Suzuki SV1000S

Peter Irons was a thug - or so I thought for years. His dad was a scaffolder, built like the proverbial brick outhouse and about as mean and ugly-unpleasant as any human can be. Especially with a drink in him. His son Peter possessed the same oversized physical attributes in stature and facial geography but was actually far more mild mannered and intelligent than I first thought. As a result, we became good mates and he went on to become a doctor.

What's this got to do with the SV1000S K6? Well one of the inevitable comparisons that always seems to crop up whenever an SV is tested, is with the forerunning model the TL1000S. The TL had a reputation a bit like Peter's dad, unpredictable, aggressive and with a worrying taste for violence. In truth though the TL wasn't that bad and over time became slower and more civilised, but it remained flawed and time, alcohol and urban legend has enhanced its reputation for wickedness.

The SV1000S K6 is a lot like Pete in that it shares some of the DNA with its parent, but that's where it ends and, let me tell ya, that's no bad thing. Earlier SVs suffered from being too different from the TL in that they were accused of having too little power and not enough aggression. Which was a load of journo-bollocks really - I can remember a particularly vivid moment when the back came around under power at Eastern Creek and scared the bejeezus out of me.

Aggression? Just how much do you actually need? There seemed to be more than enough to me.

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Anyway, in response to the criticism the 996cc DOHC, four-valve, 90º V-twin now possesses a broader and more accessible low and midrange than its predecessors. In addition there are a few more horses in the stable thanks to increased compression, new cam profiles and ECM settings "to complement an increase in the fuel-injection throttle bore." Apparently there may be around 115hp, which is plenty to push a dry weight of 186 kilos around.

Our test bike came in all black, which should look profoundly sexy but somehow on the SV it doesn't. Even more oddly, despite looking quite well-built, the SV carries an air of being built down to a price. Maybe it was just me, but I suspect it was as simple as being all black. Just about any brighter colour, or even the smarter GSX-R paint job available in Europe, would enhance the feeling of quality as well as linking the bike to the R side of the family.

The revised engine, sitting comfortably in a black painted alloy truss style frame, and the fully adjustable suspension, make the SV ridiculously easy to ride; it should be said that goes for just about any Japanese bike these days. It's comfortable and spacious for almost any sized rider and delivers exactly what you expect.

There's loads of instant V-twin grunt available from faultless fuelling and lightweight throttle response. Certainly there's more than enough to raise and lower the front wheel with the ease of running a flag up a pole using any of the first three gears. In fact it's almost impossible to make a quick getaway from the lights without lifting the wheel at least a foot without any conscious effort at all. These days it's easy to dismiss anything with less than 150hp as somehow less-than-fast. Yet with around 115hp this thing rips up the rev range with a speed and rushing fluidity that is genuinely fast; on a bumpy or hilly road it's hugely entertaining. Personally I don't think it's that much slower than either the TL1000S or indeed the TL1000R if indeed it's slower at all.

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Speed isn't the only rabbit in the hat. It's a fairly practical thing too in that it'll quite happily do the run into work commuter thing with all the docility of a Commodore. It's narrow enough to lane split through surprisingly tight gaps with well-positioned mirrors that pass above the mirrors of most cars and it seems to steer easily at low speeds to facilitate all those low speed twists and turns around stationary vehicles. Mind you the naked version is probably a better commuter still.

The fairing works well enough given that it's just a half-fairing. So you can't really get behind it to any great degree.

Things like the clocks tell you everything you really need to know. Mirrors are, of course, too short and provide little more than the usual view of your arms. Lights are excellent and they provide a good spread and throw for maintaining a decent pace at night. I should mention the rear for no other reason than if anyone fails to see the LED tail light under brakes they deserve to be burnt at the stake.

Strangely Suzuki lists the SV as a Sports Tourer. Strange? Yeah strange, because sure you could put a pillion on the back, provided they're not too tall (Suzuki deserve big points for supplying a grab rail as standard). Unfortunately there's no luggage and just 17 litres of fuel in the tank, which means that on a spirited but not stupidly fast run, the tank will be empty by the time the trip meter reads 220 kilometres - or thereabouts. If manufacturers keep making the fuel tanks smaller for no good reason, eventually they'll lose sight of the need for a decent touring range altogether. This is just dumb as in every other respect the SV is an excellent road motorcycle.

 And it is excellent. As far as handling goes, you could argue that the suspension is a little on the soft side but, in truth, Suzuki has got the whole road geometry and suspension thing well and truly sorted. My favourite road is the road from St Andrews to Kinglake north-east of Melbourne. No real straights of any real length but every bend has a different radius and to ride it quick you need something that flicks from side to side without feeling heavy or nervous so you can hold the line, lock your body against the tank and lean in hard.

The SV is happy to play and after the first few bends you realise that not only is it all very dependable but you can actually take a few liberties as well. At higher speeds (read much higher) though, you do get the feeling that maybe the tolerance is getting a bit thin and maybe, just maybe, there is a bit of the old TL beast still lurking around. This manifests itself as a bit of a side to side motion that seems to be coming from the back of the bike on long sweepers. Chances are though it's a combination of both front and back suspension reaching the end of the damping compromise that works so well at lower more frequently used speeds.

Maybe the shockers take a nano-second to regain their composure after running over a series of lumps and bumps. 

Importantly though they do regain the initial stability and like most really good road bikes the SV rewards riders who use a considered and flowing riding style rather than an outright brutal 'bang it open, slam it shut and jump on the brakes'-style. Having said that, although we didn't alter the suspension from the standard settings, a day of tweaking would probably make things a lot better.

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As for the brakes - well GSX-Rs haven't really had bad equipment for years and the units on the SV that started out on a GSX-R are a perfect complement. Sure under hard braking the front-end dives down hard, but it's really not that bad. The feedback from the contact patch travels uninterrupted through to the lever. It works equally well for the big-squeeze braking you need at the end of the main straight as for the sensitive control you need to avoid a yellow cab in the rain.

All in all the SV is a vastly better bike than the old TL. I'm not sure that it's that much better than its SV predecessor but it does feel a bit fitter off the bottom. So what if it doesn't have the nastiness of the paternal TL? I'm happy to leave that in the past. Now I can spend my time enjoying the benefits available from all the development that's happened since to the Suzuki V-twin. The SV still possesses one of the best engines in motorcycling wrapped up in a versatile package. It all works well. There are a few flaws and idiosyncrasies but fundamentally the bike deserves to be more popular than it is - especially at the price of $13,990.

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