Is a faired Suzuki SV650 ‘RR’ about to inject life into ageing V-twin platform?

It seems rumours of the Suzuki SV650’s death have been greatly exaggerated amid growing talk the company could give it the V-twin platform a fresh lease of life with a faired ‘RR’ variant.

It’s a motorcycle that blew everyone away when it was launched - way back in 1999 - and while newer rivals have comfortably moved the middleweight game forward, the SV650 has continued to earn its keep with buyers that can’t resist its increasingly unique V-twin engine and are lured in by some very keen pricing.

Indeed, the SV650 isn’t in the first flush of youth on the surface either, while patent leaks showing a development of a new more conventional 600cc engine suggest Suzuki is erring towards taking the ‘V’ out of the name.

Except we have been reporting these plans for some years and to date nothing tangible has ever surfaced, leading us to wonder whether Suzuki has gone back to the drawing board entirely.

Regardless, few would have expected a fresh variant based on the (really) ageing platform to emerge, but several publications have reported Suzuki is readying a new faired version to join the SV650 naked and the V-Strom 650 adventure bike.

Motivation for the model seems to arise from the introduction of another twin entry in the form of the Aprilia RS 660, plus the incoming Yamaha R7, which goes some way to plugging the gap left by the R6 albeit in a ‘warm supersport’ mould.

Indeed, Suzuki hasn’t offered its mid-range sportsbike - the GSX-R600 - on these shores for some time, but continues to be available in the US. However, with Yamaha, Honda and Triumph abandoning the ‘screamer’ class, Suzuki might well sound the death knell entirely for the ‘Gixxer’ in favour of a faired version of the SV650.

(Artist impression of what SV650 RR could look like - Oberdan Bezzi Designs) 

While the name SV650 RR is merely a media construct (SV650 R and SV650 S have also been mooted), a more honed sporting version of the platform might actually go down very well, with many feeling the perky engine and sprightly dynamics would have lended itself well to a racier silhouette.

Alternatively, this could be seen as a last hurrah for the SV650 platform and a way for Suzuki to keep the V-Twin purists happy when it does - eventually - get around to introducing a brand-new model.