The legendary Suzuki SV650 will be nixed from the European market come 2026, with the onset of the stricter emission rules, which will come into effect next year. The SV has been a mainstay of the Japanese bikemaker’s line-up since 1999, and its latest generation came out in 2016, right on the cusp of the world transitioning to Euro 4 emission norms.
- SV650 shared its engine with the V-Strom 650 XT sold in India
- It will be discontinued once the stricter emission norms come into effect
- It was offered in three variants across generations
Suzuki SV650: The ubiquitous 21st century UJM
Middleweight machine was a sales success
Right from its genesis to its impending demise, the standard SV650 has retained a very familiar design philosophy with a round headlight, exposed frame and handsome neo-retro looks. That 645cc, 90-degree V-Twin engine added to its visual appeal, and with a peak output of 76hp and 64Nm of torque, it was a punchy powerplant, too. The eagle-eyed among you will remember that the second-gen SV actually came with an aluminium perimeter frame, which proved to be a hit with track-day junkies on a budget abroad.
The cycle parts were nothing to write home about, but despite that, the SV was a capable enough machine in its class. The SV650’s main appealing points were its affordability and ability to cater to multiple niches of the market all at once – whether you were a novice looking for your first big bike or an experienced rider looking for a practical yet exciting machine, the SV fit the bill just fine. It was this homogeneous appeal to just about everyone that made the SV a resounding success in all the time it was on sale.
With ever-tightening emission norms coming into play, the SV650 will be discontinued in European markets next year onwards, although it could continue to be offered in regions with more lax emission norms – like the American and Canadian markets.
While the SV never made it to India, its platform-engineered sibling, the V-Strom 650 XT, did, and that was a capable and rugged machine. Today, both of these ageing products have been more or less replaced in Suzuki’s line-up by the newer GSX-8T and V-Strom 800DE.
Suzuki SV650: A walk down memory lane
Over the years, it was available in standard, semi-faired and cafe racer body styles
The SV650 was first introduced in 1999 (incidentally, the year I was born) in two versions – the standard naked and a semi-faired ‘S’ version. These first-gen bikes debuted the much-loved 645cc, V-twin, which, back in the day, was fed by a carburettor and made 70hp and 62Nm of torque.
Four years later, Suzuki gave the SV650 platform its first major update, which brought in mechanical advancements like fuel injection and a styling redesign. This generation was the last one to get the semi-faired ‘S’ variant and ran on till 2012 in select markets.
For 2013, Suzuki temporarily discontinued the SV650 in favour of the Gladius SFV650, which brought in rather polarising styling wrapped around the same, proven fundamentals of the SV it succeeded.
However, at the tail end of 2016, Suzuki revived the SV650 moniker with familiar styling, and this is the generation that is still on sale until the stricter emission norms come into play. This generation also saw the advent of the SV650X – essentially the standard bike dressed up as a cafe racer.
While the SV650 isn’t going to stick around for much longer, perhaps someday in the future, Suzuki could bring its popular UJM back. In the past, the company has also pulled the plug on the Hayabusa and the GSX-R1000R models before reviving them, albeit after a significant hiatus.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
