Suzuki SV650X
I’ve never owned an SV, but I’ve had plenty of mates who have. I’m not on about this café racer retro wannabe, but the old school thumper that educated a generation of riders in the art of wheelies and knee down. Now that was a weapon! I wish I owned one, even to this day, but I don’t think I can say the same about the decaffeinated, calorie-free substitute that’s possibly sold with a tub of beard wax? Okay, that’s maybe a little harsh an introduction for a bike that’s not actually that bad to ride, and is priced refreshingly affordably… but, aesthetically speaking, it’s not my cup of tea. For £500 less (£5,699) you can get the stock SV650, which comes devoid of the ribbed dual seat and 90s M&P catalogue-style headlight shroud, but otherwise mirrors the ‘X’ in most ways. Chuntering aside, cocking a leg over the SV dissolved my prejudice in a jiffy. It wasn’t particularly extravagant, hi-tech or in any way mindblowing, but that’s what made it endearing. It was simple, easy and eager to bark its V-twin lump into life at the thumbing of its easy-start button. Few Euro 4 bikes sound great off the cuff, and this is no exception, but trust me when I say I’ve heard worse. Plus, for not a lot of money, an aftermarket can would definitely bolster the bark of this bad boy and make you a celebrity in your neighbourhood – even if it was for setting off car alarms and terrifying cats.
With the wheels in motion and a few miles under my belt, several things hit me all at once; how narrow the bike felt; how comfortable it was; how unintimidating the throttle was in obliging my greedy requests. Yep, I was starting to like it, but the raised, angled ’bars took a little more getting used to. That said they made more sense in the bends where the bike’s chassis proved equally inspiring. For a bike that costs just over £6k, you’d be daft to expect the world on a plate, but at slower speeds I was genuinely impressed by the SV’s effortless agility. Weighing in at 198kg, the ‘X’ is more sumo than supermodel, but it hides its mass well and will flop on its side with the obedience of a Labrador. In town it was a treat, and through tighter corners, a corker. Knee-down lean angles were achieved straight away thanks to the plush suspension offering plenty of confidence, and the
smooth motor made powering out of the turns a simple task. Revs are not the Suzuki’s best friend, with its edge dropping off once 8,500rpm have been crested, but unlike the CB650, the SV packs a pinch of punch right from the bottom of its rev range. This made pace much easier to find and the slick gearbox made the driving in and out of corners a doddle.
Blitzing around through wide sweeping corners, the suspension did start to feel a little overstressed, wallowing unreservedly on its supple setup. It was never that unnerving, but more a barometer to showcase the Suzuki’s upper limits. You can look at that in two ways; as a negative or a positive. On the one hand, it probably stopped me throwing the kitchen sink into my cornering endeavours. Then again, the bike felt alive and characterful. Weaving was winning, if you were to look at things from a slightly warped perspective. To get that kind of sensation on a balls-out sportsbike you’ve got to be clocking on TT-style on the open roads, which doesn’t bode too well with the feds. Getting that kind of sensation the sensible side of triple figures was actually something of a bonus. The only element I didn’t like was the vagueness of the front end when stomping on, feeling a little light and flimsy. Tank slappers weren’t unheard of and I couldn’t help but wonder whether lower clip-ons would have helped to keep the front wheel tracking like a good ’un. If this bike was mine, I’d probably go down the aftermarket suspension route and play around with the setup, but there’s no such luxury on the standard Suzuki pogos which offer little more than preload adjustability.
You can’t have it all, eh? But what you do get for £6,199 is really quite reasonable. As A2 bikes go, Suzuki’s hit the mark on a budget, turning out a bike that handles, goes and packs ABS-spec brakes that complement the consortium of qualities. My advice… don’t judge a bike by its cover.