
maxed out at 127 mph. Not a
contest, but when one takes into
consideration that the extra 21
mph would require two more
cylinders, a massive amount of
bodywork, all of which would
add 80 pounds to the finished
product, it becomes more dif-
ficult to declare a victor.
But motorcycling isn't a num-
bers racket anyway. The game is
played on the street and that is
where the SV was a winner. The
650 surprised the CN test crew
with a torque curve that "surged
forward, pulling hard yet steadily
through all six gears…this 645cc
motor…has plenty of gusto and
delivers it in a way that only a
V-twin can."
"Railing the turns is one of the
SV's favorite things to do…" and
the staff must've had a good
time doing exactly that. "Having
to muscle the SV through the
switchbacks is not necessary,
because the bike is willing to
respond to whatever you tell it
to do."
Like its product, Suzuki also
seemed to be responding to
what its riders "told it to do." It
was amusing, yet telling, that the
CN tester pointed out that the
SV650 included such old-school
niceties as rubber-covered
footpegs! Also, they noted that
the engineers positioned "the
rearview mirrors to where they're
actually useful, [placed] the foot
-
pegs low enough on the frame to
where your knees aren't digging
into your chest…designed a com
-
fortable seat and…a fuel tank
that holds plenty of gasoline."
Add to that a choke lever that
was mounted right there on the
handlebar and one can imagine
a design team meeting where
engineers were slapping their
own foreheads all day long!
Suzuki couldn't resist monkey
-
ing with the SV, gradually adding
EFI, ABS and other nannies to
the design. After a short run as
the "Gladius," the 650 also began
wearing more bodywork, mak
-
ing the motorcycle much harder
to distinguish from other sport
bikes.
For 2023, however, the SV650
has returned to its roots, getting
naked all over again! History
repeats itself! A motorcycle that
began its life with a goal of be
-
ing "all about fun" has come full
circle. May its tribe increase!
CN
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