2022 Suzuki SV650 Review | A Good Beginners Motorcycle? 

Not just for beginners. I bought one in May and I have been riding for 28 years. It's just a fun bike.

Hi Angus, another great review today. I think you are spot on with calling this bike a good first bike. It has everything a beginner could want. Comfortable, reliable, fast enough and light.

I think that it looks pretty good, i started riding in 1977. I've been told these engines, if serviced properly, can do enormous mileage and there are tons of aftermarket parts. I would definitely think about buying one.

Back in February 2022, I was looking for a new bike. I had a Yamaha Ténéré 700, which is a great bike, but found it just too top-heavy for my liking. Then, I came across a dealer offering a decent deal on a brand-new red and white metallic, 2021 Suzuki SV650. Thankfully, they weren't miles away and were quite local to me, so I went and had a look. I really liked the bike, so after a bit of haggling, they accepted my offer. Another bonus, I also got money off the first service, so it ended up being a fantastic deal, and I picked the bike up two days later. I had looked at this bike a long time ago, but for some reason it had gone off my radar. But, what a bike, I absolutely love the thing, it puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. And, it's fast, very fast, it actually takes you by surprise how fast the thing is. It's best described as a traffic light dragster; a boulevard cruiser! Yes, the SV650 does make a good "first big bike", but the term doesn't do it justice, because it's such a versatile bike. You can commute on it, tour on it, and do even do track days. In fact, it's such a good bike, the "mini twins" race series was started around the SV650. The SV650 goes back to 1999, and was based on the Ducati Monster. The Italians usually call their 90° V-twin engines, an "L-twin", due to the front cylinder being vertical and the rear cylinder being horizontal, thus forming an "L" shape. A 90° V-twin gives you that lovely alternating "phutphut phutphut phutphut phutphut" engine noise. A 45° V-twin engine gives you the classic choppy "potato-potato" sound; think Harley. Personally, I think the lattice frame looks great, and it's a very easy bike to work on. I've fitted a Yoshimura Alpha taper style carbon fibre slip-on exhaust to my SV, and that L-twin engine now sounds epic! I've fitted a tail tidy, I upgraded the headlight to a full LED unit, and fitted LED sequential indicators, which have very bright front white and rear red DRLs. The plain tank now has some large "SV650" decal tank pads, a pad on top, and a nice red stripe decal running the whole length. The seat doesn't have enough padding, and after about an hour or so, you get the old numb-bum syndrome. It will be getting a gel insert, a lot more padding, and a nice fancy seat cover, which I intend to do very soon. You would need to upgrade the suspension if you wanted to go on track with it, but it's adequate for urban riding. I hit a deep pothole the other week, it bottomed the front suspension, but it wasn't spine jarring, and the bike handled it quite well. I will be upgrading the rear shock on my bike, and the front internals, at a later date. Surprisingly, the bike is longer than other sport bikes because of the engine, so taller riders do have a bit more legroom. To be honest, I don't think you can really beat the Suzuki SV650 for the price, it's a cracking bike. I've heard the replacement will be fitted with a parallel twin, so it'll be the end of an era. In the future, I'm looking at getting a sports tourer, probably the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+, but do not intend to sell my SV any time soon, it's a keeper! It's the best bike Ducati never built, and it's a bit of a classic.

Quickly becoming one of my favourite RU-vid people, good sir. Keep it up!

This is a great review. I'm someone who is now looking at getting my bike licence (having wanted to do it for years) at 39 and your description of each aspect of the bike is great.

just a very good bike for anyone, beginner or experienced rider. 12 years of daily riding different bikes and still feel awesome when i ride my sv650 gen 2. I would say till 6000rpm is user friendly, after that at 2nd and 3rd gear you need some nails a beginner doesn't have...Its not extremelly fast but on the streets is jus t marginally slower than the bandit 1200 i had and a lot lighter and confidence inspiring.

Nice review buddy 👍 spot on with yr comments, great first bike,predictable, reliable and you can have loads of fun on it...plus it has low rpm assist which is very confidence inspiring for new riders 👍👍

I’ve got the same bike and I’ve been riding for years but love this bike to bits it’s so easy to ride and that’s what’s fun about it. Great review 👍🏻

Great review. I own one of these and absolutely love it. Went from a Hyosung 250. Hated the seat, upgraded it to the “Tuck roll” seat which is much better.

The greatest kalashnikov rifle of motorcycles. You can adapt this to any circumstance! I've just gone from Yamaha FZ1 to SV1000! The big brother of this beast is delicious and whilst a growling tiger. Its still got very good manners.

Fair modern review of this bike! I think something to note is how cheap these are on used market even with the current conditions. I have seen extremely low mileage latest gen (like 2500) go for $5500 USD in mint condition. Now that is a steal compared to a Trident which will run you $8000 USD used.

Learned and passed on this bike. Have to say it’s a great bike. Easy and fun

Thanx for your excellent video!!! I am myself a 50 years old total beginner and want hopefully to buy this beauty as my first bike 👌. My second choice is the Honda CB500x, different bike but also beginner friendly, what do you thing!? Looking forward to have a test drive soon and to decide 🤪 , ride safe bro and wish you all the best from Serbia 🇷🇸✌️

Hi Angus, nice review as always… no wait, this one’s even better because we had an unobstructed view on the handlebars! What happened to that hideous mobile phone pouch of yours? 😅

Had a V Strom years ago and remains a firm favourite. Definitely better than the sum of its parts and a real pleasure to ride and own

For long term use with a mix of camping and long ride, would SV650 be good for it or would the vstrom 650 xt be a better fit?

Hello redang, 👋 I have to agree with you on this as a former Vstrom owner I have ridden the sv650 on a couple of occasions and I would probably tire of this bike quite quickly. It is fun to ride at the start of any ride but it's limits show through, plus it's looking dated mompared to modern bikes of today. Another great review redang, ride safe and I'm intrigued by your upcoming video..Cheers from Gary.

Just a quick question. Is this bike suitable for total newbie (had road bicycling experience) with zero motorcycling experience? Because i am one of it and this bike basic bare bone’s features is the one that attracted to me with various bike these days come with many tech features. Checked around that they are two school of thought with one say go for it and another thought is start small eg 250/300 cc bikes then only go upsize from there. If you are wondering, the license structure in my country allows me to bypass lower cc license and go straight to full class which allows me to ride high cc bike (but i am not going that far hence why looking sv650 for and start and grow on it Look forward to hear back from you

A lithium battery, a nice slip-on silencer, adjustable levers and maybe a quickshifter and it's a pretty sweet bike for anyone, not just for beginners. You could even swap the forks for some USD forks with proper brakes as well but that would cost quite a bit. Maybe the GSX-S 750 front end could work. The seat is also kinda crap so replacing that could be a nice upgrade as well. And before anyone starts shouting "you can't have a quickshifter, it's not a ride-by-wire bike", I know you cannot have up/down quickshifter but you can have a up only quickshifter very easily.

Another great interesting review, thanks! I'm coming new to riding approaching 60 at 6"1", a first time buyer with spring 2023 in mind....town and country rides when the sun's out. Loved your Moto Guzzi V7 review which I've tried and find that tempting, and now this SV650 is different but interesting too. And have also watched your T100 review (also great and looks like it could come out top when i get to test ride!) and will also try the new Ducti scrambler. Fun decisions ! Cheers.

I like it... lovely colour combination!

I past my test on a Gladius, and went on to by a new SV in December last year. Ive recently sold the SV and moved on to a new MT09. Whilst i wouldn't recommend the MT09 for a beginner, as its very powerful, everything else about the Yamaha is easier to get on with. Dont get me wrong. I did a few thousand miles on my SV and loved the bike. however there are a few negatives for me. Yes the seat height is low, but it seems alot heavier than it is. The MT is 10gk lighter but feels alot lighter than the SV, and feels much more agile in the slow speed stuff. Add to that the low end snatchy on off nature of the throttle and its not quite the beginner big bike everyone says it is. In my opinion.

You should have a look at the white one with red trellis. It’s stunning

I’m hoping to get this bike in this exact colour scheme next spring. Blade is my local dealer.

Don't send a boy to review a man's motorcycle. I've been riding motorcycles since 1978 and just upgraded to the SV650. Planning to ride from Denmark to Schweiz when the passes hopefully open mid June.

Get them while you can, Suzuki has ruined the next replacement model!

No idea why every reviewer calls it a beginner bike. I’ve had all generations and the latest 6 years now. Had various bikes too within that time. Not everyone wants a litre bike or gsxr.

I'm a woman and passed my mod 1and 2 on this bike. It's an easy bike to ride for a novice. Good height I'm 5'6 and can easily flatfoot it.

I got this one brand new, put MRA windscreen on it with crash bars, blue tank version. To me it's a great bike after switching from ADVs - more stable one the road, can-do-anything rig.

Great review m8, as a beginner i recently bought a 2020 sv650 n i love it , its def great for a noob . Also a tough as nails and time tested engine , no frills fun bike but dont be mistaken as a beginner the sv has alot of power if u push it. I seen a few speed tests on it and 0 to 60mph in 3.5sec. The car equivalent would be less affordable .lol

I want one !

SV650 là 1 chiếc xe tuyệt vời ❤❤😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉

Can't believe this. I like to have a few bikes to try when I get to this stage. Triumph Trident, Kawasaki Z650 and Suzuki SV650!!!! I won't be surprised if a more classic bike creeps in nearer the time 😉

This is a great bike. Looks good, too. 6:06 Basic, but good dash. I would also have the XSR700 over the SV.

When you are a experienced rider, this will be just fine, before that you have to have something BIG between your legs to be satisfied, it can also be a learning bike i think

A comparrison of this, the Triumph Trident 660, the MT07 and the CB650 would be awesome. As you say this is a good first big bike size/price - same for those others. Is the Triumph too much for a first big bike?

Should i trade in my Z1000? It has a slight loss of power on take off when warm. No one seems to know what it could be. Its only done 10k. BTW its £6300 for the Sv650 brand new.

An ideal starter bike would be a smaller cross sport like a Yamaha TW 200 generally all around .

What makes a 650cc bike a good beginner bike? The SV650 and the CB650R are generally said to be viable options, but the MT07 and Z650 are controversial at best. What distinguishes the former two from the latter?

I thought the shock had preload adjustment? When was that removed?

Passed test this June and bought brand new , no complaints as a new , more mature rider . Dislike the ugly exhaust so it’s coming off soon , I opted for this on a price point as my DAS and clothing has set me bk 2k . Couldn’t afford to keep spending as I know there is always something else to buy ! .. I think a black widow exhaust at around £200 should be fine .

Definitely not just for beginners. Very great all around platform though. Corner monster on the track yet doesnt have a ridiculous powerband thats untamable on the street. Ive seen these make people question why they bought liter bikes

I've done my license course on that bike and I hated it. It was the little older, Gladius version. I mean it was my first big bike, so it was nice to have something with a lot more power than my Yamaha XSR125, but the riding position and the clutch was just killing me. The footpegs are just too far behind for my liking, which combined with my bad back and not being used to riding for longer periods of time, resulted in me being in a lot of pain as I was doing my tests... And the clutch worked so hard that I never really got used to it. It was the little older, Gladius version. And it's not that light, at least not for a beginner. My mate has done a license on a Yamaha MT07, which is a lot more nimble and lighter.

You can really hear and see, how little you like this bike 😂it really shows. After seeing tons of sv videos on RU-vid. I Tried a 2021 where I’m taking my license and was really disappointed. There was nothing for me to drool over and honestly thought that comfort and power would be better. A lot of people love them and that’s okay, it’s just not for me

No IMU/cornering ABS seems a bit of a deliberate cost cutting in 2024 when it's cheap (my 125 has it) and the roads are more full of crazy drivers.

It's a great bike i have a 17.

I believe beginners should start with smaller bikes..70hp i think is bit much

Pickup a gen 2 for under £2k. No abs and far more adjustable suspension.

I have an option of buying sv650 with blue frame for 7000€, and sapphire black trident for 8400€. Even though the sv is a really great offer, it doesn't look nearly as good as the trident... Really torn up by the choice

my bike!

That stock exhaust can is terrible though, as is the stock seat. Change those and the bike really feels a lot better.

This is NOT a beginners bike, says mr Regular

"i'm a fairly experienced motorcyclist" **Drives past 2 junctions with left indicator on**

Azul

Great review and a great bike. One point from me if I can. WHAT'S THE POINT OF FLATFOOTING when you don't ride? (So that you look like an infant with you legs bent almost to your chest when you ride!!!). I don't know who started it? Missenden or someone but it's probably a time to give it a pass. Thumb up from me.

trident got t-plane tho

Here we go again its sub 200bhp so it must be suitable for a first big bike. How condescending can you get. It's just a bloody good bike for everyone

I just hateit when you say its a beginners bike,

Beginner this beginner that. No such thing as a beginner bike bro. it's 2022 not 1970