Suzuki SV650 and Suzuki V-Strom 650 set to avoid a premature axe
Tightening emissions regulations would have seen both the Suzuki SV650 and Suzuki V-Strom 650 axed for 2021... but it seems have earned a stay of execution
The middleweight Suzuki SV650 and Suzuki V-Strom 650 look set to fight another day - or rather, another year - after documents revealing tweaks to both models will be sufficient to ensure they meet requirements under incoming Euro5 emissions regulations.
To say the SV650 and V-Strom 650 are elder statesmen of the motorcycle world would be a quite an understatement. In fact, both can still trace their roots right back to the late-90s when the 645cc V-Twin engine was first unveiled, a unit so advanced that some two decades on it remains the beating heart for two of Suzuki’s most popular models.
However, while sales remain good enough for Suzuki to plough on with both models, time - and legislation - is now catching up with both as the engine no longer meets Euro5 emission regulations, which is perhaps understandable given there was no such thing as emission caps when the models first hit the market.
Fortunately for Suzuki, some extenuating circumstances have played to their advantage, including COVID-19 which pushed the deadline back to 2021. However, the clock continues to tick and it seems Suzuki has earned a stay of execution for next year with minor tweaks that allow it to meet enough of the new demands to warrant its models not being pulled from sale.
According to Moto.it, documents reveal a trimming or horsepower (by 3hp) and an increase in weight to suggest a large catalytic converter, which should all add up to cleaner figures. Minor though this may seem, it’s a huge deal for Suzuki given removing both models from its line-up would lead to a sizeable dent in its annual sales volume in Europe.
This all comes against the likelihood of that the engine (finally) getting a replacement with patents showing it will revert to a parallel twin set up.
However, as with many Suzuki developments, pace is seemingly slow going and it isn’t clear when the engine - and subsequently a new SV650 and V-Strom 650 - will actually be revealed. Given the effort of bridging the current models up to legality, don’t expect them to be immediately around the corner.
