I was all smiles riding home from the dealership. I had just traded my Plazma blue 06 Ninja 636 off on this bike for a more comfortable ride. I was totally amazed at the confidence that this bike inspired in the handling department. It most closely reminded me of throwing a mountainbike from size...
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I was all smiles riding home from the dealership. I had just traded my Plazma blue 06 Ninja 636 off on this bike for a more comfortable ride. I was totally amazed at the confidence that this bike inspired in the handling department. It most closely reminded me of throwing a mountainbike from size to side. This bike's dry weight amounted to about 10-15 lbs heavier than the Ninja, but actually handled as if it was lighter due to the wider bar leverage and higher body position over the tank. I definitely found more comfort in the upper body for riding long distances (150-300 miles in a day). But my disappointment with this bike is the lack of wind protection on the upper body. I knew that getting into the purchase, though. The problem with adding a small windshield to a sport-standard bike is that you will lessen the blast on the chest, but the noise will greatly increase around your head, even tiring after 200 miles with earplugs under a helmet. The shield concentrates and turbulates the air around your head. The Ninja had windblast around the head, but the air stream was much quieter and smoother. Anyway, the SV650 is an amazing little bike otherwise. Anyone who may pity the power delievery of the SV has probably just come back from a day riding a litre bike. The power is sufficient and comes on lower than your typical 600cc hyper bike. Much more ridable around town, and around hills and curves. A talented rider able to extract the capabilities of the SV will surpass a 600 supersport, because of the bar leverage and low end torque. Reliability is stellar. I ran Motoman's break-in method, flushed out major break-in grit with several oil changes, and have not experienced one single hiccup with it since the first turn-key. Performance is great for what it is. It is a Vtwin 645, and you get about as much torque and power from it as one could expect. Quick highway passes can be done with a couple downshifts. It won't develope speed like a 636, duh! But normally you don't need to shift much....just roll-on and go. There is a soft flat spot in throttle from about 4,800-5,700 rpm which could be solved with a PC3 and a pipe. The only qualm I have had is the shifter is a bit more on my mind than I would like. I have gotten a lot of false neutrals between 5th and 6th gears. The dealership adjusted the clutch cable play and it only reduced the shift errors about 50%. I never even thought about the 636 Ninja, and that is the way it should be. The SV650 has settled in at about 52mpg steady. That is with 60-62mph commuting, a couple of quick blasts, and 0-06 in about 6-7 seconds on average. Really good fuel economy. The range is about 170+ miles before the light comes on, then you can run to about 210 safely before you definitely need to fill, if your sore backside can handle that trip. Comfort is much better than a supersport. Your elbows, wrists, and back-of-neck will thank you. However, most people that have owned a 2003-on SV will tell you that Suzuki has visions of tortoise butts when they designed the shape of the SV seat. Good for moderate commutes, but will make your hiney raw after 60 miles. Get a better seat. Legs and knees have never complained, and I'm 6 foot 2 inch. Quality is moderate to medium in motorcycles. Yeah, you are going to mix the plastic with the metal on a bike like this, but for the price out the door, it's a good bargain. If you want quality shiny things, get a cruiser and bolt on another 100 lb of power-sapping jewelry, and the first bug you hit you will cry. The only thing I have found is that there is a buzz coming from the front round headlight assembly, which seems to be the headlight assembly's lack of correct clearance in the plastic bell housing that is is mounted. The back of the light sleeve buzzes against the housing. I need to stick some electric tape in their to tighten that up just a bit. Should do the trick. I will probably run this little torquer for another couple years until I pay it off, then maybe consider a heavier, more powerful street/sport/tourer kind of ride, like the new Bandit 1250S. The extra weight would reduce fatigue on the road in the wind, and the bigger motor would relax the wrist and steady the riding speed. SV's hold their value well and are always in demand. Funny thing about owning motorcycles, it's innevitable that you will go through 3 or 4 before you land the right one. I researched motorcycles on the internet for a solid 3 years or more, and still didn't come to the proper conclusion. I'm a mechanical engineer/draftsman with great mechanical aptitude and am a motorcycle enthusiast, but all the reading in the world doesn't cut it like actually riding a bike. Too bad stealerships don't allow more test drives, but that's what demo-days are for. The search goes on, but I'll ride the SV until then. In my opinion, there is no better bike on the market for all-around versitility in the 650cc range. This is simply the best equipped, funnest to ride, rouchious engine, corner carver, great economical bike for the dollar. Period. Happy roads!
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