Rochdale Observer

A jack of all trades?

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commuting in and out of a busy city centre - and is even capable of doing the business on a longer slog if you fancy a short touring trip.

Engine-wise, Suzuki is the only one of the four big Japanese marques to use a V-twin in this class. Yamaha and Kawasaki’s 650 machines both have a parallel twin while Honda’s CB650F employs an inline four cylinder unit.

The characterf­ul SV generates 75hp which is plenty of grunt for a bike of this size and it sounds the part too, thanks to a combinatio­n of noticeable induction noise and an adequate (and easily upgradable!) standard exhaust.

Torque is fine too; I found myself in the wrong gear a couple of times and the bike coped without any coughing or splutterin­g.

Two great innovation­s for the less experience­d are the Easy Start system, which uses a computeris­ed 32-bit ECM engage and disengage the starter motor, and the Low RPM Assist which boosts engine revs to avoid engine stalls at low speeds.

Underneath you, it’s a firm and fairly sporty ride with basic but functional suspension and braking. ABS comes as standard and there’s simple fork adjustment - all fine for a bike around the £5k mark. The handling feels nimble and agile which makes it chuckable for an experience­d biker and a forgiving learning curve for those taking the step up to a bigger bike.

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