Suzuki SV650X 2025 — Specifications

The Suzuki SV 650 X isn't exactly the roadster you see on every corner. A discreet career hasn't prevented it from displaying a presence spanning nearly a decade. This continues with the hope of seeing a more powerful engine... someday. A minor engine revision occurred for the SV 650 X in 2021, the same as for the standard model, to keep them in the catalog. The Euro5 adaptation was made discreetly but not without consequence; the engine loses 3 horsepower while gaining torque. Well, yes and no. The maximum remains at 6.4 mkg but is reached 1300 rpm earlier. This makes the twin-cylinder feel a bit more present in the mid-range, while the entire motorcycle remains as it was yesterday.

...After a Café Racer limited edition (100 units) and a Scrambler version out of the question, Suzuki continues the seduction operation of its SV 650. With its discreet appearance and a hint of a simple ‘updating’ of the 1999 version, this SV is indeed taking time to appeal to young riders tempted by a much bolder competition. Yet, this Suzette is not lacking in qualities with its timeless twin that has captivated a whole generation. Fun, accessible, and very balanced, it ultimately only lacks a less conventional personality to revitalize the machine after a rather bleak Gladius episode.

This is where the SV 650 X comes in, aiming to find a slightly more rootsy, almost vintage, audience during a period when manufacturers are betting heavily on the neo-retro trend.

So, what does this X version bring to the SV? Mechanically, it’s simple: nothing at all. The 73 hp V-twin and its generous torque have more than proven their worth, preventing any circumstantial evolutions. The embellishments that appeared during its rebirth in 2016, such as Low RPM Assist (assistance for starting and low-speed riding) and the Suzuki Easy Start System (no need to hold the starter button down), are still present.

Therefore, Suzuki has focused on the aesthetics and a touch of sportiness to give its roadster more character.

And if its appearance is familiar, that’s not surprising. This SV 650 X borrows the essence of the SV 650 Rally Concept presented in Osaka in 2016. Starting with its gray and black color scheme. A two-tone fork cover, ‘old-school’ style, then beautifully frames the top of the headlight, and small side fairings placed in the extension of this trim give the impression that a half-fairing has been grafted on. Café-racer spirit assured, especially since this X also adopts clip-on handlebars to complete its transformation. The riding position, more forward, is therefore modified for a bit more sportiness. In the same spirit, the fork now has a preload adjustment absent on the standard SV. The rear mono-shock is identical, but comfort should be improved by the adoption of a more qualitative and, of course, more ‘retro’ quilted seat. As with the SV 650, the X received 4-piston brake calipers in 2019.

Already present on the Rally-Concept to pay homage to the rally road cars of the 70s, two LED long-range lights add a bit more character to this SV 650 X. Unfortunately, these are not part of the standard equipment and you would need to go through the options catalog to benefit from these additional double optics… A shame.

Ultimately, this SV650X leaves a slightly unfinished taste. The idea is rather good, but we would have liked the Hamamatsu firm to go a little further by grafting a specific exhaust (the double silencer of the café-racer version would have been perfect!), placing the mirrors at the end of the handlebars, or adopting different rims from the standard SV... for example.

But this SV 650 X nevertheless has the merit of offering an alternative to the ever-expanding choice of classico-modern-machin-truc roadsters (I can’t stand hearing the term neo-retro…). And then, ultimately, who better than the SV can legitimately carry the banner of the return of machines with an old-fashioned look, one that was already carving its way more than 20 years ago?