I loved my old Suzuki SV650. It was a brash, V-twin, Muzzy-piped commuter that got me to and from our place up in Santa Clarita to El Segundo every day when we first were living in Los Angeles and while I was working at Automobile Magazine (RIP). Perfect for daily operations, but still plenty fun for canyon rips.
A do-it-all type of motorcycle, something that I'm extremely fond of.
That character has led the SV650 to develop a true cult following, one that's followed the motorcycle over three successive generations. But last year, Suzuki attempted to change course when, instead of releasing a new SV650, it debuted the SV-7GX. On paper, it was better than the aging third-generation SV650, with more power, cleaner emissions, more tech, and more everything. It just wasn't...a SV650—cults are hard to break up with.
So color us unsurprised that newly uncovered CARB documents point to Suzuki delivering a real and proper fourth-generation SV650, one that could debut at EICMA this year.
The submitted CARB documents, first uncovered by the folks at Visordown, detail that Suzuki's 2027 lineup not only includes the aforementioned SV-7GX, but also the SV650 using what appears to be the SV-7GX's Euro emissions-compliant new engine. Praise be.
What we don't know is anything else, i.e., what it's going to look like, horsepower, or any other specs. My personal take would be that it's going to be a stripped-down version of the SV-7GX, one that looks more on par with the more naked SV650s of old, and lean more heavily into the sport touring aspect of the lineage. It will, however, likely parallel the SV-7GX's specs, with its 645cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, 2-cylinder producing 72 horsepower and 47 pound-feet of torque. But that's just a guess.
What I hope, however, is that it retains the SV650's old soul. That same brash, growly V-twin energy that I originally fell in love with all those years ago. Yes, the Muzzy exhaust was slightly obnoxious. But that was also part of its charm.
EICMA kicks off November 5th in Milan, so we don't have too long to wait until we find out what's happening in the world of Suzuki, and whether these filings produce something special once again.
