Comments on: Suzuki SV650

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:42:58 +0000

I didn’t think that the SV’s throttle was that twitchy when I rode it. I’ve also ridden a CBR 600RR any THAT has a twitchy throttle.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:59:07 +0000

I’m thinking of selling my ’07 SV650, but honestly I’d be afraid to sell it to a noob rider. I really feel like the uber-twitchy throttle off the line makes it as unsuitable for new riders as much higher HP bikes. I imagine Suzuki sells a lot of replacement parts for these things getting dumped all the time. And no, I never dumped mine (knock on wood)…but the prior owner sure did.

By: P. Taylor

P. Taylor — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 04:29:18 +0000

I’ve owned my 2000 SV650, well, since late 2000. And I still think I bought the right bike, for my mostly urban driving.

It is light weight, agile, and responsive. When I read this is considered to be a “beginner’s” bike, or, perhaps, a middle-size beginner bike, I tend to snargle, if there’s such a word or concept. It is beginners only in terms of size and weight. Not in throttle response. This bike likes to (well, let’s say it cannot control itself) accelerate on you. You really have to get a hold of yourself to tame that acceleration. Try Zen to calm your spirits, if nothing else works.

Yeah, and why call it a beginner’s bike when it is a perfect “ender’s” machine? What more do you need in a bike that’s not made for long distance travel? Light is right, for an all-around bike. You only need hog weight for long trips, or big egos. And I don’t do those. If I want to go 500 or so miles, I’ll put in on the back end of my Nissan Frontier.

My only complaints are that I don’t have the Yoshimura exhaust, or the GSX-R600 front end, or the Pirelli Diablo tires that others wrote about. I will try the new fork oil, and more air in my tires, however. That won’t cost me an arm or a leg.

And, thanks for the tips.

By: Cameron Martel

Cameron Martel — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:52:23 +0000

The SV650S as my first “big” bike, and I was just fine with it. So long as a new rider is smooth with the clutch they will be fine. It’s balanced, stops on a dime, and is a blast to ride. What more could you ask for?

By: mike

mike — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:38:35 +0000

I got the “N” variant (the naked style) as I don’t really like the snub-nosed profile of the S. I love these things. The acceleration from 0-60 will keep up with (or smoke) just about anything else out there. It just GOES.

That said, I have a hard time calling this a good bike for beginners. I started on an EX250, followed by a YZF600, and despite the YZF’s higher HP I’d say it was a tamer ride than the SV. This is because of the SV’s unusually high torque at low RPMs, and this is where it gets a bit dangerous for first timers. If not smooth on the throttle from a stop, a new rider could very well find himself looking at the clouds on these things. Many bikes take an instant or two to get going off the line. Not the SV (unless you hold it in check).

It is an amazing bike, though.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:34:41 +0000

The only name I recognised as female was the one disenter.
Any ladies out ther with opinions ?
I rode trials and cross-country bikes in my teens and twenties. Then got out of bikes for 20 years and got a 800cc cruiser. Liked the bike but nevous about the weight in traffic.
Looking at the SV650 now,, Is the SV650s set-up much more racy? (lower handlebars etc.)I’m looking for a used bike so need to know as much as possible going in.

By: gsxr turbo

gsxr turbo — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:24:46 +0000

That is an awesome bike man great article. The only thing with the sv is finding used oem parts it can be tough.

thanks send me follow up articles please

By: A.S.H.

A.S.H. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:41:34 +0000

Plus my insurance company doesn’t call it a sportbike, they call it a regular standard.. 25 yr old male, 1st time rider and $530 FOR THE WHOLE YEAR, full coverage and medical on a 2007 naked that can go 0 to 60 in 3.6 – 3.8 and mid to late 11 second 1/4 mile (depending on yr model / pro riders)

By: A.S.H.

A.S.H. — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:34:30 +0000

This is an awesome bike. The review is DEAD-ON accurate. I just went back and read it after owning my naked dream 2007 SV650 with 1,500 miles for half a week, have to say that the things like it being a bit difficult to learn on for a (never riden bike before) newbie could be daunting and the touchy engine responsiveness…. (and all the good things) All exactly what I thought myself. It is a great bike to learn on if you have self control, take it real easy at first, and have somewhere to learn (at least the first few days) where you aren’t diving into traffic. My first time getting her in gear and going I had a scare with the engine response, seemed like a centimeter roared her up 6,000 RPM.. in hindsight I am sure I just made a newbie screw up, because I find the bike extremely compliant after just 3 days. Handling is an ease and amazing (though I am sure that when pushed to its limits the rear shock may be weak, I have not come close to seeing this first hand) the “typical” and sporty handling is PERFECT, smooth and predictable. In fact you don’t even have to countersteer, just angle your butt on the seat a hair and she will read your mind. Plus the bike is LIGHT. Great for a newbie stopping and starting. While the engine / throttle response is very QUICK and touchy, but after the first few minutes I had that under control (though from the first couple minutes of scares it was still slightly daunting)… Definitely is not an issue since the powerband is SO predictable (and the handling, braking, etc.. It is also good for a beginner in my mind with this powerband you can forget about shifting, leaver her in one gear and drive all kinds of speeds. 6th gear is good at 35mph and still has punch in the acceleration, the gears are longer than the kawasaki 650.. which is the ONLY reason it is faster 0-60, the SV is faster quarter mile, has a stronger engine and powerband, more hp and is a faster / better trackbike.. Those posts above have never ridden both. Though they say that since the kawasaki 650 is more lethargic than the SV it is arguably a better beginner bike, I would definitely rather have my SV. My only complaint is on the headlight, the brights are good, but the lows are barely adequate to me. If they discover a pothole or animal you have very few feet to respond and when going fast you quickly outpace your light on low. Buy the bike if you have a desire for a great do-it-all machine, the dumb dumb who poorly rated the SV’s handling was just scared and a poor learner, the reason the SV is a cult bike is because it is a good handling, predictable do-it-all over-achieving machine and that person was a poor learner.. Idiot rich people crash Lamborghini’s, but that doesn’t mean they handle poorly, it means someone couldn’t drive. Beginner or experienced, buy an SV, you won’t be disappointing unless you plan on spending a lot of time going faster than 130 mph.

By: garth henkins

garth henkins — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:22:28 +0000

The sv650sf is the ideal sporty 650…it handles pretty good out of the box and switching the suspension to gsxr makes it an extremely capable track bike. I tried the Kawa Ninja 650r and found the seating position way too upright….plus I love the torquey v twin in the sv.