2009 Suzuki Gladius 650

A lot of ppl talk, but I actually own this bike.

Cons: few years of production = hard to find aftermarket accessories, horrible stock tires (dunlop qualifiers), soft stock spring settings, only preload adjustment (like you adjust your suspension anyways), short gear ratios (1st = 44mph, 2nd ... = 67mph, 3rd = 89mph, 4th = 105mph, 5th = 122mph, 6=145mph), means you have to shift past 1st gear in long intersections unless u want to vibrate to 11k rpms

Pros: starts up like a god every time (1 engine turn regardless of 120F outside or 0F), no sore wrists/back etc. after 300 mile twisty rides, 49mpg new, currently get 68mpg (but I broke my bike in like a pro - with 1/8th throttle pulls in each gear slowly working up to full throttle pulls and engine breaking in each gear), that's 2x the mpg of a sportbike fyi, bike will pull small wheelies in 3rd gear on racing slicks with WOT corner exits & on hill crests (stock gearing 15/46). Put the bike in 3rd gear near 6k rpms and you can easily pass any car.

Overall, it's a great bike for a twisty 45mph mountain road. It's a great commuter. It's a great city/town bike. And It's a great bike to put a lot of miles on which will help your riding skill more than 50 broken up miles on a 600cc super sport separated by frequent gas station stops, wrist and back pain.

This bike is not a 100mph california canyon carver. You need a 1000cc or more for that. This bike also isn't a 70mph highway tour bike - unless you get a power bronze windscreen.

I've ridden two up with a 5'7" 135lb girl 100's of miles with no problems. I have had some steering problems with a 5'10" 180lb girl, but maybe my tire pressure was bad. Give your passenger gear & tell the to look over your inside shoulder in a corner.

If you get this bike.... I beg you cut the dunlop qualifiers off IMMEDIATELY. They will kill you. I'm serious. I know it is expensive, but replace the dunlop bricks. Grab a set of michelin 2ct for sport riding & if you want to beat your friend on a super sport bike in the corners get a set of michelin power pure.

I purchased my Gladius a little over a year and a half ago.(...it was a still crated left-over.) I have accumulated a little ove 13,ooo miles and have carefully modified the bike via advice and examples from svrider.com and from A LOT of cross referencing. I now possess a sub 400lbs bike with *just* ... under 80hp and I have LESS than $7500 with suspension/engine/exhaust/mirrors/bars/bodywork/brake mods done. I DARE ANY manufacturer to pull this off. Kudos Suzuki for giving the U.S. this bike. Jeers for only making it one year.

Bought this bike last quarter of 2010. It rides well and has more power than what I need in a bike. Use it for commuting, 30 miles one way. The only thing negative I can say is the stock seat...hard on the behind...but it can be replaced. Suzuki has a gel seat for less than 300 bucks.

It was either the Gladius or a Ninja 250R for my first bike. Man, am I glad I chose this. It has plenty of power so that you don't get bored quickly but not so much that you get yourself into trouble. It's definitely a torquey bike. Super fun. Low seat height. Great in the curves. But I do have to ... agree about the seat. It becomes very uncomfortable after about an hour. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Got this bike for a steal with Suzuki's $1000 coupon and 1.99% financing.

Just bought the bike second hand with 700 miles on the clock.I decided after a gap of around 40yrs of owning a bike, it was time to go for it!I love the bike.The bike pulls away at low revs too!Handles really well, sounds great.

The throttle response needs handling with care until you master ... the power, mainly in 1st gear, but it not long before you have it sorted.Its a joy to ride and I am praying for a warm dry summer.

Read all the reviews about this bike before buying it. The engine is terrific and handles well in town and on the back roads. This bike though has one of the most un-comfortable seats I have ever had on a motorcycle.

I own a Kawi Z750 and V-strom 1000 as well as my new Gladius. If you're looking for an agile, zippy little bike this is a great choice. Perfect for urban riding and handles great on a winding road. Its not a high performance roadbike... Its just plain fun...

Bought the bike for my wife first bike. Power and shifting is very smooth through all the gears and she likes. Handles great in the turn and at speeds up to about 85 before it starts to get a little shake in the bars. She likes the kickstand safety feature and the forgiving clutch. The only real ... negative is the seat feels more like the one on my CRF450R than a street seat; could use a bit more padding.

bought mine in june 09 easy handling smooth ride plenty of power handles curves great took it on a 7hr trip thru back country roads high way very impressed wasnt sore or tired very excited about this bike hopr to keep it for many years great job susuki

I wasn't crazy once I saw this bike at first but, I recently got to ride it and it sure holds it's own. One of hte smoothest bikes I have rode on, handles excellent, and will not gett boring because it has enough power to keep it fun for a long time. Fuel economy is great but the downfalls are it ... is a little to quiet for my style and it has similarities to the monster. Other than that this bike is fantastic I had a ball riding it and it is very comfortable. Check it out.

Comfortable seating position and nice attention to detail, but will the power and handling be good?