Test 29 - 2016 Suzuki SV650
Not going to write a lot about this as pretty much everyone on this site has ridden an SV at some point.
It's amazing to think that the SV is nearly 20 years old and hasn't really changed much in that time. The new SV is pretty much the same as the old one but a bit more refined and IMO better looking. The suspension feels a little better, not as much dive when braking and a little more composed on rough roads. The fuelling is a bit better too, it's smoother and has feels like the torque curve is flatter.
The dash is the same as the GSX1000 and makes the SV feel much more up to date.
For 5 grand it really is a bargain, on the road it'll do anything you need it to, it makes the grunt of the 1000cc bike I was on earlier seem completely unnecessary, in fact it, being forced to stick to speed limits(ish) it was actually more fun to ride as you can hit the rev limiter without risking your licence.
Comfort was on par with the GSX too, but the seating position was a bit more natural with the pegs a bit lower and more forward.
Only negative point are the brakes, they are borderline dangerous, and this was a bike with 1200 miles on the clock. Such a shame really and as many people have said before there really needs to be an SVR, if it had some decent USD forks like you get on the GSX and Brembo brakes, I'd happily pay and extra £1000 and I'm sure they'd fly out of the showroom.
