Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Throttle Jockey: the Suzuki SV650 do-it-all fun machine is just right

By

We’re well into riding season now but our focus on certain bikes continues, with a closer look this time around at the Swiss Army Knife of a bike, the Suzuki SV650.

Originally introduced in 1999, the midrange-in-every-way Suzuki SV650, commonly referred to by riders simply as an “SV,” was an immediate hit. Its combination of a stout and torquey liquid-cooled V-twin engine, dialed-in handling, comfy ergos, sporty stance (with a slightly more sporty and bikini-faired “S” version also offered) and triple-disc brakes on such an affordable bike made the SV650 one of the iconic bikes of the new millennium.

Recommended Videos

Related: Suzuki takes its Expertise to the Moon in Seeking the Google Lunar XPrize

Right out of the gate, riders found the SV650 excelled at pretty much anything: sport riding, club racing, DIY sport-touring, commuting, bopping around town, and so on. In 2002, Suzuki added fuel injection to the SV, which bumped up power considerably. Since then, the SV has been continually refined while maintaining its basic goodness: a low price, a high fun factor, great handling, and the ability to cover multiple categories of riding.

suzuki sv650 profile, motorcycle, crotch-rocket
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The SV is a widespread success in part because it’s both approachable and docile enough for first-time riders to learn on and punchy enough for veteran riders to enjoy and modify. The SV doesn’t come with top-shelf gear in order to maintain a reasonable MSRP, but since it’s pretty much a blank slate, it’s a great canvas for easy modification and improvement. As such, a vast aftermarket dedicated to the bike exists today.

The 2017 SV650 continues the tradition of those that came before it. It’s still an easy way to get riding, and a bike that will continue to entertain for years to come. This year’s model includes ABS brakes for $7,500, just a $500 bump over the base model. Minor updates include more power (always a good thing), an upgraded digital dash and it even went on a bit of a diet and dropped some weight, in case you didn’t.

Flashy? No. Capable? Absolutely. While the SV650 would seem to be a basic bike, it’s really not. Its ability to entertain and easily adapt to different kinds of riding make it both a bargain and a long-lasting source of adventure. And if you want to take it off road, well, Suzuki has a solution for that as well.

Topics
Bill Roberson
Bill Roberson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments about Bill’s work.
The best movies on Paramount Plus to stream in May
Though a newer entry to the streaming world, Paramount Plus has some good picks
Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick

Paramount Plus is one of the newer arrivals on the streaming scene, and while its roster is rolling out plenty of exciting streaming original and acquired shows, there are plenty of movies on Paramount Plus that are worth exploring. From the classic to the current and from the vintage to the very new, Paramount Plus offers an excellent movie lineup that rivals any other streaming service. To save you some time from surfing, The Manual has dug out a few of the very best Paramount Plus movies. Here's what's on Paramount Plus that you should watch this month.

Interstellar (2014)

Read more
The 8 best golf documentaries to watch this year
Here's a glimpse into the amazing history of golf, including how the sport has evolved
Tiger (HBO)

Depending on how you look at it, golf is either one of the simplest sports or one of the most complex. The objective is very easy to wrap your head around: This ball has got to wind up in a hole that's maybe a quarter mile away. Everything that happens after that, though, is where things get interesting. Of course, people who love golf love it for a wide array of reasons. Some people love the beautiful courses, while others love the stories behind their favorite players.
There are plenty of people who love golf but don't play it much themselves, and those are the people whom this list is really for. Golf's full of amazing stories, and we've even gotten our fair share of great golf movies as a result. Sometimes, though, a documentary is an even better fit for a particular story set in the world of golf. That's why, after careful consideration, we've brought you this list of the best golf documentaries you can stream now.

Full Swing (2023)

Read more
The best shows on Paramount Plus to binge in May
Stream these incredible shows on Paramount Plus
Penny Dreadful scene

Having a vast library of good television shows and films is the most important factor in the success of a streaming service. That's part of what transformed Netflix into a global phenomenon, and it's why services like Paramount Plus have worked hard to build a healthy library of series that subscribers can browse through. As is the case with all streaming services, Paramount Plus has a mix of original series that live only on the platform and older shows that were originally on broadcast and have now found a home on streaming.
Although these shows have varied histories, each one of them is a great staple in Paramount Plus's overall streaming library. Paramount Plus will likely continue to develop original content, but these Paramount Plus shows will stand the test of time, whether they're ongoing or have been over for a decade or longer.

Penny Dreadful (2014)

Read more