Suzuki has put its 645 cc V-twin back into an accessible tourer, and the result is worth a look. Xavier took the SV-7GX for a few kilometres on the Belledonne balcony road above Grenoble, one evening in August. Here is what it is worth, and why it will soon join our rental fleet.
Collected from the dealership, then up to the balcon de Belledonne via Revel, and back down to Saint-Martin-d'Uriage. A narrow road, often without a centre line, linking hairpins and fast sections between 755 and 894 metres, with the Grésivaudan valley below and the Vercors opposite. This is the ground on which a chassis is judged, not a spec sheet.
3,7 l/100 km measured on this loop. Suzuki claims 4.2 on the WMTC cycle.
La SV-7GX est fabriquée au Japon, in Hamamatsu. And it shows: the welds on the trellis frame, the fit of the plastics, the quality of the switchgear and of the parts you touch every day. At this price, that is far from the norm in this class.
A useful point before going further: a low seat does not mean a motorcycle for small riders. Xavier is 1.90 m tall, felt perfectly at home on it and thoroughly enjoyed himself sur les routes du balcon.
795 mm seat height. It is the lowest figure in the class: the Yamaha Tracer 7 sits at 830 mm, the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 at 835. On a machine of 211 kg fully fuelled, those three good centimetres change everything at a standstill, in a U-turn and on a cambered verge. A 25 mm taller seat is available as an accessory for taller riders.
Steel trellis frame, 41 mm telescopic fork, monoshock with seven-step preload adjustment, 1,445 mm wheelbase. On paper, nothing spectacular: no upside-down fork, no radially mounted calipers. On the balcony road, however, this is one of its real strengths. The bike absorbs broken surfaces without ever losing composure, and it goes exactly where you put it. The compromise works where many makers pick a side.
Twin 290 mm front discs, four-piston Tokico calipers, 240 mm rear disc, ABS on both wheels. Sharp, progressive, easy to modulate with one finger on the way down. Nothing to fault.
Pirelli Angel GT II as standard, in 120/70 ZR17 and 160/60 ZR17. A front-rank sport-touring tyre, not an original-equipment choice made on price. Grip is excellent, including on the greasy stretches at the end of the day and the uneven surfaces of the balcony road. That is what gives you confidence from the first bends on a machine you do not know.
Le 645 cc 90-degree V-twin, DOHC, liquid-cooled, inherited from the SV650 and known for its reliability. 54 kW, that is 73 hp at 8,500 rpm, and 64 Nm at 6,800 rpm. Three engine maps, traction control, ride-by-wire throttle.
It is very flexible: it pulls cleanly from low revs, with no snatch and no flat spot, and revs out willingly to 9,000 rpm when asked. The 73 hp of the full-power version are largement suffisants, including two-up. On mountain roads it is not power that is lacking, it is the room to use it.
Six speeds, up et and-down quickshifter as standard. Very well calibrated: shifts are clean and smooth, and downshifts no longer call for the clutch. This is the piece of equipment that changes daily use the most.
Le luggage rack and its plate are fitted as standard : the 45-litre top case, on the other hand, is a Suzuki accessory, and it is the one our test bike carried. A full-face helmet fits inside. Over a weekend, it is the bag you do not have to strap to the seat, and the helmet that stays out of harm during lunch. With us it will be disponible en option, depending on your needs and how you ride.
Les footpegs are metal, toothed and very grippy. A detail nobody advertises and that you notice at once when you spend time standing on the pegs.
Et il y a une USB-C socket on the dash, next to the screen, reachable without removing anything. Your phone charges while it navigates. Another detail that makes no headlines and counts every day.
Wind-tunnel-developed half-fairing, three-position screen with 50 mm of travel, profiled hand guards as standard. Set in the high position, it suits everyone : your torso sits in still air, with no buffeting, and there is nothing left to look for. The one drawback is that changing it needs a tool, so you set it once before leaving rather than at the traffic lights. Tell us your preference when you collect the bike and we will set it for you.
Nothing that would spoil a weekend, but worth knowing as you get on.
Moto-Net notes a package that is “simple but coherent” and an engine with plenty left in it: “this good old V-twin is far from having said its last word”. The site praises the price and the warranty, points to cost-saving finishes here and there, and is harder on the brakes than we are, judging “the front lever spongy to the touch and its bite limited”. Over our test, a short one, we did not feel that.
Le Repaire des Motards concludes that it is "a compact, simple and affordable tourer", finds the V-twin "willing from 4,000 rpm" and, by contrast, judges the Tokico brakes powerful and easy to modulate. The site notes a screen that "gives good upper-body protection", suspension that is a little firm on broken surfaces, an ABS that can be intrusive and the absence of a centre stand. Fuel consumption on their side: 4.8 l/100 km.
Motomag and Caradisiac sum up the same thing: the SV650 brought up to date in an accessible tourer, at a price the class had stopped expecting.
Opinions diverge on two points, and it is worth knowing: braking, called sharp by some and soft by others, and fuel consumption, measured at up to 4.8 l/100 km by the press when we recorded 3.7 on our mountain roads. A rental motorcycle is judged on the ground it actually rides.
| Moteur | 645 cc V-twin, 90°, DOHC, four-stroke, liquid-cooled |
|---|---|
| Alésage × course | 81 × 62,6 mm |
| Puissance | 54 kW (73 hp) at 8,500 rpm |
| Couple | 64 Nm à 6 800 tr/min |
| Boîte | Six speeds, chain, up-and-down quickshifter |
| Cadre | Treillis acier |
| Fourche | 41 mm telescopic, non-adjustable |
| Amortisseur | Monoshock, seven-step preload |
| Freins | 2 × 290 mm, four-piston Tokico calipers / 240 mm rear, ABS |
| Pneus | Pirelli Angel GT II, 120/70 ZR17 and 160/60 ZR17 |
| Empattement | 1 445 mm |
| Hauteur de selle | 795 mm |
| Poids tous pleins faits | 211 kg |
| Réservoir | 17,4 litres |
| Consommation | 4.2 l/100 km claimed (WMTC) — 3.7 measured on our loop |
| Électronique | Three engine modes, traction control, 4.2-inch colour TFT display, phone connectivity, USB-C socket |
| Équipement de série | Luggage rack and plate, hand guards, three-position adjustable screen, full LED lighting (45-litre top case as an accessory) |
| Vitesse maximale | 190 km/h |
In Japan, in Hamamatsu. It shows in the build quality: frame welds, plastic fit, switchgear feel.
The Suzuki SV-7GX has a 795 mm seat height. It is the lowest in its class: the Yamaha Tracer 7 sits at 830 mm and the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 at 835 mm. A 25 mm taller seat is available as an accessory for taller riders.
You can hire the Suzuki SV-7GX in Grenoble from envie2rouler Alpes. It joins our rental fleet in the coming weeks, in full-power form, on a full A licence, with 24/7 self-service collection. Booking dates will be announced on this page.
Yes, the one joining our fleet will be the full-power 73 hp version, on a full A licence. And it is above all the seat height that makes this bike easy: 795 mm, against 830 mm for the Yamaha Tracer 7 and 835 mm for the Triumph Tiger Sport 660. On a machine of 211 kg fully fuelled, those three good centimetres change everything at a standstill and in a U-turn.
We measured 3.7 l/100 km on our Belledonne balcony loop, on mountain roads ridden normally. Suzuki claims 4.2 l/100 km on the WMTC cycle. With a 17.4-litre tank, that puts range between 350 and 400 kilometres depending on pace.
The luggage rack and its mounting plate are, as are the hand guards and the adjustable screen. The 45-litre top case is a Suzuki accessory: it is the one our test bike carried, and a full-face helmet fits inside. At envie2rouler it will be offered as an option, depending on your needs and how you ride.
Yes, once the screen is set high: your torso sits in still air, with no buffeting, and there is nothing left to look for. It offers three positions over 50 mm of travel, but adjusting it needs a tool: we set it for you when you collect the bike, high by default.
That is exactly what it is built for: standard top case and rack, half-fairing, upright position and a V-twin that pulls without downshifting. The 73 hp are ample two-up on mountain roads. Just remember to stiffen the rear preload when you load it.
Suzuki lists it from €7,999. It is that price, very aggressive for this level of equipment, that lets us announce a very competitive rental rate. To buy one in the Grenoble area, it is available from Motolabo in Échirolles, who lent us the bike for this review.
It should join our Grenoble rental fleet in the coming weeks. Booking dates will be announced on this page and on our booking page.
Xavier rode it on the Belledonne balcony road above Grenoble: up through Revel and the Route du Mas Lary, then the Route du Balcon de Belledonne via La Sarrasine, Le Rousset and Les Faures, back down the Route d'Allevard and Croix de Pinet to Le Pinet d'Uriage, above Saint-Martin-d'Uriage. Between 755 and 894 metres, facing the Grésivaudan and the Vercors.
What decided us: a low seat that puts nobody in difficulty, a flexible V-twin you ride without thinking, a luggage rack already there for a two-day trip, and a forgiving chassis that is not soft. Its purchase price, very aggressive for this level of equipment, lets us announce a very competitive rental rate.
Booking dates will be announced here. In the meantime, our Triumphs and BMWs are available all year, on A2 as well as full A licences.
This review was made possible by Motolabo, a Suzuki, Triumph and Aprilia dealer in Échirolles, on the edge of Grenoble, who lent us the SV-7GX long enough to get to know it. Our thanks to them.
If you are not looking to hire one but to l'acheter, they are where you will find it: motolabo.fr, 2 rue de Bretagne, 38130 Échirolles.
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