2009 Suzuki Gladius Review

[MOKE1K]

They had a super motard at Daytona I saw a picture of. Very nice. Done by LRG.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by acecycleins

Hey Kev- Has anyone whispered sweet supermoto nothings into Zook's ear? Seems like the new frame would make a great platform for competition to the new Aprilia and the Hyper. All for under $8k.

That sounds like a fun concept, and it wouldn't take a huge investment to pull off. But it seems like Suz is really pulling back its expenditures of late so it can best weather the current financial crisis.

It's going to be interesting to watch how the different OEMs react to these times. For example, the two-year development cycle of sportbikes may be in jeopardy.

[mugwump58]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

Stuff the 1000 engine in it, and you'd be rockin!

Ya beat me to it. I was gonna quote S2's post. Poor man's Monster, that's what I'm talking about. Givi's got bags for the 1000 Monster now, good thing I'm poor and responsible.

Of course the SV1000 lasted an entire year Remember the "Owl and *****cat" review?

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

It's going to be interesting to watch how the different OEMs react to these times. For example, the two-year development cycle of sportbikes may be in jeopardy.

Truly, would that be such a terrible thing? There are many, many truly great bikes out there that are now 10-years-"obsolete" and would still be competitive if only they weren't "yesterday's news".

In my mind, pulling-back on the reins for awhile would not be that bad at all.

[MOKE1K]

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

Truly, would that be such a terrible thing? In my mind, pulling-back on the reins for awhile would not be that bad at all.

Spoken by someone whose metal well being isn't dependent on regular swanky press launches...

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

Spoken by someone whose metal well being isn't dependent on regular swanky press launches...

They can turn them into "BNG Press Launches" or somethin'..........

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

They can turn them into "BNG Press Launches" or somethin'..........

We hope the money they save on R&D gets spent on on business-class airfare!

[ericrosten]

Originally Posted by smitty_2

Yet another motorcycle with a SMALLER fuel tank. Love the SV's but this one cannot be a touring bike or any long distance for that matter.

Exactly. I can't figure out why anyone else hasn't whined about smaller tank capacities. I hate it when they do that. You have to buy "touring" bikes to get "touring capacities," but for affordable bikes the tanks keep getting smaller. I need at least 180 mile before light! If the CG gets higher with a 5 gallon tank, simply fill it less at the pump! Duhhhh...

Let's see, smaller tank, smaller front sliding pin brakes, smaller master cylinder, smaller radiator, heavier steel frame, less effective oil cooler, wheelbase roughly the same as the naked SV650 was, reduced driving range, ugly exhaust, a melted jellybean look, and higher cost. It has more power but it has more weight too. The power this one is putting out is roughly what you'd get with full pipe/filter/PCIII on the SV anyway.

I like the new instrument cluster. Rip it off and slap it on the SV.