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Our bikes: 1999
Suzuki SV650S
Some little while back we bought a
first-gen Suzuki SV650S to keep as a general hack
and loan bike. One of our first players was Chris
Beattie, a former AMCN Editor and founder of
Heavy Duty magazine. Here are his thoughts on it
(October 2024)
“Ummm so I’m parked on the side of the road in Flinders and it appears I’m out of juice,” was how the conversation started. At the time I had been enjoying an SV650 Suzuki kindly loaned to me by my longtime partner in crime and mate, Guido Allen, whose fault AllMoto.com happens to be. I had no intention of writing of my experiences on my ‘renta-bike’, otherwise known as “The World’s Yellowest Bike”, but then again it has proven to be such a fun machine that I couldn’t help myself.
So, there I was on a brilliantly sunny spring morning puttering into Flinders on the eastern corner of Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, when I was suddenly spluttering. I checked the low-fuel warning light, which wasn’t warning me of anything, and then reached down to feel for the fuel tap, while shaking the bike from side-to-side. By the time it ground to a halt I had surmised that I was so out of fuel that not even swerving to shake the remnants of the tank around was going to help.
But I am a glass half full kinda guy, which was particularly appropriate as the Suzi and I had ground to a halt within sight of the Flinders pub! Plainly, Guido had trained it well.
He responded to my plea for help by suggesting I tell the bar staff at the pub. As it turned out they had the perfect answer and even better – my daughter, Dr Jessica Beattie, just happens to work at a veterinarian clinic only a handful of kilometres up the road, so within two schooners I was back on the road! Yet more proof that if you find yourself in strife 2000km from home (I live in Kingscliff on the NSW/Qld border), then you are always better off on a bike, and relying on bike mates to come to the rescue.
In my own defence, even the owner had no idea whether the
twin Mikuni-carbureted Suzi had a fuel tap (which it
didn’t). I broke one of my cardinal rules on a new bike,
which is always to top it up and reset the trip meter. He
had thoughtfully handed it over with a full tank anyway
and zeroed the gauge, but I had put a few bucks in ‘just
in case’ after covering a coupla hundred kilometres and
didn’t hit the zero button. Which meant my ‘failure to
proceed’ was entirely self-inflicted. Happily, by the
second schooner, most of the guilt had subsided.
But otherwise, I have to say that my time aboard one of Suzuki’s all-time classic sports bikes and longest-surviving roadsters was incredibly enjoyable – even (and probably especially) when battling Melbourne’s notoriously wet cement-like traffic. At just 180kg or so wet, and with a grunty 645cc DOHC, four-valve, 90-degree V-twin producing 53kW at 9000rpm, it is not only light, but very responsive and the engine feels like it’s got at least another 100cc hidden away. Lane-splitting is a breeze and it's nimble when needed, such as when encountering sudden lane-changes without recourse to rear-view mirrors.
It also loves to rev, and with a sporty note exiting the
big Staintune stainless can, it rewards right-hand
movement with great passing acceleration from around
3000rpm and up. Shifting from the close-ratio six-speed is
tight, light and slick.
Handling and steering were first-class over a wide variety of surfaces, enhanced by the sticky Michelins. Suspension is pretty conventional for the time, but short of throwing it at a racetrack, its real-world behaviour was bloody impressive. Steering was pinpoint and sure-footed, with no tendency to any nervousness over bumps and the stock brakes – large full-floaters gripped by twin-piston calipers on the front – had a bunch of feel, but were firm when they needed to be.
The only bitches I had were the committed,
café-racer-like riding posi, which takes a while to get
used to. You wouldn’t want to inflict a few hundred kays
of freeway travel on yourself as it is. Then again, the SV
in this S form doesn’t claim touring credentials. (The
naked version would be a better distance mount.)
Also, I don't care what you reckon, a fuel tap and a
coupla litres in reserve is a necessity on any carbureted
bike as far as I'm concerned. That said, the cold
schooners were almost worth the inconvenience.
The SV650 is, nevertheless, a great, honest, very competent V-twin sportster that is as easy to ride around town as it is in the twisties. And what’s more, it’s a heap of fun, light-as and with grunt to burn. What’s not to like?
Released way back last century in 1999, it was such a fundamentally sound and good concept that it a few generations of updates yet continues to draw riders who go for the pure enjoyment of no-frills fun on two-wheels. It remains true to its original credo, which is basically KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. Can’t argue with that.
As a sidebar, it helped that I spent a large percentage of my fun time touring my old haunt of the Mornington Peninsula. While I fled Victoria at the height of the brutal COVID lockdowns, and have since found a great home near Tweed Heads in northern NSW, the happy memories came flooding back as I enjoyed such popular spots as Arthur’s Seat, the Boneo Road and a few other curly diversions around Red Hill and Main Ridge.
In this kind of terrain, the SV shines and I honesty couldn’t think of a better companion for a sunny spring day. It never intimidates, but prefers to participate, and proved to be a great partner in crime.
If you’re looking for something cheap, easy to maintain,
and heaps of fun, do yourself a favour and check 'em out.
But not this one – it's spoken for...
***
Chris writes the occasional lifestyle column for us –
see The Beattie
Files.
***
Know your SV650s
First generation from 1999
SV650s have become cheaper over time, in real terms.
In 1999 they were originally priced at Au$9990
(US$6660, GB£5130) plus on-road costs, and you can now
buy one on the road for Au$10,990 (US$7330, GB£5650).
Spex – 1999 Suzuki SV650S
Good
Lively
engine
Easy-going
handling
Reliable
Not
so good
No switchable fuel reserve
Sporty
ride position on the S
ENGINE:
TYPE:
Liquid-cooled, four-valves-per-cylinder, 90-degree
V-twin
CAPACITY:
645cc
BORE
& STROKE: 81 x 62.6mm
COMPRESSION
RATIO:
11.5:1
FUEL
SYSTEM: 2 x Mikuni BDSR39 carburetors
TRANSMISSION:
TYPE:
Six-speed, constant-mesh,
FINAL DRIVE: Chain
CHASSIS
& RUNNING GEAR:
FRAME
TYPE: Aluminium trellis
FRONT
SUSPENSION: Telescopic fork, 42mm, nil adjustment
REAR
SUSPENSION: Monoshock, preload adjustment
FRONT
BRAKE: 290mm discs with two-piston Tokico calipers
REAR
BRAKE: 240mm disc with two-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS
&
CAPACITIES:
WET
WEIGHT: 175kg
SEAT
HEIGHT: 800mm
WHEELBASE:
1420mm
FUEL
CAPACITY: 17lt
TYRES:
FRONT:
130/70-18
REAR:
240/40-18
PERFORMANCE:
POWER:
53kW (72hp) @ 9000rpm
TORQUE:
64Nm @ 7200rpm
OTHER
STUFF:
PRICE
WHEN NEW $9990 on the road
-------------------------------------------------
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