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COPYRIGHT 2003 Ehlert Publishing Group
In the highly competitive world of sportbikes, manufacturers would be well-advised not to mess with success. With so many great machines to choose from, and riders who are fairly spoiled by the features and technology used to win them over, it only takes one gaffe to put off a fickle buying public.
Imagine, then, the decisions faced by the folks at Suzuki when the time came to freshen its wildly popular SV650 and SV650S.
Introduced in 1999, these lightweight, low-priced bikes found immediate favor with beginners and experienced riders alike; in fact, you could say the SVs have developed almost a cultlike following. But after three relatively unchanged years of production, Suzuki decided it was time for some revisions--most of which are welcome, indeed.
Rather than make changes for the sake of change, Suzuki concentrated on areas that could be improved, but left the essential flavor intact. For example, the familiar aluminum truss frame now uses die-cast aluminum main sections made with high-vacuum mold technology instead of the previous sand-cast pieces, although the steering head section is still a sand casting. These changes result in a frame that is not only more uniform in appearance, but is...
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