sv650 ....gladius? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

sv650 ....gladius?

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Ash said:
Fair enough, I forgot that the 1st gen was aluminum. And yes, in terms of ergonomics I meant the SVS model, since that's all that they've offered for the last however many years. I thought that Canada only got the naked 2nd gen SV650 for a year or two and had therefore discounted it, but maybe it was around longer than I remember.
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Sorry, I think you're wrong again; naked bikes have only become popular in the last ~5 years, but Suzuki has been selling the SVn since 2003 when the 2nd gen started, all the way through to 2009. I think they even have some 2009's labeled as 2010's because they didn't sell enough of them up here.

Suzuki didn't join the recent "trend" of naked bikes, because they've been doing it a decade before anyone else. The SV has an enormous following; they're like the Mazda Miata of motorcycles; cult following; enormous aftermarket support, not as cheap as and common as, say a 250, but also not a Corvette. It's a great all-rounder. I dunno what they were thinking with the Gladius.
 
I didn't say anything about naked bikes not being popular, although there was that phase for maybe a decade where everyone seemed to want supersports. To be clear, I love the Suzuki 650 engine for the street, and the only thing I want my VStrom to be is 50 pounds lighter for quick trips around town (an SV, in other words).
 
i dont know why, but i liked the gladius. i remember brampton powersports had it marked down really cheap i want to say $6999 new, came close to buying 1 but decided to go SS.

my next bike is going to be higher cc for 2 up riding, otherwise ide totally consider the gladius or the new sv
 
Ash said:
This is typical Suzuki. Styling and marketing wise, they tend to be 5 or 10 years behind the times. The 1st gen SV650 was a good looking bike, at least to my eyes. I didn't much like the looks of the aluminum framed 2nd gen SV, but it was the extreme supersport ergonomics that stopped me from buying one. It is like they were aiming the bike at people who wanted a GSXR but couldn't afford the insurance. The Gladius was just painful to look at (and that's coming from a 1st gen VStrom owner!), but it was the marketing images that sunk the bike for most riders. So they got rid of the name and the bubblegum colours and called it a SFV650. It is a real shame, because there is a fantastic engine in all of these models. So the return to the classic SV styling is welcomed by those that remember the 1st gen SV.

Suzuki is like the slow kid in class; you want to give them lots of encouragement when they finally get it right, even if the rest of the class has moved on to something else. The new SV is a good example, as they've totally missed the whole retro styling thing (Ducati Scrambler, XSR700). As a scrambler, this concept bike is halfhearted at best, but it does show what a good looking frame is underneath all that plastic crap that they put on the Gladius.
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Great post. It seems like a long time since Suzuki really set motorcycling on its ear. I remember the first Gixxer and how crazy and different it was from the Interceptors and GPz of the day. This "new" SV 650 is not perfect but should net Suzuki some decent sales. My only wish is that the frame was aluminum to make the bike a bit lighter. For its mission though the bike succeeds.
 
I have a 2011 gaidus and the new one looks a lot like it, barring some plastic bits and the weird passenger peg mount wings on the old one. Mine is all black.
The suspension and the seat made for people with no balls are the bad. The rest is good riding.
There is word of GSXR shocks fixing half the suspension.
The bike is cheap as dirt but if you are going to mod it up to par with a supersport you could save some money and buy a supersport.
 
Just did a test ride on the new sv650. Wow it changed my mind about Suzuki. It's a great bike, perfect amount of torque and power and the perfect riding position. Really great bike.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
Ash said:
Mechanically, yes, the Gladius, SFV650 and the 2017 SV650 use the same frame and engine, with minor updates. It is good that someone finally took the crayons away from the Suzuki stylists and brought back something that looks like the 1st gen SV.
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1st gen SV650S is ugly as sin.
 
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Benny! said:
Just did a test ride on the new sv650. Wow it changed my mind about Suzuki. It's a great bike, perfect amount of torque and power and the perfect riding position. Really great bike.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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That seems to be the ongoing consensus. Bike is a classic. Nothing super on any specs but the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
 
Benny! said:
Just did a test ride on the new sv650. Wow it changed my mind about Suzuki. It's a great bike, perfect amount of torque and power and the perfect riding position. Really great bike.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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All of these bikes (SV first and second gen, Gladius, new SV) are fantastic for the money. They last forever, crash very well, cheapest bike ownership overall, you can track them, you can tour them, you can do whatever you want with them. No, they don't have the looks. Or titanium rods. But again, look at all you get for the money you pay.

So yeah, people still want to buy a motorbike that is $20K... those are the cool ones. But honestly, if you got $20K you better dump it into a nice car (well, just my opinion).
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