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/
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Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
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/
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SportsTranscript
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)
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