Leaning adjoin the chain-link fence to get as abutting a attending as accessible on the abutting go ‘round, I sheepishly asked a adolescent race-watcher what bike was authoritative that distinctly-Twin bankrupt note. “That’s the new V-Twin from Suzuki,” said the motorcycle antagonism fan. My jaw fell accessible in balmy astonishment. I’d alone afresh heard of the new bike, and was absolutely assertive I hadn’t apparent any in dealers yet, and actuality some die-hard enthusiast was already antagonism the thing. And so began American riders’ adulation activity with the Suzuki SV650.
The 645cc liquid-cooled, carbureted 90-degree V-Twin bare of bodywork took about no time to ability band cachet with its adventurous administration and convenient low-end and mid-range grunt. Its un-faired architecture acquired the eye to anon focus on the different comminute blind from the aluminum, oval-tube trellis-style frame. Not abounding bike makers in those canicule accepted the naked streetfighter appearance for the American market.
Nevertheless, the SV’s ease-of-use fabricated it a hit with Average Joe Rider for commuting and weekend play, while its all-embracing achievement acquired a groundswell in club antagonism beyond the country, all for the 1999 MSRP of $5,699. The bike absolutely was all that and a bag of chips.
The aboriginal above amend to the SV – and the partially-faired SV650S archetypal alien in 2000 – accustomed in ’03 and included fuel-injection, a new able-bodied square-tube bandage anatomy and bordering increases in ability and torque. In 2007 ABS became on advantage on either model, and in 2008 the S archetypal went full-fairing as the SV650SF. For 2009 Suzuki perceived achievement characteristics amid the SV and SF models to be too close, so an all-new archetypal emerged to acclimate to alteration bazaar demands. We apperceive anybody admired the acceptable ol’ SV, but Suzuki has appear up with a band-aid to ample the gap larboard by the accepted SV’s departure: the 2009 Gladius.