sv650, time for a fresh model suzuki [Archive] - SV650.org

steady2wheels

28-08-13, 10:01 PM

The long selling, very successful sv650, a cult bike with a huge loyal following. The current model has gone much unchanged for the last 10 years, with a short break after suzuki decided to replace it with a model that went away from everything that made the sv650 so successful.
So my question is why hasn't suzuki updated the sv and do they have an intention of doing so? Also can they do it without coming up with another abortion like the gladius, although the japanese are usual oblivious to what its customer base wants. Make it light, simple and fun, simples. If they did it correctly id be first in line

Bibio

28-08-13, 11:02 PM

the SV is coming to the end of it's life and i personally think there will be no more and the glady will take over with the introduction of a full faired version.

squirrel_hunter

28-08-13, 11:19 PM

Nope, they just need to bring the old moulds and jigs out from storage and start production of the original and best looking SV650 again. Sure they will have to add FI to it but that's not too difficult as that's already been done on the later model.

Good for another 10 years.

Owenski

29-08-13, 07:58 AM

Think you're confused SH.
The best looking version, the pointy already had FI ;)

yorkie_chris

29-08-13, 08:04 AM

All money.

They had the best frame. It cost a sodding fortune.

So they got rid of the bent pipe fabricated bits and made the pointy... which is a couple of cheap ars* die castings welded together.

But ally is expensive... so they looked at how chinese 125's are put together... and made the gladius from some bits of bent steel... then covered up the resulting 'orrible mess with some poncing plastic...

Spoon

29-08-13, 08:28 AM

I would hope that with the success of the supertwins class someone (be that Suzuki or Kawasaki) launches an 'R' version of the sv/er with decent suspension and slightly tuned engine out of the box. Can't see this happening though as BHP seems to sell premium sports models and the sv is clearly still an entry level/budget bike so different target market.

Unfortunately my curvy is approaching the end of its life and at some point will need to be replaced. I love that bike but it has taken a lot of work (and reasonable amount of money) to make it the bike I wanted. No way I would go back to riding a standard sv now and due to circumstances I no longer have the time to heavily mod a bike to turn it into what I want.

This added with the fact that I have no interest in 600/1000cc il4s means that my next purchase will likely be from a european manufacturer (Ducati/KTM/Aprilia?) and suzuki will lose me as a customer - a shame because I really rate their spares distribution which (in my personal experience) is leagues ahead of Aprilia at least.

yorkie_chris

29-08-13, 08:34 AM

their spares distribution which (in my personal experience) is leagues ahead of Aprilia at least.

Really not the best accolade there lol.

Like saying their reliability is better than ducati, or their directors touch less kids than Jimmy Saville... :mrgreen:

andrewsmith

29-08-13, 04:19 PM

the SV is coming to the end of it's life and i personally think there will be no more and the glady will take over with the introduction of a full faired version.

This.
The pointy will go on the Euro 4/5 emission regulations come into force fully, which is 2014/15 IIRC. As the engine is built to Euro 3 requirements, a curvy wouldn't even comply as is was built pre the requirements.

If they do any changes with anything, it'll be to suit tyres as 120/60 is a little used size now. At most new front which will be a parts share with the GSR750

If they built and 'R' version it would be probably double the price of a standard with a set of hot cams and Supersport derived suspension

Bibio

29-08-13, 04:29 PM

biggest problem with suzuki is they like to play the upgrade game and therefore build bikes like the gladdy to entice new riders into the suzuki camp. once there the shop sales floor takes over, add to that the bullshizz published in mags and your average Joe thinks that they have to upgrade in order to have a 'status/street cred' in the biking community.

the gladdy and the SV are classed as a 'stepping stone' bike so if suzuki were to bring out a v-twin with good suspension and brakes people might not be so tempted to upgrade.

ChrisCurvyS

29-08-13, 04:34 PM

I think the new Yamaha naked triple thingy will pick up where the SV left off.

850cc, 115bhp and 62lbft for under seven grand? Even if the fixtures and fittings are a bit on the cheap side, should be a good base to work from.

Bibio

29-08-13, 04:37 PM

3 grand more than an SV. for that extra cash you could make the SV much better.

Sir Trev

29-08-13, 05:41 PM

I can see the new CB500 family being the model for the next few years for "stepping stone" bikes. Although we all know the SV is way more than one it's aimed at that market as said above. A simple parallel twin in street, adventure and sports versions works from a number crunching perspective while still giving choice. Add a bigger version as the next step (such as the NC700) and then wave the keys to the test ride Blade under their nose. Hate to say it but I think Honda has the right marketing and model line up right now for newer riders.

Nutsinatin

29-08-13, 07:18 PM

Phil 1

01-09-13, 04:21 PM

I'll play devils advocate here and say I quite like the SFV. It's a great little bike which shares the great V-twin we all know and love.

It is, dare I say it, a little more effeminate than the SV though which I think could possibly be it's downfall, I also found that it seems to be much less of a sport bias and more upright in it's position but also managing to have a lower seat height (I don't know if it is or not, but it certainly felt like it). The gear change indicator was a good addition, and it comes in some great colours.

Very similar I imagine to the non faired version of the SV without clip-ons etc.

I wouldn't swap my SV for one though I don't think. Needs a little more of a sporting edge to it and a bigger bike feel without being too much of a handful.

Jayneflakes

04-09-13, 09:12 AM

A friend of mine bought a new Gladius after passing her test and it is a lovely looking bike, with purple wheels and lots of shiny bits. It has a lovely riding position and she loves her bike nearly as much as I love my SV.

As for a newer version of the SV, it needs nicer wheels and better looking exhaust. I have modified mine so much that it reminds me of a fazer and this could be a route for Suzuki to take. A bikini fairing with riser bars and a position for day long comfort could make the SV a real contender in the market for street bikes.
Just a thought and I am pretty sure that it will never happen though.

aesmith

04-09-13, 02:28 PM

I'm sure the SV would benefit from some modernising all round, but one thing that I wondered about was why it was specified to such a low price. I mean they had the Bandit as a cheap no-frills 600, then a big price hike up to the full sports bikes. Why did they decide to put the SV right down at the bottom, surely a few hundred more could have been put into the forks in particular without treading on GSXR toes.

A modernised SV, fully faired, with decent partially adjustable suspension (not USD) would make a nice option, and nothing else obviously fits that niche.

Mauler

04-09-13, 04:11 PM

As much as I'm with SH on Suzuki needing to drop the pointy nonsene and bring out a new, better curvy SV I'm wondering what's wrong with the Gladius?

I've never ridden one but they look good and seem similar to the SV...

aesmith

04-09-13, 05:42 PM

what's wrong with the Gladius?
It might be a replacement for the naked bike, but compared to the SV650S it's heavier, with the wrong riding position and no fairing. It's a different bike, and apart from being a V twin doesn't really have anything in common. You might as well ask what's wrong with a Deauville?

(Also it has goofy styling in my eyes)

Phil 1

04-09-13, 05:48 PM

The gladius is a totally different ride to the SV, It's a more upright street bike than a sports bike like the SV.

squirrel_hunter

04-09-13, 06:33 PM

I'm wondering what's wrong with the Gladius?

Having actually ridden a Gladius I found the engine lacking in VTwin character. Yes its a budget bike and its suspension isn't the best, but then that's the same as the SV. Its a more relaxed ride but all that can be changed if you want to.

I think the biggest problem the Gladius suffers from is the Metrosexual advertising that it was launched with, added to that the colour schemes and some of the bulbous plastic and foot rests it just doesn't look like I bike I'd be happy to see in the garage.

However remove the additional tat, put it in race trim with some good suspension, a proper set of pegs, an exhaust, a little bit of paint work, and you have a bike that would be worth ridding. Have a look at some of the modified Gladius machines that are out there on the road or track and they look good. I'd be happy to have one of them in my garage. Trouble is I'm not going to buy a new bike and then completely change it just to get it to a level I'd be happy with, I'd just stick with my SV.

So my predication, in a few years time the Gladius will be a bike worth having. Production would have stopped but the modifications wont.

yorkie_chris

04-09-13, 06:44 PM

The frame is still butt ugly. I think the lack of character might be something to do with the heavier flywheel they've put in, soon sort that...

squirrel_hunter

04-09-13, 06:52 PM

I don't know, without the plastic cover near the foot rest you can see more of frame. And the trellis frame that is reviled looks better then say the Pointy. Reminds me of a TRX850.

As for the flywheel, I can see that being the reason. But I do wonder why they have added that?

yorkie_chris

04-09-13, 06:58 PM

Probably to make it smoother I would guess. Otherwise known as ruining it to appeal to the bint market.

Mauler

04-09-13, 07:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback chaps!

I figured that it was an evolution on the SV with similar character...clearly not!

squirrel_hunter

04-09-13, 07:04 PM

It is still an evolution. Natural selection, adapt for the environment. Suzuki think that the Gladius is needed in the environment. The environment says otherwise.

admin

04-09-13, 08:46 PM

I always thought the Aprilia Shiva was a natural evolution of the SV. In fact I wondered if the Gladius was based on it(but messed up). Some interesting comments here. I've moved on after owning a curvy and pointy, I couldn't buy a Gladius and didn't want a bandit. Had Suzuki produced a 750 vtwin on the lines of a monster or Shiva, I might have gone for that.

sent via semaphore

Juju

04-09-13, 09:01 PM

The problem isn't that the gladius is a bad bike as such, but that the bike it took over from was such an excellently balanced all rounder with such wide appeal.

It's pretty, especially in naked form, It delivers 55mpg, so reasonably frugal, and being light, low is easy to handle and forgiving to ride for a newcomer and the shorter of leg, its not intimidating like a taller bike 1/3 heavier such as fasers/bandits. It handles well for an all rounder. You can within basic size limitations, tour, commute or trackday an SV. But it also had enough "difference" or "character" to appeal to those who don't want a full on sports bike in the faired version.

Could have been Suzuki's Monster, if only Suzuki weren't so incompetent. If they'd kept the original curvy, made a nice full fairing model, made higher spec versions available, and perhaps planned from the outset a model range of 2-3 engines from 600 to 1000, rather than make us wait for the pointy 1000, they would have taken the market even more forcefully. Even today, it's still a common bike, but when I think how much yen could have been earned if Suzuki actually asked what people want rather than forcing crap on the market.

I even think if they'd kept the original frame, and just spent a little time redetailing the gladius, that could have been a success.

Mikey360

04-09-13, 09:24 PM

Personally, I don't think Suzuki will venture into the SV area again, seems like they gave a little effort into creating the sfv, a street bike with a damn good engine that never took off with the following they wanted.

Even if they did, the SV has always been the best budget bike, they wouldn't go for the suspension and brake upgrade that the SV deserved from the start as it would push it into the higher price range.

How many people would realistically buy an SV mk3 over a pointy or a curvy?????

yorkie_chris

04-09-13, 09:25 PM

seems like they gave a little effort into creating a street bike with a damn good engine that never took off with the following they wanted.

I dunno about that, they did sell a lot of them...

Mikey360

04-09-13, 09:29 PM

I dunno about that, they did sell a lot of them...

But they never got the following the SV has got, even reading through this thread shows its got such mixed opinions.

Im a fan of the SFV, i like the looks, riding position, easy usability etc. The only thing stopping me from getting one is the lack of fairing and my shallow pockets :p

yorkie_chris

04-09-13, 09:40 PM

Oh sorry thought you were on about the SV

Mikey360

04-09-13, 09:41 PM

Oh sorry thought you were on about the SV

No worries, just re-read what i put and realized it wasn't worded very well! :)

admin

05-09-13, 11:33 AM

I think there is still a market for a mid range bike is Suzuki's line up. Kawasaki has had a success with the ER6 its various guises, I considered that myself. Honda have the new 500 twins, as well as the NC700. Yamaha seem to be moving in a similar direction with the MT09. I originally bought the SV because I wanted something to commute on during the week, but fun to scratch on at weekends, without costing a fortune to buy or run. That still holds true for me and probably a lot of others too.

The gladius is probably a great commuter bike, but it never lit my fire as a weekend scratcher

sent via semaphore

Juju

07-09-13, 10:44 PM

The fact is you never see a Gladioli when out. It's been for sale now for years.

Your more likely to see a curvy, let alone a pointy. That tells you everything.

When will Japan, stop "overstylising" their bikes with odd, slabby styling, melty looking lights, crap tat covering radiators that dont fit, and gash frames with mixed tubes/cast parts (like the Gladioli) and peg/sub frame fittings, and realise the "great" bikes were all about the tank, the engine, seat/bars and frame and start to style things properly. I don't think I've looked at a bike in nearly a decade and gone "ooh, its lovely". Certainly Ducati need to learn a thing or do. They gave us the monster, and the 916. Then gave us the multi strada. And those awful classics. And the 1098 and 1198.

If only design departments were staffed by people who bought bikes.

andrewsmith

07-09-13, 11:00 PM

I'll agree on the Suzuki point, but seriously disagree on the Ducati stuff. The sport classic was 7 years ahead of everyone else.
If you hate the classic you must loathe the 749 & 999, one of the most radical looking and successful sports racer ever. I think the 999 is a beautiful bike

sent from the shredded wheat factory

yorkie_chris

08-09-13, 08:27 AM

Form follows function, and I hate those pointless horrible non existent rear ends on bikes. What possible function is there for a bike that gives you an anal jet wash every time you go through a puddle and has nowhere to hang panniers, a tent and at least 367 units of alcohol.

admin

08-09-13, 08:32 AM

fizzwheel

08-09-13, 08:44 AM

the 749 & 999, one of the most radical looking and successful sports racer ever. I think the 999 is a beautiful bike

I know its off topic, but with regard to the above.

Its looks grow on you, I hated it when it first came out, but ever since Liz got her 749 the looks have been growing and growing on me. Now the design has aged a bit against some of the latest bikes the 749 is a handsome beast.

Its also IMHO what some people on this forum keep calling for. i.e. a sporty SV with more power, better brakes and suspension.

I know you are all gonna go on me about purchase prices and running costs, servicing et all and yes I agree its something to consider, but you can say that about any bike, but I' also say talk to owners and make your own mind up than basing your opinions on what your mate told you based on what he read on an internet forum...