Top 12 Sportbikes of the 1990s
When motorcycles were fat and we were skinny
Suzuki’s response to the Ducati Monster was one of the friendliest, most accessible motorcycles of the decade. The original SV used an exotic oval-section aluminum tube frame inspired by OVER Racing in Japan. Apart from that, there was nothing terribly trick about the SV except for its exhaust note; if you squinted your ears its 645cc V-Twin sounded just like a Ducati coming down the road, and it delivered power like one, too. That throbbing midrange, in fact, was what made it such a hit. Some have argued that the SV did more to boost Ducati sales than any Ducati ever did. It also did a lot to get lots of new racers on the track, thanks to its great handling and unintimidating demeanor.
I wonder who wrote MO’s first SV650 review anyway? So avant garde, so out of left field, so MOronic…