Yamaha FZ-07 vs Suzuki SV 650 Naked

[William]

I've never ridden a FZ-07, and I've never ridden a Suzuki SV650 Naked, but I currently ride a Kawasaki 650R. I've read so many reviews saying how great the SV650 Naked is and have read about a lot of people who wished they had never sold theirs. Is the FZ-07 even greater than the SV650 Naked? I read about another person on the forum who said his FZ-07 accelerated just as well as a Triumph Street Triple. Really? Is this an exaggeration? But the FZ-07 must accelerate greater than a SV650? Thank you.

 

[Igor]

Hi,

My last bike was an SV650s (the faired version but basically the same bike with clip ons and some plastic...)

I loved the SV, it was great to ride, fun and punchy enough. But I have to say the MT is better, I don't know if it actually accelerates faster than the SV but it feels like it does. Got to say though I thought the SV handled twisty roads a little better, the MT feels more planted than the SV, but the I could flick the SV around easier than the MT.

 

[Phil_B]

Personally I think either would be a good bike. The SV if you could find a tidy one would be a better 2nd hand deal; MT more appropriate if you want a newer bike and warranty etc.

 

[AJ Nin]

I owned a 2012 Ninja 650r and now own the FZ-07. The bikes are similar. The FZ-07 is about 60 lbs. lighter which is noticeable when moving the bikes around by hand or riding at slow speeds, or just getting on and off the bike. Weight is important. There will be slightly more power and faster acceleration with the FZ-07, but both bikes have noticeable grunt. I haven't owned an SV650, but I see a lot of older ones around and everyone I talk to says how dependable they are. If I owned any one of the 3, I wouldn't trade it in for a similar bike, but if I was looking for a new bike, the FZ-07 would win that competition among the 3. Actually, it already did. I think of all these middle weight bikes as tween bikes. They are faster than the starter bikes which seem to all lack something...acceleration, roll-on speed and passing power. The middle weights have all that, but do not have the screaming power of the super sports. I suppose the Street Triple r and FZ-09 are somewhere in between. If I could only ever have one bike to do everything, it would be the FZ-07. I used to say that about the Ninja 650r. I think Kawasaki will be upgrading the Ninja 650r soon due to the cheaper, faster, lighter-weight FZ-07. Really, a guy should have a bunch of bikes...a Grom for hooligan street riding and just plain fun, a scooter for maneuverability and storage for shopping, a Ninja 300 or maybe one of the new Honda CB300s out soon for a commuter and outstanding fuel economy, and a super sport for really fast riding or track use. If you had all those, you might not want a tween bike like the FZ-07, but on the other hand, with the FZ-07, you could use it for all those other activities. It's a great all-around bike. I guess I would throw in another specialty bike like the Zero S 8.5 which I own. Nothing really compares to that...light weight, full, instant torque, silent. You get out way ahead of all traffic effortlessly and noise-free at every stop light. Range, high cost, and available dealerships is really the issue with electric bikes, but that seems to be changing. I left out cruisers and touring bikes, but that's not my thing and if I owned one of those, I would go trade it in on a sport bike.

 

[William]

I owned a 2012 Ninja 650r and now own the FZ-07. The bikes are similar. The FZ-07 is about 60 lbs. lighter which is noticeable when moving the bikes around by hand or riding at slow speeds, or just getting on and off the bike. Weight is important. There will be slightly more power and faster acceleration with the FZ-07, but both bikes have noticeable grunt. I haven't owned an SV650, but I see a lot of older ones around and everyone I talk to says how dependable they are. If I owned any one of the 3, I wouldn't trade it in for a similar bike, but if I was looking for a new bike, the FZ-07 would win that competition among the 3. Actually, it already did. I think of all these middle weight bikes as tween bikes. They are faster than the starter bikes which seem to all lack something...acceleration, roll-on speed and passing power. The middle weights have all that, but do not have the screaming power of the super sports. I suppose the Street Triple r and FZ-09 are somewhere in between. If I could only ever have one bike to do everything, it would be the FZ-07. I used to say that about the Ninja 650r. I think Kawasaki will be upgrading the Ninja 650r soon due to the cheaper, faster, lighter-weight FZ-07. Really, a guy should have a bunch of bikes...a Grom for hooligan street riding and just plain fun, a scooter for maneuverability and storage for shopping, a Ninja 300 or maybe one of the new Honda CB300s out soon for a commuter and outstanding fuel economy, and a super sport for really fast riding or track use. If you had all those, you might not want a tween bike like the FZ-07, but on the other hand, with the FZ-07, you could use it for all those other activities. It's a great all-around bike. I guess I would throw in another specialty bike like the Zero S 8.5 which I own. Nothing really compares to that...light weight, full, instant torque, silent. You get out way ahead of all traffic effortlessly and noise-free at every stop light. Range, high cost, and available dealerships is really the issue with electric bikes, but that seems to be changing. I left out cruisers and touring bikes, but that's not my thing and if I owned one of those, I would go trade it in on a sport bike.

Nice write up. I too am interested in what the 2015 Kawasaki 650R will be like.

 

[vagabond_ms]

Having owned several SV650s I can say the FZ07 definitely has more punch in the motor,and the gearing is great. However the seating position on the SV is a little better for the canyons and for whatever reason my naked sv had less wind blast than the fz. I'd take the FZ all day long, but SV650s are great bikes.

 

[Acenturian]

I had a Ninja 650 and a friend had the SV650, I think both were pretty much the same. The SV seemed to handle better than the Ninja 650. I just got the FZ07 and I can tell that it pulls harder than the Ninja did. Someone mentioned above the Triumph Street Triple, I have friend who has one and I've ridden it, the SV, Ninja 650 and FZ07 are not in the same class. The Triumph has considerable more horsepower when you spool up the triple, a better comparison would be an FZ09. Everyone has their preference to motors, I like the sound and torque of a twin. I owned an original FZ6 which was pretty much a sport bike with raised bars and I wasn't a fan of the no power down low and then a hit at about 6,000 rpm and at about 8,000 it was a psycho ride to the red line...not my style. I really think triples offer the best of both worlds in terms of torque and horsepower I just hate the sound of them.

 

[tw586]

test rode the ninja 650, CBR 650, CBR 500, SV 650 and the MT07 all worthy and well made bikes But the MT fun factor won me over, its lighter, designed from the ground up for the intended purpose and a totally new design, the others were just evolution of older models. It has more torque and narrow for ease in city traffic, yet has more than enough power for the odd country blast

 

[sven11]

Can anyone compare to the aprilia shiver?


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[Popeye]

I owned a 2012 Ninja 650r and now own the FZ-07. The bikes are similar. The FZ-07 is about 60 lbs. lighter which is noticeable when moving the bikes around by hand or riding at slow speeds, or just getting on and off the bike. Weight is important. There will be slightly more power and faster acceleration with the FZ-07, but both bikes have noticeable grunt. I haven't owned an SV650, but I see a lot of older ones around and everyone I talk to says how dependable they are. If I owned any one of the 3, I wouldn't trade it in for a similar bike, but if I was looking for a new bike, the FZ-07 would win that competition among the 3. Actually, it already did. I think of all these middle weight bikes as tween bikes. They are faster than the starter bikes which seem to all lack something...acceleration, roll-on speed and passing power. The middle weights have all that, but do not have the screaming power of the super sports. I suppose the Street Triple r and FZ-09 are somewhere in between. If I could only ever have one bike to do everything, it would be the FZ-07. I used to say that about the Ninja 650r. I think Kawasaki will be upgrading the Ninja 650r soon due to the cheaper, faster, lighter-weight FZ-07. Really, a guy should have a bunch of bikes...a Grom for hooligan street riding and just plain fun, a scooter for maneuverability and storage for shopping, a Ninja 300 or maybe one of the new Honda CB300s out soon for a commuter and outstanding fuel economy, and a super sport for really fast riding or track use. If you had all those, you might not want a tween bike like the FZ-07, but on the other hand, with the FZ-07, you could use it for all those other activities. It's a great all-around bike. I guess I would throw in another specialty bike like the Zero S 8.5 which I own. Nothing really compares to that...light weight, full, instant torque, silent. You get out way ahead of all traffic effortlessly and noise-free at every stop light. Range, high cost, and available dealerships is really the issue with electric bikes, but that seems to be changing. I left out cruisers and touring bikes, but that's not my thing and if I owned one of those, I would go trade it in on a sport bike.

Good comparison, I've never driven the sv650 but I have the '13 Triumph STR and its a definite speed, power and handling step up from the '15 Yamaha Fz-07 which my wife now owns. However, the fz-07 is a "sport touring" class bike and is $3200 less than the Triumph. The fz-07 is 397lbs wet, lighter than both the Sv650 and Street Triple and also much less costly than I think all in that cc range found during our shopping. We tried the Honda CB500F and it was a lot less power and 60lbs heavier! FZ-07 was more in her needs for a soft suspension comfortable ride, very quiet exhaust, liquid cooling, electronics, low vibration and even rubber in the handle bar mounts, 75hp 50+ torque power enough to keep up if I pass an 18 wheeler and more, importantly easier to handle and sit on for long term rides. This bike is relaxed on a highway, revs 5k at 68mph, smaller engines tend to work hard and buzz more. The only cons I found; no braided brake lines for that firmer instant feel, no abs, no built-in anti-theft, lots of rubber vibration mounts tend to harden over time, steel tube frames rust if scratched, no adjustable clutch lever, suspension not adjustable just spring but gives a lower seat height for her, dashboard is too low for me but perfect for her. I prefer triples for that smooth acceleration Ferrari like sound and linear predictable power curve. Others like FZ-07 twins for that sporty cruiser feel easy on gas, easy over bumps, easy going, relaxed ride with that relaxed "put put" sound when cruising, completely silent at a stop light, then a quiet yell in the 5k-9.5k power range to 125mph. She completely loves it and so we went with the Yamaha as we feel was the under $7k US dollar best bang for the buck and best fit for her. Taller people perhaps Suzuki is better?
Off topic, I personally really like the Triumph, best bike I've ever driven for me and would just get the plain Triumph Street Triple ABS under $10k US dollars as best bang for the buck in that category, tuned for 180lb rider, never touch suspension, everything is perfect as is and not need to upgrade for a very long time.

 

[Acenturian]

well since someone asked, I have a friend who has the Shiver and truly while both bikes are twins and around the same displacement, they are not in the same class. The shiver has better suspension, and the motor makes about 20 more horsepower. If I recall correctly its around 95hp compared to the Fz07 ..75. When I rode with the guy, me on my Fz6 they felt about the same speed (Shiver) and the FZ made about 98 hp stock and since I had a full system, airbox mod and a power commander, I was a little more over stock but both bikes felt about the same. I can definitly feel the difference in power from the last bike to the Fz07. BUT the Fz07 is much cheaper than the Shiver, the fueling on the 07 is much smoother where as the Shiver is...well not smooth. The suspension on the Shiver felt stiffer and better but again its more money. Both look sweet, the Shiver feels "bigger" all around compared to the Fz07.

 

[sven11]

Thanks appreciate it! Looking into alternatives because my 07 is a little too small


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[grant66]

Just come from a 2001 Sv to a new MT07.
MT is punchier, overtakes are less effort and the thrust out of corners is excellent. Less leg ache on the Mt.
Sv wins on seat comfort and being easier to change direction. Handling was better on the SV but that's cheating a bit as it had a zx6r rear shock and emulators/stiffer springs up front.
Peg scraping and wheelies are easier on the Mt.
Pillion preferred the SV, grab rails and more relaxed position.
Wind buffeting about the same on both as is tank range, mt better economy but smaller tank.

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[Eddieh93]

i have ridden both and i prefer the MT which i why i brought one.

I rode my friends so cant give a proper write up it was a 30 minute ride but like i said much prefer the MT-07 for looks and everything else.

Also I like Yamaha as a brand. So i may be a bit biased.