Featured In the April 2020 issue of Roadracing World:
It started as a casual, ‘let’s build a fun track day or club racebike’ thing when the latest-generation Suzuki SV650 came out in 2017. The first pass involved flatter handlebars, modifying the forks and shock, installing number plates, Venhill braided stainless-steel brake lines, an M4 exhaust system, and a WERA-required belly pan to catch any leaking fluids. It was a friendly and easy bike to ride. Step two was fitting a used GSX-R1000 front end (forks/triple clamps/brakes/clip-on handlebars), along with K-Tech fork cartridges and a K-Tech shock, and a different version of a belly pan.
But something was seriously missing in the set-up; the bike didn’t want to turn, the belly pan was dragging in fast corners, and it was a lot less fun to ride …
—Suzuki SV650 Project: Part One, by John Ulrich
When 2018 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion Alex Dumas was bumped out of the class for finishing too well over three seasons and needed a new ride, Team Hammer wanted to sign him to race in Supersport. But pre-season testing didn’t go well and the team decided to put him on a Suzuki SV650 in the Twins Cup instead. It was a long road, but what started as a lightly modified track bike turned into a serious R&D program that saw the bike get faster at every round and it ended up with another National Championship for Dumas and the team. Step-by-step, the SV was developed into a powerful, reliable race winner, Dumas kept getting better at riding it, and the combination charged from behind to win. The start of the journey is in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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