Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

For all the talk of torque (excuse the pun) of big v twins, I'm surprised how much you have to work the gearbox to get the best out of the motor.

That said, it still propels you forward like a Saturn rocket.

The brakes are excellent, and the handling and suspension are more than up to the job.

Fuel economy is reasonable, although it would benefit from a slightly larger tank.

The only downside is the rubbish stock seat. Trips of more than a 100 miles can be very uncomfortable. I'm going to fit a Corbin or Sargent to mine.

Faults:

The SV1000S does have a gear whine, I have been given various reasons, I believe it is the cam chain tensioner. I have had no other problems so far, and the gear whine sounds almost like a supercharger.

General Comments:

The acceleration is brutal, I am still breaking in the bike, and keeping it below 5K rpm for now.

I am wondering what 9K rpm will be like?

The handling is also very quick, it seems to love to zig-zag down the road at 60 to 70 Mph.

I did go with Heli-Bars, I needed a more straight up riding position, but that is just me.

Faults:

Lost power to one cylinder when a spark plug cap shook itself loose. Fixed the connection, and it was fine.

General Comments:

As long as you go into ownership of this bike knowing that it's a v-twin and not an inline four, you'll be happy. Serious, off the line grunt is the order of the day. Yes, a GSX-1000R is much faster, but it'll cost you a whole lot more, too.

The suspension and brakes are not top of the line, but they're still very good, and the suspension is adjustable. It's also easily upgradeable, and for less than you might think.

The bike is absolutely ripe with tuning and modding possibilities, and it's incredibly fun to ride. Most riders will NOT be able to ride this bike beyond its limits, especially once it's dialled in.

Your best bet if considering this bike is to head over to www.sv-portal.com, or just search "sv1000 portal" on Google. An absolute plethora of information is available to you there, as well as a couple of thousand owners whose brains you can pick with questions.

Faults:

So far no problems.

General Comments:

This is a wonderful machine. Not as quick and nimble as pure sports bikes, but it has enough power and sure footedness to keep most bikers happy and induce the grin factor. The front end does dive a bit on corners when braking, but generally it stops well.

It is easy to ride whether in town or through the mountain roads of the Pyrenees. Although a narrow bike, I find the comfort fine and I am not exactly small. The only negatives are that it could do with a slightly larger tank and a fuel gauge to enhance its touring capabilities.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong at this time.

General Comments:

This bike has great torque and drive out of corners.

The handling is very good, and the feedback from the suspension and tyres gives you confidence.

The running costs are not cheap, but this is expected from a 1 litre sports bike.

The seat can be uncomfortable, but not much more than you would expect from most modern sports machines.

The big V twin engine gives great real life use of the power for the road.

Faults:

Straight from the factory, the bike had a unique characteristic in that it drained its own coolant at random intervals.

General Comments:

I understand the general rule about sport bikes not being in the upper tier of motoring regarding comfort, but in the SV1000S Suzuki has unnecessarily created the most uncomfortable seat in the industry. Aftermarket is a must on this piece.

The frame, since it is a twin-engined bike, is narrower than that of an in-line 4. Keep that in mind if you're of a larger stature.

The headlights are fantastic.

The handling, due in part to the narrowness of the frame, is excellent. Under heavy braking, however, the front end dives deeply. More comfortable than the stiffness of a racing suspension, the sport-touring setup will cost you on the track, but is good enough and exciting enough for long road trips.