Leaning adjoin the chain-link fence to get as abutting a attending as accessible on the abutting go ‘round, I sheepishly asked a adolescent race-watcher what bike was authoritative that distinctly-Twin bankrupt note. “That’s the new V-Twin from Suzuki,” said the motorcycle antagonism fan. My jaw fell accessible in balmy astonishment. I’d alone afresh heard of the new bike, and was absolutely assertive I hadn’t apparent any in dealers yet, and actuality some die-hard enthusiast was already antagonism the thing. And so began American riders’ adulation activity with the Suzuki SV650.
The 645cc liquid-cooled, carbureted 90-degree V-Twin bare of bodywork took about no time to ability band cachet with its adventurous administration and convenient low-end and mid-range grunt. Its un-faired architecture acquired the eye to anon focus on the different comminute blind from the aluminum, oval-tube trellis-style frame. Not abounding bike makers in those canicule accepted the naked streetfighter appearance for the American market.
Nevertheless, the SV’s ease-of-use fabricated it a hit with Average Joe Addition for commuting and weekend play, while its all-embracing achievement acquired a groundswell in club antagonism beyond the country, all for the 1999 MSRP of $5,699. The bike absolutely was all that and a bag of chips.
The aboriginal above amend to the SV – and the partially-faired SV650S archetypal alien in 2000 – accustomed in ’03 and included fuel-injection, a new able-bodied square-tube bandage anatomy and bordering increases in ability and torque. In 2007 ABS became on advantage on either model, and in 2008 the S archetypal went full-fairing as the SV650SF. For 2009 Suzuki perceived achievement characteristics amid the SV and SF models to be too close, so an all-new archetypal emerged to acclimate to alteration bazaar demands. We apperceive anybody admired the acceptable ol’ SV, but Suzuki has appear up with a band-aid to ample the gap larboard by the accepted SV’s departure: the 2009 Gladius.
The new Zook and its name draw afflatus from the Latin chat for sword, in particular, a almost short, added acquiescent adaptation of best swords. The accessible allusion is that Suzuki’s Gladius is a new and improved, sleeker, friendlier adaptation of the SV. Equally accessible is the able architecture element, one that went around banausic from abstraction to showroom. With its angled edges, abounding curve and affable ergos, the Gladius is additionally an attack by Suzuki to capitalize on the growing U.S. changeable addition segment.
To allay any abstraction the Gladius is “a girl’s bike,” Suzuki’s Glenn Hansen credibility out that through a host of updates the new SV-derived V-Twin fabricated assets in torque and ability over the old SV. A safe assumption is the Gladius added torque at atomic 10% over the claimed 47-ish ft-lbs from the SV. Judging by a Suzuki-provided dyno blueprint superimposed over a blueprint from the antecedent SV, the accretion appears beyond best of the rev range. Horsepower assets looked appreciably less, admitting some access was evident. It’s account acquainted that none of the changes in the Gladius’ comminute are begin in the accepted SV650SF.
In a 2006 Motorcycle.com allegory an SV650S aerated out 71.1 hp and 45.2 ft-lbs. These are already admirable figures, so any accretion in the Gladius is great!
