Faults:

I have had no problems at all on my 03 naked. In fact it is the least problematic bike I have ever owned. I beat on it hard, I'm an ex road racer, and I use the red line ;)

General Comments:

The stock SV650 is way soft suspension wise. You ride fast on it and you'll get hurt. A few little mods and the bike will rail around corners. Even as low tech as the suspension is, it will work.

I like the seat, and the bars are perfect for me. I love my SV. ;)

Faults:

Throttle bodies needed replacing due to a fault with the servo motor.

Brakes are utterly rubbish for a 130mph bike.

Uncomfortable seat.

General Comments:

Suzuki's baby V-twin is looked upon in many circles as a "girly" bike, for new riders looking for an unthreatening ride, however it is far more of a sports bike than you would imagine. My 2003 "pointy" model had the superb 650cc V-twin motor with fuel injection, in a fine looking package mated to probably the worst budget suspension available on a production bike.

The engine is a cracker, no other word to describe it, my one had a full Micron system and the noise would make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I went beyond 6000 rpm. I fitted a Power Commander and K&N filter, which to be honest did little for performance (although the throttle response was a bit better), but gave a beautiful artillery barrage effect on the over run. Sure, every across the frame 4 cylinder 600 built from 1987 will leave an SV trailing in its wake, but it won't excite you at semi legal speeds. An SV might be only 70 BHP if you're lucky, but they're big horses.

Handling wise, the sound SV frame is let down by soggy forks and a weak shock. I fitted an aftermarket rear shock, which sorted the rear out, but it only showed how bloody awful the front forks are, Suzuki are missing a trick here, considering the amount of owners who happily shell out for suspension upgrades, Suzuki should do it for them, maybe an SV650R variant with the front end off a Gixer is the way to go?

Braking is a struggle between mass and the weedy 2 pot calipers that the Japanese have blighted motorcycles with since the 80's; the same caliper is used on everything from the SV to the Bandit 600 to the old CBR Hondas. Barely adequate when new, they need constant maintenance if they're to remain in fettle.

Which leads me onto the reason I parted with the 650, it's so bloody uncomfortable for someone of 6'1, the seat is like a plank and everything seems cramped. I have a CBR1000F in the garage that fits me like a glove, so it's the dimensions of the SV that I cannot live with, not the lean forward riding position, but for smaller riders, it'd probably be fine!

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the bike.

General Comments:

How is it that a bike like this is so light, yet performs like a Sports Bike. It is a standard isn't it?

Seriously though, this bike does it all. 5 minutes on the bike and I felt as comfortable riding this thing as I did riding my 06' Ninja 250.

The bike has a perfect balance of weight to acceleration ratio; very very manageable in the City, but on the freeway it leaves any car in the dust. Since it is considered a standard motorcycle, insurance is very very cheap.

Averages around 50 MPG when riding aggressively.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I love this Suzuki - it goes really well, is fast and cheap, and handles excellently, although it could do with a stickier tyre formulation.

It is also an excellent commuter - narrow and with mirrors that are not at the average car mirror height, so it's perfect for trickling down the lanes between the tin tops.

The seat is a bit too hard, though, for long miles, and I have to take a break after every hour to hour and a half to flex the legs and wrists.