A long-time favorite here at MD, the SV650 has always represented lightweight performance and fun at a reasonable price. Suzuki has just announced the early release 2017 SV650, which features substantial engine and chassis changes resulting in more power and less weight — together with a claimed increase in fuel economy. Immediately obvious is the new steel trellis frame, but there are plenty of other changes. Here is the announcement from Suzuki (you can see a huge PDF file with all the model details here) :
BREA, Calif. (Nov. 17, 2015) – Suzuki unveils the new 2017 SV650, restoring the simple thrill of V-twin motorcycling, with a package that’s lighter, more powerful and more versatile.
In 1999, Suzuki introduced the original SV650 with the simple concept of “V-Twin fun.” The bike quickly earned hero status around the world – it served riders well as a first street bike and as a track-day choice and club racer. The original SV taught Suzuki that owners could define the bike’s opportunities. Recreated and updated with scores of new components, the 2017 SV650 is designed to elevate the performance standard for “V-twin fun machine.” Even more than the original, this new SV delivers capabilities and personality that will provide owners limitless V-twin thrills.
Suzuki took the 645cc liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-twin from the original, and updated it with more than 60 new parts to create a more powerful and cleaner-burning DOHC V-twin powerplant. Long praised for its responsive and reliable performance, this updated engine will deliver an even more rewarding ownership experience tucked in the 2017 SV650. The engine now produces higher max horsepower and stronger torque in the low-to-mid range, and it’s still able to deliver improved fuel economy and lower emissions.
New engine features include pistons designed for optimal rigidity and weight, using new resin-coated piston skirts for less friction and greater durability. Ignition is optimized by the use of two spark plugs per cylinder. The Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve fuel-injection system features 10-hole fuel injectors for powerful and efficient combustion. A new lighter-weight exhaust system helps the SV boost low- and mid-range power, and its catalyzer helps keep emissions low.
The SV650 features Suzuki’s new one-push easy-start system, first introduced on the 2016 GSX-S1000. A new low-rpm assist feature complements the throttle-body integrated idle speed control to deliver more consistent and powerful launch from a stop.
Combine this refreshed powerplant with the SV650’s slim design and lightweight body, and you have a ride experience with seemingly endless potential. The SV’s updated chassis incorporates more than 70 new parts and components, and the result is a slimmer and lighter overall package. The 2017 SV650 weighs 15 pounds less than the previous SFV650. The new truss frame is constructed of lightweight steel that proudly emphasizes the beauty of the robust V-twin engine. More than just looking good, that slim body and reduced weight translates into a more comfortable, more powerful and more responsive ride experience.
The new SV650 uses large 290mm dual front disc brakes and 240mm rear brakes for incredible stopping performance and control. The SV650 is also available with a new compact and lightweight ABS system manufactured by Nissin, making it possible to further reduce vehicle weight without sacrificing performance. The front suspension system uses 41mm telescopic front forks, plus a link-type rear suspension. Together, the SV650’s suspension system ensures consistent and sporty handling performance. Radial tires run on stylish and lightweight 17-inch five-spoke cast aluminum wheels.
Riders remain aware using the SV’s multifunction LCD instrument panel which displays gear position, digital speedometer, tachometer, and includes indicators for odometer, trip meter, average/instantaneous fuel consumption, driving range, clock, water temperature gauge and fuel gauge. Backlight is adjustable in six levels of brightness and can be set to your preference.
The 2017 Suzuki SV650 delivers on two design goals: It brings back the concept of a simple and fun V-twin sports ride; and it delivers that with improved power and a lighter overall package. Suzuki restores the simple thrill of a V-twin.
Price, color and availability for the SV650/A are currently TBA, but targeted to be available in dealers Late Spring/Early Summer.
*Depending on road surface conditions, such as wet, loose, or uneven roads, braking distance for an ABS-equipped vehicle may be longer than for a vehicle not equipped with ABS. ABS cannot prevent wheel skidding caused by braking while cornering. Note2: ABS is equipped only with SV650A.
See more of MD’s great photography:
Looking at it again, its looks and cleanliness would benefit from a plastic covering from the upper frame pipe to the shifter/rear brake area, wrapping around front to cover the oil filter, and radiator (by venting the plastic), etc.
Please, no more cheap looking plastic frame covers…. and Suzuki’s frame covers look the cheapest. Great bikes, chintzy plastic coverings.
This bike is refreshing in its simplicity and honesty. The train of thought you are following is the sort that leads to bikes like the Gladius.
I had a 2007 SV650 and really liked the bike and then moved to a wee-strom for more distance/adventure riding. I always wished I would have kept the SV but I couldn’t financially justify both bikes at the time, but I can now. I am seriously thinking about this new model based on early ride reviews. I still have my pitbull rear stand in the garage just waiting for it 🙂 I hope it’s priced competitively with the FZ-07 ($6999 or less). Way to go Suzuki!
Don ! Don’t let the cheap tach decide for you. I ride till I have to pee without looking at the distracting instruments. We all know by feel and sound what is going on! I think this new SV will be a big seller in Europe then 2017 for NA if not sooner ?
Hi All;
Glad to hear the sv650 is back. Had an 2006 sv and really liked it.
Would buy another new one but was let down with the cheap looking instruments.
Digital Tack.. Ugh!!! I have a fz09 2014 and that is the only thing I don’t like about that bike
is the digital Tack.
I won’t buy another sv because of the cheap out on the lousy tack.
Ride safe
Don
It would probably take a small portion of an evening and a $150 ebay SV instrument cluster to remedy that.
I put 20,000 Kmz on my new 650 V Strom this year and still think they are the machine. 60 mpg US is dam fancy and rip it in the corners. Would love to try this new SV .
Way to go Suzuki chasing those FZ 07s…………..
If it were a sport tourer, I’d be more interested. The V-Strom is okay, but it’s tall in the saddle for a 650 and a bit overpriced because “ADV bike!!!” I guess sport tourers no longer sell or something.
This is not a wee strom adv bike just a standard sv 650 and actually if you put a tank bag and some soft luggage on it, it does a surprisingly good job as a solo sport tourer considering it’s displacement.
its
If the “new” SV650 sells well, we might see the return of the SV650S which made a fantastic sport tourer with aftermarket upgrades.
I don’t think sport tourers have sold well in a very long time. I see a lot of leftover Interceptors, Ninja 1000s and F800GTs in dealerships. All of them true sport tourers in the traditional sense, and all of them excellent motorcycles.
Official aftermarket partnerships to the rescue?
http://www.gizmag.com/suzuki-2016-sv650-motorcycle/40537/pictures#38
Still needs a tall screen and hand guards. Still….I hope to see this at the IMS.
Thank you Suzuki. Don’t forget to fire the guy who got rid of it in the first place.
Good move, great bike. I like the white/blue version. The Gladius grew on me, especially with the red frame, though I never did care for the radiator shroud.
Forks still appear to be the original basic non-adjustable damper rod design.
Yes, they appear to be the same forks that were on the SFV/Gladius. Which were the same forks that came on the original SV650, no?
Kudos to Suzuki for making it come back. And not going the route of HP escalation.
It’s nice to have more choices for a decent sensible fun bike.
The release said it now has two spark plugs per cylinder. I guess this is for fuel efficiency reasons.
I don’t like it as it comes at the cost of smaller or god forbid fewer valves.
Made me wonder if the old heads can be fit.
Hey Honda! When is the redesigned Hawk GT coming back? It’s about time, you know.
I believe the sv650 engine went to dual plugs in 06-07. It was for emissions. It didn’t change the valve size or outright performance in stock configuratiin. The racer guys don’t like them but some just plug one and run single.
I had a Hawk GT. It was fun but the sv650 represents most of what I wanted to change about it so that’s what I ride now.
It’s amazing that the only bikes that have appealed to me for the last 15+ years are Suzuki’s. I used to be a Honda fan having owned ten of them but they had nothing to compete with my ’97 1200 Bandit, ’03 SV1000, ’07 V-Strom and now my GSX1250FA. I LOVE this new version of the SV650!
Maybe Honda should bring back an updated version of the 1984 Nighthawk S?
I’ll take a “Curvy” over this any day.
Welded on sub-frame?
Do you need to remove your subframe for any reason? Welding it on adds to the overall strength of the frame.
Subframes quite commonly bend if the bike has an off. Low-side, high-side, looping the bike out during a wheelie, etc. Now, one small accident and the entire frame will need to be replaced. Not a very wise idea, considering this is a beginner bike for some, and one day a cheap track toy for the rest of us.
It’s steel. Bend it back.
lol
The racers would often replace the subframe on the SVs with a much lighter aftermarket piece. It could still be done, but some fab skills and tools will now be required.
Zuk’s on a roll these days. I’m no twin fan, but Suzuki’s 650 is the exception that proves the rule. An absolutely magical mc engine, in down to earth and eminently useful chassis. Probably coming, in droves, to overcrowded SoCal beach parking lots (and canyons) this summer…….
I know. It is amazing to think that the SV engine is 16 years old, and, having received only minor changes over the years, is still probably the benchmark in the class.
Great description Moi .. More motorcycles should be built that deserve such praise
If I can lift my leg high enough to get it over the passenger seat it would be a done deal. Signed, sealed and delivery costs. I just hope that suzuki, and others, will put an end to these high passenger seats. Why not a bobbed version.
I have taken to standing on the downhill peg before swinging my leg over. No way I am going to be able to do that from standing beside the bike if it has over a 30″ seat height..but I agree with you about these rear ends sticking up so high in the air.
I suppose passenger seats are higher so the passenger can see over the driver, who is almost always bigger anyway.
I bet this appears higher more because of their efforts to make the main seat lower than the passenger seat higher.
Get a milk crate and learn to karate kick……
Lol even Chuck Norris got a stunt double long before he turned my age
Trellis frame looks better than the aluminum one I think. Better all around than the original.
“announced the early release 2017 SV650…”
Dudes, it is only NOVEMBER 2015. Suzuki, you are way ahead of yourselves.
re: “Suzuki took the 645cc liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-twin from the original, and updated it with more than 60 new parts to create a more powerful and cleaner-burning DOHC V-twin powerplant.”
if only they had made it the SV675 or SV700 then they would have some momentum, since we know the SV650 was technically already back.
Yes, it does kind of feel like they missed an opportunity. I’m all for bringing it back, and frankly I think the engine is a gem as works well great as it is. But you’d think for the sake of new sales that they would have found a few millimeters to bore or stroke somewhere.
I just read the PDF data, and while it lists (on pages 20 and 21) front suspension travel as 125mm (approx 5″), it shows the rear suspension “stroke” as only 63mm – only about 2 1/2 inches. Is that a misprint? Is that how little the SV’s rear travel has always been?
That could be the shock’s stroke as opposed to total rear suspension travel. The Gladius and prior SVs had about 5″ of rear travel.
Oh, I didn’t know the two weren’t the same. Admittedly, I’m under-educated on this topic. ‘Must pertain to the link-type suspension, then, eh? I’m sure it’s the useful 5″.
The swingarm is a big lever, so, even without a link, where the shock mounts to the swing arm affects how much the rear wheel travels relative to the shock stroke.
So about 10 lbs more than the original ’99 model. Not bad, given the loss of the (pricey) aluminum frame, plus the addition of ABS. It looks like a revised SFV (which itself was a revised Gladius) with most of the fat and styling excess trimmed off, though I wish they had gone all the way and completely removed the lower plastic frame covers. Styling-wise it looks better than all but maybe the first gen and it’s a welcome return to form.
But is it too late? Can it compete with the FZ-07? It still weighs about 30 lbs more and Suzuki will have to stop pricing it above the Yamaha. As a former ’01 SV650S (Penske shock, LE fork internals, etc) owner I can join the choir saying that SV engine is a gem on the track and street. I think it’ll be a decent matchup, more so than last year.
Now that I look at it again, this new version looks quite a lot like the Cagiva Raptor from 15 years ago. That bike used the SV650 engine, too.
I have ridden both and must say the SV motor is a total gem compared to the FZ 07 motor I rode which vibrated thru every part of the bike above 3500 rpms, bars, seat, tank. pegs. Yiii annoying. Add in the trapezoidal mirrors, wonky switches and the stupid roving bar tach and I lost interest in the FZ 07 pretty quickly. I came back saying there was nothing you could do to the FZ 07 to make it “trip worthy”, whereas the SV is trip worthy for me right out of the box. Great little motor. I did like the FZ09 however much more than the FZ07, but unless I rode them back to back, not sure about the SV vs the FZ09.
I own a 99 original with shock and forks done along with two into one 2-brothers.. and for the sound and ride… it’s still amazing. But when I get off of that and on to a new bike like my Street Triple R… it feels really old… mostly just the way it feels… But on the track, you don’t feel it really.
That said, I had a 2004 S-650 with the same mods and really enjoyed that too. All said, they have done the right things to this after that throw up gladius machine…
I’m glad everyone else seems excited about it too.. Now you’ll have that great SV bike with what will hopefully have some that NEW feel to it just because of modern technology, build, etc.
Would it be too hard to ask for an R model with GSXR shock / forks maybe? I mean what’ a part bin for?
All said… WAY to go Suzuki… FINALLY!!!
Objectively, it looks like a winner. Subjectively, I am still seeing too much Gladius in there. The 1st and 2nd gen SV650s were fairly good looking bikes, although I’ll always be partial to my Hawk GT. Swingarms should be single-sided, and not just rectangular tubes!
I guess it’s not “just me”!
Loved my Hawk Gt and the 2000 SV650 and now my ’09 Buell XB9XS. Good to see the SV getting it’s looks back.
Please Suzuki make a seat that does not slam your gonads into the tank, why is this seat slanted so much.
‘Looks like that seat will still need to be replaced ASAP. That, and the jerky-at-low-revs throttle were my biggest complaints about my ’06.
it has always required a seat change…now more so? Have to sit in it to really know
It’s the rear subframe slanting higher in the back like a sport bike. Makes it impossible to fit another seat so this is a small people’s bike as a result. There is no aftermarket for this issue because of the subframe. The Duc Monster has finally addressed this and made the seat flatter from the front to the middle. If you can’t side forward and back on a seat, it’s useless. BMW has also joined this club on several bikes and has priced the 1200R off the planet with all kinds of trick electronics. Yamaha to the rescue: 2016 XSR900.
I’d like to meet the testicleless dudes that seem to have the monopoly on seat manufacturing. Kicking them in the balls obviously won’t work, so I’d have to settle for a bitch-slap.
I agree.
Seats on bikes have been designed for looks, and to continue visual lines on the bike.
Hence the success of Corbin and Sargent.
Maybe it’s just me but I still see lots of hints of Gladius in there. Toned down quite a bit, but still there.
Ask Porsche, replacing a classic (particularly the early round-frame original)(style wise at least) is tough….
I think it is just you. Looks like they’re trying to put it behind them and it seems to be working. For once a bike with the only electronics being FI & ABS!
It is the Gladius chassis without some of the gaudy plastic and with a proper round headlight. Much better Suzuki.
Same frame, fork and wheels. Tank profile is very similar as well. But it works a lot better for me than the Gladius did.
Its not the same frame from what I see, just close. It would be like saying that all Ducati’s have the same frame, just because they look similar One MAJOR upgrade is that the passenger pegs are frame mounted. The SFV had those giant heelguard/peg mounts. The lower part of the frame is either new or they removed another gaudy plastic bit.
The 2nd gen frame wasn’t real pretty either. To me this trellis frame looks the best out of them all. Glad they got rid of all the useless plastic bits.
Exhaust looks way better and way easier to replace with an aftermarket can. The O2 sensor and cat are nice and small, and in front of the silencer.
The whole thing just looks way cleaner and less melted plastic. It does just what the original did (clean, cheap, fun), as long as the price is in the $7K range.
Finally pulling out of their “dark” decade!! Lets all forget the Gladius experiment. Their best entry level bike is back. Its got a little competition now with the FZ07, but this is a huge step forward (or back to its roots). Gone is the silly tank cladding and other dubious styling elements. Well done, I though they might go under with the direction they had gone.
Whats more….they didn’t put a giant udder of an exhaust on it like so much of the competition!!
maybe they can make an SV850 without adding 50 pounds?
They’re probably banking on the connection to the stronger GSXR brand by filling that spot with a 4-cylinder, 750cc platform.
Which they’ve already done with the GSX-S750.
except for the painful fact that detuned 4s lack EXCITEMENT like a triple or a V-Twin can produce.
Its just not the same thing!
I haven’t ridden the GSX-S750, so I couldn’t say. Some detuned 4’s suck, and some are great. Some twins suck. Never met a triple I didn’t like, though.
I think an SV 850 would be great..
They already had a SV1000 and it sold poorly. The SV650 is fine the way it is. If you need more power for some reason, buy a Gixxer.
Dont get rid of the 650, just add an 850 and bring out a new 1000 while they are at it. Choices are good. Look at the spread of displacements in Ducati’s line up.
The Suz 1000 ADV probably isn’t selling all that well, but it is a fine bike, so they already have the motor, just stick it in a simple round headlight uniit like a slightly larger SV650 and they would be good to go.
Actually, I own an SV1000 N Thank you and have a GSX-R750 Track Bike.
Neither is an SV850 built on the 650 chassis. It would/could compete with the FZ-09
Well that’s ok. I have ridden a 2014 FZ09 a 2015 FZ09 and a 2015 FJ09. I am not as in love with them as the rest of the world seems to be. Not in love with super sports either. An SV 850 is actually something I would consider since I’m already considering an SV 650.
then Suzuki could make an ADV model with the same motor..a “not so wee” weestrom if you will, and look how many guys just on this forum have been clamoring for an 800-900cc ADV bike. It seems like a no brainer to me.
Nobody else thing this is a good idea?
I think 85-ish horsepower in an SV frame with upgraded components would be great.
Re: “Nobody else thing this is a good idea?”
I don’t think anyone thinks it’s a bad idea. While it wasn’t popular here in the US, I think Yamaha’s TDM/TDX (?) 850 twin was really popular in Europe. We’re just such a weak motorcycle market that I question where it’d fit. Everybody seems to be coming out from under the financial avalanche of the past several years so we’ll have to wait and see. Yamaha seems to be leading to me.
Dave, well for me it would fit between the possibly too small 650 and the becoming too big liter bikes I am used to riding ( but feel I’m getting too old for size wise). Friends tell me a 650 will do it all, but to me, a 650 just seems so little. I would be more comfortable with an 850, and an 850 Adv type upright bike sounds perfect. Baby steps backwards lol
I hear ya’ mickey. I have the sv650 and came from a bigger engine. I miss a little of the bottom end torque but am gradually getting used to spinning 1.5k rpm everywhere. I like evening else about the sv better.
I don’t think the 650 in the SV is too small at all. You’re probably just shifting too early like Dave suggests. Sure, there isn’t as much power as in some of the bikes I own, but it also has more power than some of the other bikes I own. The last time I rode an SV (admitting it was three years ago) I never found myself using as much as it could offer – that’s wide open throttle at 9,000 RPM – shifting a bit early for the bike and pushing it as far as I dared. I was well below the capabilities of the bike and going way faster than I felt comfortable with.
Great bikes, I have had my arse handed to me more than once at the track by pilots who know what they’re doing on one of these (in stock form no less and me on an R6)
Always wanted one…..
hey look, a simple ROUND headlight!! thank God.
Only one notable flaw, welded on subframe. That’s gonna annoy the racers. And they should have punched it to 700cc but that probably would have needed a beefier crank and/or lighter more expensive rods. Amazing what they got out of the platform that was really only intended for 400cc and lower.
Well, you can take the passenger pegs off, so that is a step forward from the Gladius. At least the steel frame is fairly easy to fix.
650 is fine. These things have always been Barbie dolls, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Any bigget and it get’s heavy, and TC. It’s an everymans Ducati. I hope the aftermarket comes out with a nice 2 into 2 exhaust. I think that’s how a vtwin sounds best. That’s what the FZ and Ninja won’t ever have, that sweet Vtwin bass 2 into 2 cadence. I looooove my sv1000 with Yosh cans, racetech springs.
Actually, the FZ’s cadence will be identical to the 90 degree v-twin’s… that’s just the physics of how a 270-degree crank throw on a parallel twin works…
Could be, I’ve just always heard FZs with a single can. I realize these are bikes not stereos, but, a lot of folks have lusted after vtwins after hearing a Duc sing. I fell in love with the SV after hearing one pass my house many times before I actually saw what it was. Ptwins don’t ever seem to get it right. Never seen or heard an FZ with twin cans. Might not ever see this Suz with one either.
Why couldn’t you just cut the subframe tubes, leaving a 1″ stub piece that you could machine an adapter to fit inside and be bolted securely to the new, purdy aluminum subframe?
Good for Suzuki. To me this looks like a slam dunk/instant classic.
Suzuki.. please take whoever was responsible for this and put them one the DL650 design team.
suzuki updates the SV1000 in the same way, trellis frame, more power less weight… **wakes up**
They’ll sell a buncha these.
I’m reading another article on it now that lists it at 75 HP and 434 lbs w/ABS
I’ll see your 434 lbs and raise to 411 lbs according to yet another article.
The passenger foot rests even look low enough to carry an adult.
The PDF Suzuki spec sheet referenced in the article shows 434 pounds for the ABS-equipped version.
Great job, Suzuki!
I give you the SV650: the bike that says “honest” and “authentic” without anyone having to tell you so.
‘How true!
This is a pleasant surprise. I’m not sure about that end can, but it’s the first thing most owners toss in the bin anyway, so no problem there.
I’m eager to see a comparison test between the SV650 and it’s closest natural competitor, the FZ-07. Nothing against parallel twins, but I’d definitely prefer a V-twin, all else equal.
I will be interested to see how much it costs, particularly up against Suzuki’s own GSX-S750. I’m glad they brought it back, but I think they could have stood to freshen it up a little with perhaps slightly better brakes and suspenders. Fifteen pounds less that the SFV650 at least puts in on par weight-wise with the aluminum framed SV650s of yore.
I know a lot of people have been clamoring for an SV800, but I like that they chose to work on making the current engine more efficient. I read on another report that the mpg figure is 73.5 mpg, implying fuel economy comparable or better than (depending on whether or not that figure is in imperial or US gallons) to Honda’s uninspiring NC700X.
Maybe not a solution for everyone but brakes I think can be improved somehow easily with different pad compound and braided lines… suspension on the other hand I guess will be the “soft” spot of the bike.
“figure is 73.5 mpg”, impresive…
If they are the same brakes that appear on the old bike, it will take more than pads. Even just for street riding, I yearned for more.
“73.5 mpg” sounds like a European figure (with their 20% larger gallon). Upper-50s would still be very impressive.
-less weight: check
-trellis frame back: check
-more power: check
-increased fuel efficiency????: check
-round headlight: check
-not overstyled: check
-look almost normal: check
the king is dead, long live the king (I hate this cliché phrase but it’s so representative here…)
2017? Always a winner for Suzuki.
lol, nice catch
Yep. A 2017 model available in dealers by late spring / early summer of 2016.
Now that’s a bike I’d like to ride. Good job Suzuki getting back to what made the original SV such a great bike.
Start lining up now to get your hot cakes. This thing will sell like mad. Just look at that perfect, round headlight. And thanks for the Edit button.