‘It’s a highly capable B-road scratcher’
1000 rapid miles of back-road Britain reveal the true value of this budget café racer
Suzuki’s SV650X was their only real new release for 2018 and, clip-on bars and bikini fairing aside, was and still is the same basic SV650 the Japanese firm released back in 2016.
With the only other notable addition being preload adjustable forks, which now come as standard across the SV range, it appeared to just be a lazy attempt to tap into an already saturated part of the market. But after 1000 miles in the saddle, it’s proving to be much more than that.
100 miles
I have always had a soft spot for the standard SV650 and the switch to sporty clip-on bars offers an added dimension to the riding experience. With a fat tank and chunky seat, complete with sensible-yet-sporty foot pegs, the forward-focussed riding position is reminiscent of that of a late 90s supersport machine.
‘In fast corners the back end wallows’
It feels more involved and precise than its upright twin and the peppy V-twin is the perfect tool for maximum fun at road legal speeds.
300 miles
Despite the care that’s been lavished upon it, the dregs of winter have still started to eat away at the SV after just a few hundred miles. Surface rust has crept onto the inner sections of the front discs and on some of the outer plates of the chain. That’s disappointing when you consider the vast majority of SVs will live their lives as commuting workhorses. Granted, at £6199, it’s a cheap motorcycle, but you would expect a new bike to be able to survive 300 miles in the last month of its firstever winter relatively unscathed.
600 miles
Owners with the enough patience to run their new bike in by the book will have to suffer those initial 600 miles before the first service below a rev-limit of 5000rpm. On country roads and through town it remains an enjoyable (if slightly sedate) ride, as most of the SV’s grunt is delivered from the bottom to the middle of the rev range. But it does mean a top speed of just 68mph to 70mph – leaving you feeling quite exposed to the vehicles around you on duel carriageways and motorways. So instead, I spent the first 600 miles glued to backroads, enjoying the surprising bottom-end flexibility from the 645cc V-twin.
1000 miles
Once run-in, the X’s sporting nature has a much better chance of shining through. With full access to the bike’s 10,000rpm range, it morphs from pedestrian retro wannabe, to a road-going mini-twin racer. Complete with impressively grippy OE Dunlop Roadsmart rubber, it is out-of-the-crate fun and the perfect back-road tool.
The perky V-twin is hugely addictive and, with just 75bhp on tap, is largely accessible at road-legal speeds. It is only when you start to really push on that you notice the softly sprung suspension, which lets it down in faster corners as the back end starts to wallow.