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 10 best comedy movies on Netflix
From Netflix Originals to much older comedy classics, these are the best you can stream on Netflix
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

Finding a great movie on Netflix is hard enough, but it can sometimes feel like finding the best comedy movies on Netflix is nearly impossible. While Netflix certainly makes plenty of comedies of all stripes to choose from, they're often less than excellent. We're not here to judge, of course, but if you're looking for a comedy that has actual production value and some decent jokes, you may need to get just a little bit choosier. Thankfully, we're around to help you find the best comedy movies that Netflix has to offer.

Read more
Hugh Jackman on playing Wolverine again: ‘It literally doesn’t matter how I answer this’
Hugh Jackman isn't sure whether he'll be back as Wolverine
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine's arrival in theaters is imminent, and with it, the return of Hugh Jackman's Logan. Jackman has been playing some version of Wolverine since all the way back in 2000. In 2017, it seemed like he had hung up his claws for good with the critically acclaimed Logan, which sees the character meet what seems to be a permanent end.

Seven years later, though, he was drawn right back into the fray. In a recent interview with Collider, Jackman was asked whether he would be playing Wolverine again, and he seemed to understand that fans could no longer take him at his word.

Read more
Steven Spielberg is to blame for the lack of kissing in ‘Twisters’
Steven Spielberg wanted to keep things professional for the Twisters leads
The cast of Twisters.

Fans of disaster movies are relishing in the news that Twisters made more than $80 million in its opening weekend. The decades-later sequel to Twister had an opening weekend that wildly exceeded expectations, and left many wondering whether we may eventually get another sequel.

For all of the movie's critical and commercial success, though, some notice that this disaster romance was lacking something that the first Twister was sure to include. Namely, the movie ends without Glen Powell's Tyler and Daisy Edgar Jones's Kate sealing their new relationship with a kiss. Some people naturally wondered why there was no kiss in the film, and it turns out that legendary director Steve Spielberg is the one to blame.

Read more