Simple style, huge smile
The reborn SV650 is far more fun than appearances may suggest
By
WHEN I HAD a set of SV650 keys waved at me earlier this year, I wasn’t exactly overcome with enthusiasm at the prospect of running one for 2016. Having only just recently ridden an SFV650 (a Gladius), I set my expectations for the new SV at a very low level.
Matters weren’t helped by the rev restriction that running it in requires, and at times I was having to force myself to use it in order to rack the miles up. Commuting during that period was OK – 4000 revs in sixth gear is a convenient 70mph, and riding through town was equally not bad. Slowly I got used to it. There’s a decent amount of grunt at the bottom of the rev
range, so the practical stuff of filtering and pulling into traffic is easy.
By the time I’d completed the running-in process, I had come to accept the lacklustre affair that my riding had become. But then I treated myself to the whole rev range, and suddenly all hell broke loose. The SV650 felt hyper-responsive, and the torque delivered by the previously mild-mannered V-twin was intoxicating. Especially when I allowed myself to keep piling the revs on, instead of having to practise the power-withdrawal method of the previous weeks.
The SV is genuinely fun, overtaking is easy, it wheelies on command, and it finds every gap in traffic with ease. Taking it through some twisty country lanes showed that it was even more fun when it was dragging its footpegs through corners. That was it – we’ve been best mates ever since.
Styling isn’t the SV’S strong point, though. I don’t really mind the traditional round headlamp, the trellis frame or even the fake carbonfibre pattern on some plastic bits. There are a few exposed wires and ugly bits when you look closely, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker for me. Overall, it’s just about OK. It certainly doesn’t turn any heads, and the few decibels that dribble out of the standard exhaust do nothing to change that. After a visit to www.performanceparts-ltd.com I took delivery of a beautiful carbon Yoshimura silencer and a set of Gilles Sport Handlebars. Both simple bolt-on mods vastly improved the look of the SV, making it look much more sporty.
Then it all went wrong. I highsided it at a Rockingham trackday, resulting in the bike suffering a considerable amount of damage and me breaking my wrist.
Prior to the crash I was having the time of my life riding the SV as hard as I could and embarrassing slick-shod BMW S1000RRS. In the paddock it has the opposite effect of what it does in real life. Take the SV out if its natural environment and everybody loves it. Everybody wants to talk to you about it. Nobody cares about the EX-BSB bike in the next garage, but the SV always has somebody admiring it.
That’s the charm of the SV. It does everything you could ask of it, and at times I’ve asked a lot. It’s never faltered, never even hinted at letting me down, just taken everything in stride. And when pushed, it surprised everybody with its capability.
“The torque delivered by the V-twin was intoxicating”