Suzuki SV650

I own a 2002 SV650s and i must say that the bike cant be praised enough in my opion.

The SV650 is the new kid on the block and you wont go far wrong if you buy one.The SV650 is fast becoming one of the best middleweight bikes around and deservedly so.

With the V at an angle of 90 degrees there is plenty of torque on tap and plenty of acceleration when required.

The SV650 produces about 70BHP at the back wheel at it lays it on the tarmac with greatest of ease.The best part of the range is from 3rd gear thru to 5 th gear when you can really feel the bike getting the power down and hear the roar of the exhaust at full bore.

The SV650 weighs 165kg(363lbs)so it is fairly light compared to other bikes in its class.The ground clearance is 140mm(5.5in)so you REALLY can get your knee down if you want.

The SV650 is only 750mm(29.5in)wide so as to accommodate smaller rider.I am 6ft and 2 in but i can sit pretty on the bike.

The engine is 4 stroke liquid DOHC TSCC on a 90 degree V twin configeration so the smoothness is almost perfect.

I have ridden a lot of 4 strokes over the years and i thought i had met my match when i rode a CBR600F but now i own this bike everything else seems different again.

With the 6 speed gearbox under your left foot you have the facility to either thrash up and get to speed or just poodle around as the gearing allows you to dictate to the bike instead the bike dictating to you.

The suspension is telescopic,coil spring,oil damped on the front and link type coil spring,gas/oil damped on the rear.
The suspension is adjustable on the preload to suit your riding style and requirements.

The SV650 comes with Metzler tyres when first purchased and i must admit that really fancy the same type when it comes to replacing them.
The tyres gives you good drip and you can push them and they react with no problem.I feel that the rubber gives you good commuting and sunday scratch facilities without any problems.

The fuel tank holds 16.0 ltrs of Unleaded which will give about 150-170 miles depending on the way you ride the bike.The tank takes just about £10 to fill up from empty.

The instrument panel is very easy to understand and no fancy trick or treats on board.You get the usual High beam and oil lights and you get a flashing yellow light for low fuel warning at which point you have about 40 miles in which to get to a petrol station and fill up.

All in all the bike is great fun and will give a few of the other bikes on the road a suprise or two.The power delivery is smooth and forgivable if you make a mistake.

The underseat storage is minimum but what do you want for a street/sportsbike?If you want storage then buy a goldwing!!!

The seat is about 15mm high and not ideal for long jouneys but the grin factor far outweighs the uncomfy factor.

The exhaust is fine but if you really want to make the bike sound good then buy a aftermarket pipe.I have just purchased a Scorpion exhaust and will be fitting it over the winter period ready for next season(fair weather rider).The best system to get is the Renegade system if you have a spare £600 to spare.

The front screen is adequate but to really get the wind factor down then pit on a double bubble screen and this will help the drag factor.You can also get matching colour screens to match the colour of the bike,you can get these from Harris.The delivery time is about 2-3 weeks.

I have fitted a matching rear hugger to keep the suspension spring and swinging arm clean to cut down on the cleaning later on.

Suzuki do a lot of aftermarket spares for the bike but the prices are a little more expensive than other suppliers.It really does dont depend on whether you want genuine parts or patented parts and that depends on finances.

The Suzuki SV650 has been likened to the TL1000 so that is not a bad thing.Personally i think it is a CBR600 meets Fazer meets TL1000.

Overall the bike is great for those who want a first REAL bike after passing their test or those of us who want a bike that we can use.Whatever your requirements the SV650 will meet them.

Test ride one today and i bet you will get off the bike with a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat.

Grin factor 10/10