2013 Suzuki SFV650 - the Gladius returns & renamed

[Cortez]

I thought I heard that you get 6N from this year, the last version, and
I've seen the 700S on the USA site, but yeah, it was blacked out I guess..

Anyways, 700X then.

[dmac57]

Agreed that the first-gen SVs were better bikes. The amazing/sad thing to me is that Suzuki seemed to let that bike and class wither and die, even before the economic decline. The lightweight twin racing class was jam-packed, ultra-competitive, and cheap, plus riders were buying the bikes for the street. Then the second gen bikes had reliability issues, were taller, heavier, and (IMO) uglier. The, development just stopped. This (the SFV) bike appears unchanged from its introduction. Meh.

[RaY YreKa]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

Neither of those are sold in the US, Cortez. We get the NC700X (ABS only available on DCT) but not the NC700S. And we get the Ninja 650 (and finally ABS this year!) but not the ER-6N.

I hear Honda's next 700cc bike will debut as a USA model. No idea what it is, but it isn't the S or X.

[kraven]

Originally Posted by dmac57

Agreed that the first-gen SVs were better bikes. The amazing/sad thing to me is that Suzuki seemed to let that bike and class wither and die, even before the economic decline. The lightweight twin racing class was jam-packed, ultra-competitive, and cheap, plus riders were buying the bikes for the street. Then the second gen bikes had reliability issues, were taller, heavier, and (IMO) uglier. The, development just stopped. This (the SFV) bike appears unchanged from its introduction. Meh.

When the housing bubble inflated, people were buying the blue chip bikes. They were too good for the bread and butter SV.
That was my experience anyway, selling bikes back then. I couldn't say how many were using a line of equity to buy a race replica. It was a big percentage.

The SV lacked the cool factor to make people instant badasses, though it remains an extremely useful and reliable machine.
The entire naked segment just kind of withered.
The Z750S was a wonderful bike. I had to beg a guy to buy the 1 model we were allotted by Kawi. Practically gave it away.
The FZ6, SV1k, FZ1, 599, 919, all those bikes were like showroom potatoes.

Obviously people still bought them, but I sold maybe 4 RR bikes to every 1 naked/standard. Just my 2 cents.

[AZbiker]

Originally Posted by ph0rk

Mutton chop sideburns.

I had 'em for awhile when I was younger. Judging from the front end of that motorcycle, I looked pretty damn silly.

[PeteN95]

Originally Posted by EastBoundAndDown

Curious about the dry weight and wheel HP. The Naked SV was about 365dry, 70HP but had 4.25 and 4.5 gal tanks.

400lbs and 50 HP, there is a reason they call it a Stone!?

[dmac57]

Yeah, as much as I like the Guzzi V7, I can't get around the asthmatic power and the ~$10K price tag. And no dealers...

[ph0rk]

Originally Posted by kraven

Obviously people still bought them, but I sold maybe 4 RR bikes to every 1 naked/standard. Just my 2 cents.

And that is just sad, very few people need any of that plastic.

Oh well, For what it would cost me to tastefully denude the new ninja 650 ABS I could probably end up with something european. The silly thing is I don't even want the extra power that a street triple or monster 796 would get me, a naked SV or EX would suit me just fine (with ABS, dammit!), and I can add givi cases and a screen or not, as needed. I can't say I'm a fan of the short tail on the triple or the 796, though.

I suppose an f800r may be the easiest choice, or possibly an fz8? I can't be the only one that wants a bike like this in the states and would prefer to pay Japanese prices.

[Cortez]

Originally Posted by ph0rk

And that is just sad, very few people need any of that plastic.

Oh well, For what it would cost me to tastefully denude the new ninja 650 ABS I could probably end up with something european. The silly thing is I don't even want the extra power that a street triple or monster 796 would get me, a naked SV or EX would suit me just fine (with ABS, dammit!), and I can add givi cases and a screen or not, as needed. I can't say I'm a fan of the short tail on the triple or the 796, though.

I suppose an f800r may be the easiest choice, or possibly an fz8? I can't be the only one that wants a bike like this in the states and would prefer to pay Japanese prices.

[Toto]

Originally Posted by acap650

I can't for the life of me understand why Suzuki abandoned the SV650 brand. I guess SFV650 is closeer than Gladius but what's wrong with SV? It has been one of the most successful street/sport bikes worldwide. Why not continue upgrading and improving a known brand? After owning two gen 1 SVs, an S and a naked as well as a Wee, you could say I'm a big fan of the 650 V engine, perhaps the ideal (affordable) street engine.

I now have a CBF1000...but prior to that I had an 08 Wee.
That v650 was a sweet,sweet engine for sure...as was the rest of the bike...once I delt with the buffeting!

[ZZ-R Rider]

Yeah, 'Zuki kinda jumped the gun with posting EFI specs for the LS650 a few weeks back, only to revert to standard carbs once somebody at Suzuki noticed the faux pas ... the erroneous EFI news actually generated a bit of "buzz" on the internet for awhile! LOL!!

The concept of a larger displacement cousin to the TU250X utilizing the LS650 power plant is not that farfetched ... look at what RYCA Motors in L.A. is doing with the Savage/S40 ... they've transformed the "Sportster-esque" Cruiser into a Retro-styled work of art and arguably a much better "motorcyclists" motorcycle. Seeing as the TU250X has been well recieved, maybe Suzuki should be taking some notice of what RYCA is doing ... I'd bet that a TU650X would go over very well!

I started my Riding career 10 years ago with Cruisers (Rebel, two LS650's and a VS800 in the years since) but have come to appreciate the better comfort and handling of Bikes that are more Standard ergonomically ... would be hard pressed to go back to a Cruiser now ... recently rode an early 80's Suzuki parallel twin 400 and an '88 Honda NT650 Hawk (droooooooool!) and wish that the Big 4 Japanese manufacturer's would bring back the mid-displacement Standard!

[woolsocks]

Originally Posted by ph0rk

And that is just sad, very few people need any of that plastic.

Oh well, For what it would cost me to tastefully denude the new ninja 650 ABS I could probably end up with something european. The silly thing is I don't even want the extra power that a street triple or monster 796 would get me, a naked SV or EX would suit me just fine (with ABS, dammit!), and I can add givi cases and a screen or not, as needed. I can't say I'm a fan of the short tail on the triple or the 796, though.

I suppose an f800r may be the easiest choice, or possibly an fz8? I can't be the only one that wants a bike like this in the states and would prefer to pay Japanese prices.

I agree! I've had the exact thought process you've had and I really like the F800R.

[Cortez]

+1

[Süsser Tod]

Originally Posted by dmac57

Agreed that the first-gen SVs were better bikes. The amazing/sad thing to me is that Suzuki seemed to let that bike and class wither and die, even before the economic decline. The lightweight twin racing class was jam-packed, ultra-competitive, and cheap, plus riders were buying the bikes for the street. Then the second gen bikes had reliability issues, were taller, heavier, and (IMO) uglier. The, development just stopped. This (the SFV) bike appears unchanged from its introduction. Meh.

LOL WUT!?

The 2nd gen 650 was better in every way over the 1st gen, save for looks, which are subjective. It weights the same as the firs gen bikest but they have a much stronger frame, which works perfectly fine with conventional forks, the only problem is that it chatters with USD forks, which it was never meant to have and only happens in racing. The engine is basically the same, with a few updates, including the oil cooler and a drain for the front cylinder plug, so the bike won't quit when riding in the rain. The EFI is pretty well sorted too...

In fact, the 2nd gen bikes helped increase the 1st gen popularity because the prices of the older bikes dropped. Suddenly it was much cheaper to buy a 1st gen, the extra money spent on a 2nd gen wouldn't get you more performance, but the money saved could be spent on track time and more mods for the 1st gen.

[dmac57]

Originally Posted by Süsser Tod

LOL WUT!? The 2nd gen 650 was better in every way over the 1st gen,

Well, opinions are like you-know-what's... So mine's no better than yours, and no worse. BUT, the biggest practical difference to which I was referring was crankshaft durability, which was a good bit better in the 1G engine. The FI was considered an advantage by many, but it was relatively primitive FI. But, that might be considered "better" if you didn't want to futz with it, and/or you rode it in cold weather a lot. Aesthetics aside, I'd buy a 1G every time.