Make or Break? Suzuki SV650.
“Haven’t seen one of these for a while.”
The Suzuki SV650 was another one of those bikes that sold really well back in the day and they have maintained their popularity to this day. They are nowhere near entering the classic bike status, so that means they are still cheap and plentiful. The early carb model bike is the better looking of the the variations on the SV650 theme that Suzuki have trotted out for over two decades now.
“That headlight looks wrong to me.”
This SV650 started out life wearing a fairing, either because it was crashed along the way, or because a previous owner fancied their chances on improving the looks of the bike. Either way, it is now sporting a nasty aftermarket headlight. Why you wouldn’t just fit a genuine Suzuki lamp from the unfaired model is beyond me.
“Make a good little project that.”
The bike is a non runner and the wiring is messy around the clocks and headlight area. The engine will spin over if you bridge the starter solenoid with a spanner, but further fiddling would be required to strike it up. The basics of the bike are all ok, except the carbon exhaust silencer is wearing a crude repair to it. Without a queue of people wanting to restore the early SV650 model, its future will probably see it evolve into a project or maybe a track day bike. There are plenty of mini twins race series bits kicking about out there, so it would be a straightforward and inexpensive conversion.
Article provided by Scottie Redmond
