In the autumn of 2008 in Paris, Suzuki unveiled their latest (for the time and for now) entry-level motorcycle entitled the SFV 650 Gladius. Basically a refined SV650, but for the European crowd a whole new kind of riding excitement, the new bike sit on the thin line between impressive performance and awesome styling.
As a 2009 model year, the middleweight Gladius caught on to the public and it is now a much safer ride as Suzuki fitted it with ABS assisted brakes.
Destined to those who just approach riding, the new Gladius not only impresses through the way it looks, but with the help of a low seat (only 30.9 inches from the ground) and a fuel-injected, twin plug head engine, which is tuned for low-to-mid range torque.
Production costs were kept as low as possible and that implies a little bit of sacrifice on the weight chapter. For example, the trellis frame is made out of steel instead of aluminum. That brings a significant contribution to the 446 lbs wet weight that doesn’t do the Gladius that much good.
Still, the name Suzuki says everything about the bike’s performance and reliability even though, at a first glance, you have many chances to confuse it with an Italian naked.
Testimony of the fact that the Gladius is one bulletproof piece of engineering sits the SV650 genes. Being brand new, this Suzi doesn’t have anything to brag about but its features and if you relate to those, you will find many years of development and refining behind.
Initially, the Japanese manufacturer would have launched the SV650 with the same purpose for which it introduces the Gladius today, but we have a hunch that there will be no need for a third model as experience now said its word.
