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.
The new Zook and its name draw inspiration from the Latin word for sword, in particular, a relatively short, more manageable version of longer swords. The obvious allusion is that Suzuki’s Gladius is a new and improved, sleeker, friendlier version of the SV. Equally obvious is the strong design element, one that went virtually unchanged from concept to showroom. With its rounded edges, flowing lines and friendly ergos, the Gladius is also an attempt by Suzuki to capitalize on the growing U.S. female rider segment.
To dispel any idea the Gladius is “a girl’s bike,” Suzuki’s Glenn Hansen points out that through a host of updates the new SV-derived V-Twin made gains in torque and power over the old SV. A safe guess is the Gladius increased torque at least 10% over the claimed 47-ish ft-lbs from the SV. Judging by a Suzuki-provided dyno graph superimposed over a graph from the previous SV, the gain appears across most of the rev range. Horsepower gains looked considerably less, though some increase was evident. It’s worth noting that none of the changes in the Gladius’ mill are found in the current SV650SF.
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