Tainted love
Falling out of, and then back in, love with the SV
I FELL A little out of love with the SV650X recently. It wasn’t the bike’s fault; it was me asking the wrong thing of it. I had tried to cover my daily 95-mile motorway commute too often, convincing myself the constant buffeting, the two hours spent hunched over the tank in a sporty riding position and the deafening wind noise were all part of the attraction.
Even an extended ride home on what promised to be a lovely route turned out to be a nightmare in reality — endless traffic, constant pointless 40mph limits and boring roads.
Then, on the way back from last month’s Sports Day event at Bruntingthorpe, I got lost in Leicestershire. Luckily I spotted some place names I recognised and before long, I was back on my old stomping grounds and roads I was familiar with from my days on four wheels.
As it was early afternoon, traffic was light and these smaller roads were Hgv-free, so I had the chance to enjoy some excellent tarmac, with clear views, medium straights and fast, sweeping bends — exactly what the SV was made for. All of a sudden, the forward riding position felt natural, the buffeting disappeared and wind noise was replaced by the growl of the twin. By the time I arrived at the office, I had
fallen in love with the Suzuki, all over again.
I’ve also had a bit of a fiddle this month, replacing the clutch lever that broke when the SV toppled over (after I didn’t put the sidestand down properly). I also tweaked the angles of the levers after MFG rode it and suggested they should be more inline with my forearms. Much more fun to grab hold of now… JIM BLACKSTOCK