SUZUKI SV1000 (2003 - 2007) Review

Year: 2004

very capable sports tourer

Buying experience: private buyer cost 2k

Version: k3

Year: 2003

Best features are the engine, and engine noise with the twin CCC cans. handling is good and assured. Reliability is a bit of an issue. Clutch slave unit required replacing and rear exhaust gasket disintegrating causing fantastic pops and flames. fuel warning light is poor - it illuminates at about 110 miles and I have no desire to find out how much fuel is left. My 650 has a flashing fuel warning light that speeds up as it gets emptier - much easier to gauge

Buying experience: I bought from a shop called Suffolk Motorcycles - superb buying experience. Bike was 17 years old when I bought it with 8K on the clock . Absolutely immaculate and had already decided to buy it before I saw it in the flesh

Version: final, all black edition

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £85

reliable v twin, smooth power,comfortable, no real bad points in my eyes.

Buying experience: got it from my good friend and at mates rates

Version: SV1000S

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £25

Loads of torque, still revs forever. Cheap as chips to buy. Makes the most amazing noise with minimal mods.

Buying experience: Private sale £2600 5 years ago. It's still probably worth 2k as it is garaged.

Version: SV1000S

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £80

Bear in mind I also have an '85 GSXR711 from new. This is my 2nd SV after a tank slapper on the 1St (this now has a rotary damper). 1st one went all over France and Italy as soon as I got it and had done 46k with Zero issues when I trashed it. Although it's a bit heavy to push around, once on the move it's virtually as nimble and sure footed as my 'R' but like I'd had a full English. It's upset many riders on better bikes, Ducati's included and I'm doing trackways with both. One key is to set up the suspension right, STD setting are naff, have faith and go for it. I'm generally running ex-track Diablo SC1&SC2 on road and track and still getting over 2k from the rears using all the tyre, I love upsetting people with it.😊 It's not the best, but you will fall in love.

Buying experience: Insurance gave me £3,300 for the first one, I paid £1900 for this one with 12k on it!

Year: 2004

Love my bike. Ages very well handles a treat, moves pretty quick & sounds amazing.

Buying experience: Xlnt, my bike was well looked after by previous owner. Power Commander & new arc exhausts, was show room condition. 6 years later is still looking great.

Version: S

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £300

This bike hauls ass. No doubt about it. This bike is a replacement for my Gen 3 ZX10R which was realistically too fast to enjoy as a road bike - you’re not out of first gear before looking at a ban, which is where the SV is king for road. The SV has a similar problem to the 10R where the front wheel loves to be floating in the air but it’s not really an issue for the 5 year old rider in me. This came as an unplanned buy - I was after a 90s superbike but this very clean SV came up in the classifieds and I couldn’t resist. Epic machine with real presence that just isn’t matched by modern bikes. The looks and the deep thumping noise from a set of open cans on over run, I have never had a bike that turns heads like this does. It’s massively overlooked due to conventional/budget Equipment. Which means two things - cheap insurance and you can get a very clean bike as opposed to an abused superbike from over optimistic owners of similar money.

Version: SV1000 SZ

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £150

My Second SV1000 is the slightly nicer SZ version, limited to 1500 units world wide is a modest but respectable improvement over the already decent standard S model. Fast blasts on the UK's bumpy roads & touring over distance (with a pillion) is a piece of cake. The bikes standard suspension runs out of ideas fairly quickly at trackdays but nothing upgraded Fork Springs & rear shock cant overcome with ease. Parts from the K4 GSXR's also fit on the SV's (including shocks - if you find a decent Ohlins unit then jackpot!) so you can easily increase your aftermarket parts list & upgrades. Genuinely great bike that was perhaps, 10 years ahead of its time. Obviously it lacks all modern bike gadgets like ABS, TCS & rider modes.

Buying experience: It. Is. A. Minefield. Look up tips for buying older bikes is an absolute must before you part with cash - as they're old, most have histories of some sort. A HPI check will catch the worst out but be aware of wear & tear and MoT's from people they know!

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £300

What can I say it's a good bike. I baught a k3 in silver after missing out one one of the same year in that orange copper colour.

Buying experience: Good

Version: s

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £200

Reliable, brilliant engine, engaging handling with some simple mods. Gixxer rear shock, higher clip-ons, Staintune mufflers, K and N airfilter and Race tech front fork springs. No I don't recommend them to friends cause i want the second price to remain low to buy another. Unfortunately this strategy didn't work and they are climbing in price.

Buying experience: private buy - great experience

Version: S

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £100

Full marks for being a unique bike. Top marks for motor, handling and bark.

Buying experience: Bought privately to be just a commuter to work. Now it's become my favorite toy.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £130

Very light bike for a 1000cc

Buying experience: not what I was looking to buy. but once seen bought and repainted

Year: 2003

Fantastic bike, in slow traffic being a v-twin does not like doing slow riding, but love it every other way :)

Version: S

Year: 2004

Why do people say this is an "All Rounder"? It doesn't have the saddle of a sports tourer, or the riding position to allow commuting. It is LESS comfortable than a '93 ZXR 750! this bike should be rebranded from allrounder/sportstourer to performance roadbike/nearly superbike.

Buying experience: Privately bought and privately sold.

I don't know if my bike is standard or not, it looks like but I don't know if it's been remapped, etc. Not had it long and had to have the clutch modded by John Sykes in Yorkshire to cure the judders and make it rideable. Took it out for a spin the other day and it's the first time I've opened her up since all the work I've been doing (I'm returning it to standard spec) and I have to say the torque is amazing- like a bomb going off behind you, torque in any gear almost pulls your arms off. The roadholding and handling are good and the build quality must be ok because my bike looks like new even though it's 7 years old. Fuel consumption isn't the best, but not really surprising considering all the performance. I've read of other owners having magnets fall off the alternator rotor which isn't very clever-bad design Suzuki-magnets only epoxied onto the rotor, cost saving-not good for your reputation at all. I'd say for performance and price it's got to be an all time bargain.

In stock form, the SV1000S is just ok, but it's a great platform to create a great bike for small cost. The stock suspension is a bit weak. Correct fork springs and 5 wt shock oil corrected the front. An '07-08 ZX6R shock with modified damping corrects the rear. Throw away the steering damper - too stiff - and raise the forks 10mm. With these mods it corners excellently and never shakes its head. Hit a rock large enough to bend the rear rim, at full lean, and it tracked straight through. The ergonomics suck, but putting tube bar clamps on the top triple clamp corrected that. The stock seat sucks, but is easily corrected with some firm foam and new cover material. The engine is a jewel for the street, sounds great with Yosh TRS cans, open up the airbox a bit and put on a Power Commander to correct the A/F, and it rewards with smooth, strong torque. Great headlights. Typical 1000cc heavy engine braking - makes one think it has a lot of driveline lash. Excellent brakes. The short wheelbase lets it change direction quickly. Not big enough for 2-up travel, short rides only, and only if you are small people. Many think it's a bland bike, and in stock form I agree. Correct the weak suspension and liven up the sound with aftermarket cans, and it's a joy to ride. Better than VTF and better value than RC51 and various Ducatis. My pick for best value big V-Twin.

The sv1000s is a great little sports bike if your kind on the throttle it will return around 50mpg and even on my last track day at Cadwell park i got 28mpg and it was being seriously thrashed and as for handling, well the pegs was grinding most of the way around the track and gave me no bad moments with no modifications to suspension and with factory settings. Upto an indicated 145mph it pulls very well only outdone by the likes of R1's and Fireblades. My only gripes are a poor standard of finish and a vibration around 3500rpm, this is slow round town and staedy 60mph type riding, once it gets around 6000rpm it's great but then its a V-Twin i suppose but a great bike all the same after owning it for 6 years i've still no plans to sell it.

Moved up to this from a ZX6R and was really suprised, handles really well, brakes are good, really torquey and a respectable top end. Was considering going for the 650 as I heard they have enough power as it is, but in my opinion it just isn't worth it, the extra you pay on the insurance doesn't even come close to the difference in bikes!

I've had all sorts of bikes in the past but bought the SV to replace my Buell XB12SS. The Buell had been a great bike but I got REALLY hacked off with Harley and their inability to keep basic parts in stock. I bought the SV about 10 months ago and have ridden it through one winter so far. I've had some minor problems with the smooth running - now resolved after a major service. I was finding the seat hideously uncomfortable, it felt like I was riding on my nuts! This has now happily been resolved by the addition of a Sargent seat, a vast improvement. I also have some Hellibars on order - these raise the handle bar position by about 2 inches, I gather that this makes another huge difference to the riding position. Overall, a superb engine, handling is great (could be improved inexpensively I think), practical and sounds great with some fruity cans - all for a bargain price. Cracking!

After the standard "Shall I buy the 650 or 1000?" questions a mint 1000s turned up on the market that had been well-loved and looked after by its previous owner. Having only owned it for a week I feel I cannot contribute entirely to a worth-while review, however in the 200 miles+ I have ridden, I feel completely satisfied that I made the right choice. Being that my previous bike was a Suzuki GS500ES which I had to give up 3 years ago I felt this was a huge step up but so far the bike has done everything asked of it without scaring the hell out of me! It's very stable and responsive and after only a short while inspires confidence. My only niggles are that the seat leads to a numb bum quickly and the after market end bars seem to add to the vibration and I feel my hands going to sleep after only a few miles. Overall thoughts: Stunning looking bike with huge amounts of low-end grunt with a top speed not to be sniffed at - not like I'll need all the power anyway! I only hope I'll look after it as well as my predecessor...

bought this bike 2 years ago and done 10k miles. satisfy with the engine performance but lack of engine braking and smoothes compare to my CBR1000RR. low end torque is good and its good for street use and twisties hills. low rev is jerky, installed a TRE and improve better. head light is briliiant! tail light is simple and cool. For riding position, some might not happy with it. its far to reach to handle bar and its low. long ride migh suffer from pain. the rider seat looks nice, but uncomfortable.. same goes to pillion seats and seating position is too high. fuel comsumption is reasonable but a bigger fuel tank would better as it is a sport touring bike!! front brakes is good but not superb, maybe braided hose and sintered pads will improve, rear brake is brilliant! handling is stable at low speed. high speed corner may feel unstable and the bike diving all the time. try my best to adjust but still lack of stability at high speed corner. a change on rear shock and fork spring is recommended if required. link pipe is close to footrest, beware of getting your legs burned when stand still at traffic lights. stock Michelin rubber last 5k miles but not sticky. chain need to adjust frequently and regular WD-40 spray is needed. no break down issue so far, reliability should be good. this is an inexpensive bike and affordable :)

I have owned from new and bike is still in immaculate condition and done 14k miles, admittingly only summer use. It gets washed afetr every run and a squirt of WD 40 all over. Apart from absolute top speed, it easily keeps up with the most recent sport 1000s in the twisties which after all is what you want given the fun factor. It does get through back tyres 1500-1800, best being 2100, with the front 2500-3000 miles. Done a number of track days and the bike was limited by my abilities. At one circuit the marshalls said my bike was by far the best sounding as it came into and out of the hairpin on its open scorpions. Nothing like a free breathing v-twin on full chat, yahoo. Suspension is ok for a FB like me at 15 stone, but the GSXR K3 rear suspension unit sorts that. Brakes are excellent, all in all great value for money.

I've had my SV1000s for a year now after changing up from the SV650s. Brilliant bike, cracking for fast blasts and great for commuting in and out of town. Handles well and keeps up round the lanes with any other bike I've come across. A must ride bike!

Just passed 22k, what a great bike, everything i need from fast blasts with mates to touring 2 up with Mrs. Never let me down & what a sound when you open her up

Having tried the CBR and Gixxer settled on the SZ variant of this brilliant bike. Have ridden it through its second winter the build quality is equal to that of Honda. The ride is very involving unlike the others tested.The SV still impresses after this length of time. Its the Daddy. Takes a pillion better than most sports bikes.

Just bought a new SV1000S Black with polished rims and Yoshi pipes. Had my first good ride and found the suspension not to my liking. I found it to be too hard in the rear and to soft in the front. Bike now feels much better balanced. I would suggest owners get there ride height sorted to get the best from this bike as it only needs minor changes to satisfy most riders. Strengths: Excellent Engine. Just add good pipes and a good Air Filter (K&N?). Weaknesses: At this point I would think suspension needs some sorting but hopefully without replacing anything expensive.

I wanted to get away from peaky 4 cylinder bikes and was completely hooked after a test ride at my local dealer. I have my bike nearly 2 years now and have been hugely impressed so far, bearing in mind the (relatively!!) low purchase price. The grunt is fantastic and means I can just wind it on and concentrate on the corners while my mates are dancing on their gearboxes! Having said that, it takes a fair bit of hustling to get it round a corner, but I havent adjusted the suspension at all; some people reckon they are very hard from stock. Strengths: Tremendous surge of torque, pretty high revving for a twin, sound from Leo Vince cans (actually bordering on offensive!) Great gearbox (typical Suzuki). Weaknesses: Bum numbing seat, popping and banging from aftermarket cans on the over-run, woeful view from mirrors, suspect finish in some areas (typical Suzuki again!).

I bought my SV last november when the 0% finance deal was on for £6050, a saving of £450. Group 15 insurance, £1 deposit, £170 month for a blazing missile. Not Bad!!! I've never ridden a "Superbike" so can't be completely sure about "Superbike Performance" but as far as I can tell when blasting along with other bikes the SV can handle itself fine. Lets face it, if 170ish mph isn't quick enough for you (get a ZX1400RRRRRRRRR or become a jet fighter pilot) nothings ever gonna be. Strengths: That unbelievable engine thumping away, its comfy (for a 6ft 3 fatty), handles everything I can throw at it, and its just looks so f-----g good. Weaknesses: I dont know yet, but I'm sure the finish is probably gonna fall short, but hey it's a Suzuki. When it starts to go I'll just trade it in (and probably get another SV).

I bought my silver SV1000 in April 05, it was pre - registered in Nov 2004 on a 54 plate and is a 2003 model with 0 miles on the clock. I've done 5500 miles on it. The only problem I've had is following a session on the Dyno when 30 mins later (Luckily @ home) it would not start. It turned out that the "Back Torque Plate" (slipper clutch of a kind)had gone, it was repaired FOC under warranty although the bike was off the road 4 weeks. I've fitted a TRE (strongly recommended) as the bike is a little lumpy at the bottom end, a set of BOS race cans (sounds awesome)and a Tail tidy - to get rid of the 4 1/2 acres of plastic there is around the rear end! Strengths: Very easy to ride (especially after fitting the TRE). As I have said it sounds fantastic and I'm sure could pull a caravan. Digital speedo nice and easy to read even at 150! Weaknesses: Fuel range is not brilliant, I get between 90 - 100 miles on a tank if I'm on A/B roads and around 120 on motorway sticking to the speed limit. There is no fuel guage or reserve tap, just a yellow warning light when you hit 1 gallon left (I think), a little disconcerting initially but you soon get used to it.

I sold a K3 1000 and bought the SV, as I thought it was time to slow down a bit. That was not the case. Found the twin was revvy and I ended up riding it just as hard. It felt slow at first, v-twins give that impression, but after a while I realised it had some zip. Missed the top end of the gixxer. I would love one as a second bike, but as a first bike I found it wanting and got rid of it, bought a k5 1000. Strengths: Deceptively fast. Weaknesses: Knotchy transmission. Gearing needs work. Lacks, contrary to what everyone has told me, grunt at the low end. Needs to be revved. Noisy engine, knocks, rattles and bangs. Surges on part throttle at lower speeds. Needs some improvement. The seat is very umcomfortable after a short distance, too soft. Pegs seem too far back, and down.