ToeShifter - The Motorcycle Blog

The Suzuki SV 650 quickly rose to a cult-like status amongst hardcore sport & track guys as well as being a great entry level motorcycle. A spectacular motor in a great frame, with a little modification the SV was an excellent race bike, back road knife and urban assault vehicle all in one.

I have a long history with the SV 650. Disgruntled with with poor streetability of my past R6, I turned to the naked standard SV as a replacement street bike. I sold my R6, pocketed some cash and picked up a 2004 SV. With the low cost of entry into the SV, that left more cash for mods! More about hotrod SV’s in my upcoming article.

So when Suzuki announced they were replacing the SV for ‘09, I was eager to see what the boys from Shizuoka had in mind.

For 2009 the Gladius will replace the SV 650N but the SV650S will still be continued. Clearly Suzuki paid little regard to the rather large cult following the SV has accumulated in its two generation, ten year life span. The SV sold so well because it was cheap, had an excellent chassis, an awesome motor and was tough enough to sell to seasoned riders.

What the SV didn’t do well was sell to women and beginners. Its looks are an “acquired taste” at best, its seat height was fairly tall and it’s motor was strong enough to double most speed limits.

My argument is that Suzuki missed the mark with the Gladius. If you wanted a bike for women and new riders, I don’t believe replacing the SV was a way to do it. Even with a lower seat height and a more approachable appearance, the Gladius still uses Suzuki’s potent 70hp power plant which can be a bit overwhelming for new riders. It’s also a bit heavy - 20 lbs. heavier than the SV apparently - this too doesn’t make for a good beginner ride.

The best approach would have been to continue the SV. Perhaps even update it with better suspension and more modern brakes so that it’s targeted to the mid-level performance light streetfighter market. This is a class that Suzuki is falling behind in, with the likes of the Triumph Street Triple and Yamaha FZ6 dominating. Next, introduce the Gladius with a mellower powerplant and lighter weight. Its looks are already there for the market but it’s bulk and brawn might keep more timid riders away.

Tags: 650, bike, cult, fighter, motorcycle, street, suzuki, SV, twin

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 1:16 pm and is filed under New Bikes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.