2023 Suzuki SV650 Review - Final Ride? - video Dailymotion

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Motorcyclist Magazine reviews the 2023 Suzuki SV650 ($7,399). Official written article: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/suzuki-sv650-review/  Photography: Joseph Agustin Video: Ray Gauger Media, Inc.  Helmet: Arai Contour-X Jacket: REV'IT! Afterburn H2O Pant: REV'IT! Jackson 2 SK Jeans Gloves: REV'IT! Kryptonite 2 GTX Boots: TCX Rush 2 Air  Check out the full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/suzuki-sv650-review/  Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine   See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 Hey folks, we just got done riding Suzuki's 2023 SV650.

00:21 This could be our last rider view

00:24 of Suzuki's tried and true SV650,

00:27 because as you know, it's introducing its GSX-8S,

00:32 which is undoubtedly the replacement for this bike.

00:38 Now the SV650 was originally introduced

00:41 for the 1999 model year.

00:44 It is designed to be a middleweight

00:48 V-twin powered naked bike.

00:51 When the SV650 hit the scene,

00:55 it was an immediate favorite amongst riders.

00:58 It represented a great value.

01:00 It had a good power, a nice charismatic engine.

01:04 It wasn't too big, wasn't too small,

01:07 and it really had a great package.

01:10 It was such a great package that folks used the bike

01:13 to make them into track bikes and racing bikes

01:16 with just a careful set of modifications.

01:19 And these bikes really became cult favorites.

01:22 Well, the SV650 did really well for a long time.

01:26 Then in the 2010s, it replaced it with the Gladius.

01:29 It didn't look that different,

01:31 but it was definitely more bulbous

01:33 in the way that Suzuki bikes were at that time.

01:37 And it really fell out of love

01:39 with the motorcycling audience.

01:42 Then a few years ago in 2019,

01:44 Suzuki tried to do the SV650X,

01:47 which was a cafe inspired version of this bike,

01:50 and that didn't really go over well.

01:52 But fast forward to today,

01:53 Suzuki continues to campaign its SV650 for now

01:58 for the 2023 model year.

02:00 The last time this bike saw an overhaul

02:03 was for the 2017 model year.

02:07 And Suzuki did what they normally do

02:10 with their legacy models.

02:11 They change a lot of parts,

02:13 yet the bike doesn't really change that much.

02:17 But that's a good thing

02:17 'cause we really like the 645cc V-twin engine in this thing.

02:22 It benefits from water cooling,

02:25 double four valve cylinder heads,

02:27 and dual overhead cams.

02:28 This engine's good for right around 69, 70 horsepower

02:32 at the business end of that 160, 60 rear tire.

02:36 And the good thing about these V-twin engines

02:38 is they're awesome

02:39 because they make for a really narrow motorcycle.

02:42 They have a lot of charisma.

02:44 They have a lot of torque.

02:45 They have a cool sound

02:47 that parallel twins, they can imitate.

02:51 They're not quite the same as these classic V-twin engines.

02:55 Another cool thing about this engine

02:57 is it makes the majority of its torque

02:59 over 35 pound feet of torque

03:01 from as low as 3000 RPM.

03:03 It peaks around 45 pound feet.

03:06 So very nice that you have a lot of usable power

03:09 at a low RPM range.

03:12 Speaking of the engine,

03:13 we got around 40 miles per gallon out of this bike.

03:16 It's got a 3.8 gallon capacity fuel tank.

03:19 I wish it was a little bit bigger

03:21 just based on how fun this bike is to ride,

03:24 but 40 miles per gallon is nothing to sneeze at,

03:26 especially compared to a lot of bikes

03:28 that are a lot thirstier today.

03:31 We also like that this motorcycle can run on 87 octane.

03:34 A lot of bikes require 91, but not the SV650.

03:38 You can run 87 octane in it and it runs just fine.

03:42 Now the engine's hung in a steel trellis type frame.

03:45 And the reason why we like this frame so much

03:47 is not only is it a Ford for a really narrow motorcycle,

03:50 but this chassis is a lot of feel.

03:52 It goes over the bumps real right.

03:54 Yeah, it's maybe not as precise

03:56 as a more sporty offering today,

03:59 but it just goes over the bumps really nice

04:02 and delivers a good ride.

04:04 The suspension's a little bit old school.

04:06 It still has a telescopic fork

04:08 with no spring preload or damping adjustment.

04:11 But again, it goes over the bumps well.

04:14 It does what it's supposed to do

04:15 and it delivers very favorable ride quality

04:19 over bumpy roads.

04:20 But when you're really getting some on this,

04:22 the chassis's not quite as sporty

04:25 as other bikes are in the class.

04:27 But again, if you're someone who's just looking

04:29 for a good riding utilitarian, comfortable street bike,

04:34 this SV650 fills that gap very well.

04:38 Now we are segueing how the GSX-8S

04:41 is likely gonna replace this bike.

04:43 And you really feel it when you're sitting on this bike.

04:46 The ergonomics on it, they're old school.

04:48 Very much so like how Kawasaki Z650 ABS ergonomics are.

04:53 Triumph's old school, not the latest edition

04:58 'cause we haven't operated that one yet.

04:59 But the 2019, 2020, 2021 Street Triple 765,

05:04 these bikes have really old school ergonomics.

05:08 It almost feels like you're riding a tricycle.

05:10 The handlebars is real high with a lot of rearward sweep.

05:13 And it's not that the ergonomics aren't good,

05:16 it's just an old school way of doing it.

05:18 Now the handlebars are wider,

05:20 they're a little bit more aggressive,

05:22 but not sport bike aggressive.

05:24 And that's kind of how the modern ergonomics package

05:27 is on these motorcycles.

05:29 Still, if you're a smaller rider,

05:31 someone of smaller stature

05:33 or who wants a real narrow motorcycle,

05:35 this SV650 works really well.

05:39 I like the seat on it, it's very comfortable,

05:41 it's very low to the ground.

05:43 You know, standing at six foot tall,

05:45 this bike definitely feels almost like a mini bike for me,

05:48 especially now that I'm a little bit bigger

05:50 and gained a little bit of weight.

05:51 But for someone looking for a nice city bike

05:55 for running around town,

05:56 or someone who's smaller of stature,

05:58 you're gonna fit really well on this motorcycle.

06:01 Conversely, the curb weight's kind of high,

06:04 430 pounds with a 3.8 gallons of fuel filled to the brim.

06:09 That's kind of heavy.

06:11 You know, realistically,

06:12 when you're riding this bike though,

06:13 it feels way lighter in motion

06:15 or when you're sitting on it.

06:16 It's just very compact, it's very playful,

06:19 it's very easy to put where you want,

06:21 but there's no denying that it's hefty at around 430 pounds.

06:26 Now the LCD instrumentation on this bike

06:30 was pulled from Suzuki's old GSX-S1000.

06:34 It's simple and effective.

06:35 I wish it had an ambient air temperature gauge,

06:39 but it's easy to read.

06:41 It gets the job done, no fuss, no muss.

06:44 Now, of course,

06:45 this wouldn't be a Motorcyclist Magazine evaluation

06:47 if we didn't operate this vehicle after hours.

06:51 And that's one of the shortcomings of this SV650

06:53 is just this halogen bulb lighting.

06:56 It just isn't as bright as a modern LED setup.

07:00 We know this bike's not getting LEDs.

07:02 This bike's likely gonna be retired very soon,

07:05 but it would still be nice

07:06 if it benefited from LED light hardware.

07:11 Now, in terms of maintenance and durability,

07:14 these SV650 engines are just built so tough.

07:18 Still, Suzuki recommends that you change the engine oil

07:22 in these bikes every 3,500 miles.

07:25 Oddly enough, it wants you to change the oil filter

07:29 every other other oil change.

07:31 So you change the oil every 3,500 miles,

07:34 and then every other other time,

07:36 you change the oil filter.

07:37 Kind of crazy that it would have that kind of recommendation.

07:40 You also wanna change the spark plugs every 7,500 miles,

07:46 and Suzuki says that valve inspection intervals

07:49 are right at 15,000 mile intervals.

07:52 Realistically, these engines have a long history

07:57 of being able to be worked and ridden very hard

08:01 with very little maintenance and very little problems.

08:06 These engines are very durable.

08:08 So it's funny that the maintenance manual

08:10 recommends such low mileage durations

08:13 for a lot of the maintenance on these bikes,

08:15 'cause in our experience, these things are built for tough.

08:19 It's also neat that Suzuki gives you

08:21 a little bit of tools and stuff.

08:23 We're seeing these motorcycles nowadays

08:25 to have less less storage space under the seat,

08:28 but Suzuki still gives a little bit of storage space

08:31 and a little toolkit with its bike.

08:35 Which brings us to price, folks.

08:38 This 2023 SV650 retails for $7,400.

08:42 If you want the ABS version, that's another $450.

08:47 Brakes on this motorcycle, like the suspension,

08:50 they're old school.

08:51 We do like the triple hydraulic disc brakes.

08:53 It's nice it has two front brake discs,

08:56 but they're kind of small in diameter.

08:57 The rotors, less than 300 millimeters.

09:00 The master cylinder's non-radial,

09:03 and the brakes do a good job of getting this bike stopped,

09:06 but you're gonna use a little bit of lever

09:08 to get the brakes stopped on this vehicle.

09:10 Again, not bad, but that's just one of the areas

09:13 where the Suzuki shows its age

09:15 with its more rudimentary braking package.

09:19 Still, for $7,400, this bike represents

09:22 really good value in the class.

09:24 You have to remember,

09:26 bikes like the Tuning Fork brand's competition,

09:28 they're all more expensive than this bike,

09:31 and they don't offer the level

09:33 of well-rounded handling of this bike.

09:37 This thing goes over the bumps well.

09:40 It's a little bit more sporty

09:41 than some of the competition in the class,

09:43 and it really brings up good value.

09:46 And if you want one, you better hurry,

09:48 'cause you gotta remember,

09:49 Suzuki's GSX-8S replacement is almost $1,500 more expensive

09:54 than this V-twin-powered bike.

09:58 So if you want an SV650, you better hurry and get one,

10:02 'cause we're not saying that Suzuki's retiring this bike,

10:05 but they're probably gonna retire it.

10:07 Well, folks, that's our review of Suzuki's legendary SV650.

10:12 Sound off in the comments section.

10:14 Do you want Suzuki to continue manufacturing this bike

10:19 for 2023 and beyond?

10:20 Do you wanna see some updates to this bike?

10:23 Or are you hell-bent on getting

10:25 the new parallel twin-powered GSX-S?

10:29 Sound off in the comments section.

10:31 And as always, make sure to surf on over

10:33 to MotorcyclistOnline.com.

10:35 That's where all of our written content lives.

10:38 We're gonna be celebrating our 111th birthday this summer,

10:43 and we can't wait to share some special content

10:47 with you guys then.

10:49 All right, folks, thanks for riding with us,

10:51 and we'll see you in the next episode.

10:53 (upbeat music)

10:55 (rock music)

10:58 (rock music)

11:00 (rock music)

11:03 (rock music)

11:05 (rock music)

11:09 (rock music)

11:11 (guitar chord)

2023 Suzuki SV650 Review - Final Ride?

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