Suzuki SV650minitwin
Something for the weekend, sir? £4,500
From 12bhp to a pungent 75bhp, let’s up the track-based ante with a Suzuki SV650. Trackdays can become tiresome; noise issues, overtaking rules, an influx of red flags, wannabe racers ruining the fun. What you need is a race bike to go racing, and there isn’t a better introduction to the sport than minitwins. All too often we see Billy Bigballs fancying a crack at racing and opting for a 1000cc superbike that rides him – not the other way round. It doesn’t end well.
Not only is minitwin competition hilarious fun, it’s also bloody cheap. In a similar narrative as the pit bike, wringing the throttle of a 75bhp twin is often far more compensating, and the après ride is often just as fun as the on-track action. Easier to ride than almost any other two wheeler, the SV650 – in race trim – doesn’t compromise on fun factor either.
If you imagine the simplest of modifications in each area of an SV, very similar to superstock, that pretty much totals the extent of a minitwin. Starting from front to back, rules permit standard brakes with braided lines, a fork cartridge kit, the engine must remain standard with the exception of an exhaust, fuelling module and air filter, and the shock can be replaced with something that doesn’t replicate the action of a blancmange. Cheating occurs in every class of racing, but minitwin racing is so beautifully basic and everyone knows when someone else is exceeding the rules, so don’t be a dick.
The noise of a 650cc V-twin running a full system is a sweet, addictive soundtrack. There’s a linear, punchy delivery and the execution is as predictable as they come – fuelling certainly isn’t an issue to perfect. But this is a class that teaches corner speed and close racing, skill sets which undoubtedly carry over to bigger bikes: trail the brakes, load the front and grab the throttle as soon as you’ve released the lever. You won’t find much racing etiquette among minitwiners. The current minitwin lap record at Brands Hatch is a 50.5, which is ridiculously rapid and gives you some idea of their aptitude in the right hands.
As with Kawasaki’s ER-6, Suzuki parts are readily available and if you’re going to launch a bike into a wall, it might as well be a minitwin given the cost and onslaught of components waiting in your local breaker. Buying a new SV650 as a donor bike is obviously a more expensive option, and this JHS Racing bike will set you back around £10k. Expect to pay over £3,000 for a decent bike and £5k for something worth showing your missus.
Another beauty of minitwins is the easy transition to a faster bike, aka a supertwin. You could chuck another £15k at a stock bike and still not have the best bike out there, as supertwins – in many ways – are the closest thing to pedigree GP machines outside of the GP paddock. It’s mind-blowing to think a £5k happy shopper can lap the Isle of Man TT at over a 120mph average. These pricey steeds may have the entire [insert favourite race parts provider here] catalogue thrown at them, and brag another 40bhp over stock, but the core remains. Having raced one at the TT last year, I can categorically say that you don’t need any more power to tackle the Mountain Course.
Of course, there are thousands of other race/ track bike options, ranging from old Japanese 400s right the way through to £50,000 ex-superbikes and Moto2 machines.