The 645cc liquid-cooled, carbureted 90-degree V-Twin devoid of bodywork took almost no time to reach cult status with its sporty handling and user-friendly low-end and mid-range grunt. Its un-faired design caused the eye to immediately focus on the unique mill hanging from the aluminum, oval-tube trellis-style frame. Not many bike makers in those days embraced the naked streetfighter style for the American market.
Nevertheless, the SV’s ease-of-use made it a hit with Average Joe Rider for commuting and weekend play, while its overall performance caused a groundswell in club racing across the country, all for the 1999 MSRP of $5,699. The bike really was all that and a bag of chips.
The first major update to the SV – and the partially-faired SV650S model introduced in 2000 – arrived in ’03 and included fuel-injection, a new beefy square-tube truss frame and marginal increases in power and torque. In 2007 ABS became on option on either model, and in 2008 the S model went full-fairing as the SV650SF. For 2009 Suzuki perceived performance characteristics between the SV and SF models to be too close, so an all-new model emerged to adapt to changing market demands. We know everyone loved the good ol’ SV, but Suzuki has come up with a solution to fill the gap left by the standard SV’s departure: the 2009 Gladius.
With a street-tuned suspension and re-engineered drive train, the SF is designed with “an air of purposeful aggression” and includes a blackened frame and sleek black/grey bodywork. The new setup is perfect for me because I was already flogging the S-model around the City of Angels when I couldn’t get myself out to the trails. As an urban commuter mount, requiring barely more space to park than a downhill mountain bike, the SF is rip-roaring fun.
For the most part, the new SF model is a city-slickened and supermoto-styled KLX250S with the same four-stroke liquid-cooled 249cc DOHC four-valve Single. On the Area P dyno, the SF was able to crank out 2.5 horsepower more, up to 20.5 ponies at 8,800 rpm - possibly due to a better transmission of power from the street tires than the S’s knobbies. Torque is up marginally to 13.7 ft-lbs at 7,400 rpm. The SF model employs a taller 39-tooth rear sprocket and street rubber to deliver more confident higher-speed street riding. Redlining at 10,500 rpm with a sweet spot between the 7,000 to 9,000 rpm rev range, the SF sure is a screamer.
The 645cc liquid-cooled, carbureted 90-degree V-Twin devoid of bodywork took almost no time to reach cult status with its sporty handling and user-friendly low-end and mid-range grunt. Its un-faired design caused the eye to immediately focus on the unique mill hanging from the aluminum, oval-tube trellis-style frame. Not many bike makers in those days embraced the naked streetfighter style for the American market.
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