Suzuki SV650/S (1999-current)

I have been lucky enough to own 3 sv650's so I thought I would share what I have learned here. My first Sv was bought accidently I called into my local breakers looking for parts for a Honda Hornet 250 (Jap import) and out of curiosity asked if it was for sale? Twenty minutes later I had traded in my Honda and was riding my first ever Vtwin. She was a black fully faired 2001 curvey model with some small cosmetic damage. I kept hitting the limiter on the sv for a few days as she reved so quickly to the redline compared to baby Hornet. After getting used to riding the Vtwin I mastered the short shifting and stayed in the grunty midrange, wow what a great engine! The 650 vtwin is a wave of tourque that is predictable and gives you miles of smiles! It will max out at an indicated 135mph with an exhaust and K&N filter. Overtaking was effortless, motorways get eaten up and long spins through the twisties are a breeze. So impressed with my first SV650 I decided to buy a second one and race minitwins! yet another Curvey version this was well kitted when I got it! Full akropovic system, dynojet stage 2 (which works better with a BMC airfilter), Elka rear shock, uprated maxton fork internals and gold valve emulaters (best money ever spent! 2secs a lap faster!) Brembo master cylinder, galfer discs (the only real bad point of racing the sv was the standard brakes were not up to it!)and the rest. I would hazard a guess that the most fun times in my life have been barreling into turn one of a race with the soundtrack of SV thunder as 30 plus SV's drop gears and hope that the engine braking will slow me enough to turn her in just to accelerate out like a bat out of hell again! My third Sv came after I sold the other two and was bikeless, a pointy sv was the cards this time. I bought a 2003 pointy in black again and It was an excelent update in style and functionality but the carbed model seemed to have better low down power and grunt as the sv suffered the dreaded tightening C02 emmisions. All in all it was a miniscuel difference and the pointy served me well. Ride and Handling, All sv650s are budget in the suspension department and will never handle like a Cbr600rr. Cheap upgrades like Gsxr600 or zx10 2004 shocks can help or splash out on a named brand shock. Fork internals like progresive or weighted springs will not break the bank and are a masive improvement. EBC HH pads are a must over the stock supplied set. Qulity and reliability, On a whole the Sv650 is reliable when looked after and has a few choice mods. Being a vtwin starting takes a good condition battery so a trickle charger is a must. The curvey used to run on one cylinder in the rain(a known fault)so a fender extender is a good idea to stop the front cylinder getting drowned. Mismatched spark plugs were the cause of a starting issue with my pointy, as there is only two you may as well change them. Some Sv engines burnt off oil causing them to seize, a mate went through 3 engines as he never checked the levels. Its a 5 minute job to top up your oil so what are you waiting check it now. Corrosion is a common complaint with SV owners and admitidley Suzuki have never had a great finish on any bike but common sense should prevail by you taking preventative measures. Buy some ACF50 and use as directed, wash your bike once a week (always a good time to chcke the oil too)dry it and polish it. Use grease on all moving parts and metal polish on shiney bits. Your Sv will look new again! overall, The Sv 650 is cheap to buy and run while being powerfull and fun! My first curvey had 60,000miles on it when I sold it and was ready for more. People say its a midrange budget bike, which it is but with the right hands with the right mods you can have just as much fun as the big boys. Its a very capable stepping stone before a sports 600. Wishing you all dry roads, Skapegoat.

I've not had my SV for a bout a year now & I miss it. Commuting in all weathers started to show with rust forming in bits I just couldn't reach so had to change to a better all weather bike :( The SV handles like a dream, taking you round corners effortlessly & seems like it's actually stuck to the road. It caught me by surprise a few times when overtaking & giving that little bit extra throttle that if I hadn't had tight hold the bike would have been off without me. So it's reliable, fast sounds great, sticks to the road & easy to handle. What a shame the price tag means the build quality doesn't let you take it out in all weathers without paying the cost. I also have no idea why they do the half fairing when a full one makes it look ten times a better bike.

My bike is 2009 SV650S mettalic Blue(Full Fairing) with white line. I have owened this bike for two months now. Bought it with only 1200 miles on it. now cover around 2000 miles. It is my first big bike after passing my Full bike test. It is fun to ride. Engine and gearbox are brilliant. Higly recomended for first bike, cheap on insurance.Im getting around 50-55MPG in town traffic. very well balanced on the road, i have it rolling on 3-4 miles in the traffic and its very study ..Breaks r very good. very good for driving around in town or on long journeys...very happy with the bike. you have to upgrade the exhaust, i have put Beowulf stubby exhaust on and it sounds amazing and im sure it has increased the power a bit, it only took me half an hour to do it myself.I have also added R&G tail tidy, R&G crash Bungs, Oxford heated Grips, Zero gravity screen and Small indicators (must have). and it looks perfect now... Now -ve points No gear indicator No fuel level gauge, only light comes on when its time to refuel. but overall very well build machine and happy with the choice...

I've ridden and owned all sorts of bikes in the last 15yrs, vfr's, fireblades, gpz500, 1200Bandit, Ducati 900ss, and now this Sv which I bought brand new in sept 2011 for a bargain £4454 on the road is just fantastic. weighs in at 183kg Kerb weight(stated on the v5 logbook), don't let the low bhp figure fool you, this has the flattest torque curve so at any revs it just goes! Power doesn't build up like inline 4's but is constantly pulling. Great for drive out of corners! Brakes are easily capable of quick stops an offer great feel. Handling is brilliant and very stable. No hint of wobble or shake mid corner or on straight if u let go of the bars. Very well setup from factory, both front and rear compress equally when you sit on the bike. Headlight is good, indicators at front stick out quite far so watch out if you have to go through a side gate at your house as they may catch! As speed and revs have increased the mpg had dropped. 65mpg, 54 and my latest of 52mpg but during running in you shouldn't hold constant revs so quite uneconomical riding. I expect for work commutes to average 55-60mpg. Reserve light comes on between 132-140 miles. Still another 6litres of fuel left (I think) so 200miles per tankful. Mirrors are ok, but I still get about 50% elbows when I look in them! Riding position is good but you slide forward on the seat easily during commuting speeds so it's quite sportsbike riding position. Some people have higher clip on bars fitted. Screen deflects wind very well, there's space for waterproofs under the rear seat, a relay pack can be easily pushed out the way under there to give even more space! Being injection cold starts are beautiful, no choke to play with, and it rides smoothly. Gearbox is becoming very slick now I'm up near 600miles on the bike. It was quite mechanical but precise when new, but smooth now. Paint finish has dulled where knees are against tank so I think protective clear patches on the sides and a tank protector are necessities to prevent this. Overall this is an unbelievably good bike for the money. Suzuki had a £645 off list price(£1 per 1cc) for sept and trading in my 1200 bandit left it costing just £2900. I'm smitten with it! Charactorful v-twin engine, impressive handling even for people like me who had a Fireblade for 5 yrs I still have a big grin after riding the twisties! But equally, it's a very stable bike for newbies to learn on. Thoroughly enjoyable motorcycle that will appeal to almost everybody.

This is my first big bike. And after owning several 125s ranging from a CBF125 to an RS125, I simply can't fault it. I've happily covered 10000 miles since I bought it brand new in March, and it still looks brand new, is still on the original chain, and brake pads. I've added a few things to it, including a tail tidy, new exhaust (to free up the awesome V-Twin sound)and double bubble screen, and some Avon Storm 2s', now it's perfect to me. It inspires confidence, and encourages you to play and have fun, the engine pokes you in the direction of working it, but not in a SS600 fashion, and it'll cruise along more than happily, bodding round town in 3rd gear with no effort. It's been with me threw my first knee down, first stoppie (accidental), and when my license permits it'll do my first track day too. If I can get away with it I'm never selling it and intend to run it around the clock atleast once. I just can't fault it and it's gonna keep me happy for a very long time :D

wish it had the 1000cc lump out of the TL1000R in it, but still a good bike.

I have recently bought my first big bike, and having weighed up many contenders, I had it down to a Transalp and a SV650 - as second hand, I'd seen similar 6/7 year old examples for 2.5k. I had a Varadero 125, I thought the Transalp would be more of the same, and decided to go for the SV. I am DELIGHTED with my choice! The bike looks great, if you can get it with the optional full fairings - setting the look of a sports bike, without having to fork out the inevitable higher insurance premium. I picked up the bike it rotten weather, and with the potentially problematic new rubber on back & front. The bike did not miss a beat from slow tight corners, to long motorway sweeps - and all with loads of standing water. The bike has an engine that feels like it always has more should you need it, and on the public roads, you'll never be short on power and speed. The ride is comfortable, and I am planning long tours on the bike as the weather improves. I highly recommend this bike to anyone who has passed their test, and is looking for an all-round bike which will provide fun and practicality. You will struggle to find anyone who has rode this bike who does not think that this is an excellent way of getting into motorcycling!

I say perfect for new riders as its very forgiving but can also be 'twitchy' when it wants to, keeping you on your feet and steers you away from confident complacency. Its my first ever bike and I’ve very happily clocked up 8,000 miles on it, a track day and my first christening with the tarmac… and I also now have shares within the petroleum markets! Bad news first I’m afraid. The suspension and riding position are the downsides to this wonderful bike as it’s also split between a sports and a tourer. Despite it performing brilliantly on the track, (got my first knee down with it) and it also proving most efficient when touring over to Exmoor and Wales, it does give cramp on long treks, doesn’t soak up the typical British roads as well as you’d like and makes you feel like your really stretching over the tank after a while. I’m 6’2” and I personally wouldn’t want to be any less the 5’10” on it! The pegs are quite high, which is good for ground clearance and having the benefit of ‘clip-ons’ also helps with fast road riding and lean angles. I have also heard that the SV doesn’t have much to play with with regards to extras, though the only thing I’ve decided I need is the lower fairings, which I don’t need at all really?! Plenty adequate for a big bike newbie! Now for the good stuff! The handling and engine are superb which help you flow around roads and circuits as if you’re a natural. I’ve got Dunlop Qualifiers on at the moment and they are predictably grippy (not in the wet though!) and give confidence on the track. This along with the superb feel of the SV and you’ve got a perfect combination. A Yamaha Fazer 600 and a Suzuki Bandit 650 are the only other bikes I’ve ridden but the Suzuki tops them both with almost every aspect of biking apart from comfort. It has a better gear box, feels like it has a more torque ridden engine and therefore probably makes you seem like your quicker than you really are. It also gives better confidence when riding fast, sounds far better than the two, (good old V-Twin!), and to top it all off its cheaper on the insurance and I think cheaper to probably buy; especially now the new Gladius is out. All in all a brilliant bike for a big bike newbie who wants a go at track days and touring but also provides perfectly for weekend blasts! Recommend to anyone :)

I say perfect for new riders as its very forgiving but can also be 'twitchy' when it wants to, keeping you on your feet and steers you away from confident complacency. Its my first ever bike and I’ve very happily clocked up 8,000 miles on it, a track day and my first christening with the tarmac… and I also now have shares within the petroleum markets! Bad news first I’m afraid. The suspension and riding position are the downsides to this wonderful bike as it’s also split between a sports and a tourer. Despite it performing brilliantly on the track, (got my first knee down with it) and it also proving most efficient when touring over to Exmoor and Wales, it does give cramp on long treks, doesn’t soak up the typical British roads as well as you’d like and makes you feel like your really stretching over the tank after a while. I’m 6’2” and I personally wouldn’t want to be any less the 5’10” on it! The pegs are quite high, which is good for ground clearance and having the benefit of ‘clip-ons’ also helps with fast road riding and lean angles. I have also heard that the SV doesn’t have much to play with with regards to extras, though the only thing I’ve decided I need is the lower fairings, which I don’t need at all really?! Plenty adequate for a big bike newbie! Now for the good stuff! The handling and engine are superb which help you flow around roads and circuits as if you’re a natural. I’ve got Dunlop Qualifiers on at the moment and they are predictably grippy (not in the wet though!) and give confidence on the track. This along with the superb feel of the SV and you’ve got a perfect combination. A Yamaha Fazer 600 and a Suzuki Bandit 650 are the only other bikes I’ve ridden but the Suzuki tops them both with almost every aspect of biking apart from comfort. It has a better gear box, feels like it has a more torque ridden engine and therefore probably makes you seem like your quicker than you really are. It also gives better confidence when riding fast, sounds far better than the two, (good old V-Twin!), and to top it all off its cheaper on the insurance and I think cheaper to probably buy; especially now the new Gladius is out. All in all a brilliant bike for a big bike newbie who wants a go at track days and touring but also provides perfectly for weekend blasts! Recommend to anyone :)

I have had my SV650S for about 6 months now and i love it to bits, it looks amazing, sounds amazing and has plent of power and torque. You cant beat the noise of a VTWIN. It is my first big bike and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent first bike that is forgiving when you make a mistake. Good Points: Noise(i have Scorpion Cans), Torque, Handling and Looks. Bad Points: Corrosion, Standard Tyres aren't great, False Neutrals can be a problem. Overall 5*