3. Suzuki SV650 Frankenbike

The SV650 was designed to be a budget sport bike and became one of Suzuki’s most popular models. Beginner riders loved the SV650 for it’s smooth power and ease of operation. Experts found it to be a capable tool for backroads and track days. At the heart of this bike is a 650cc V-Twin that produces a reliable 72 hp. The SV650 packs enough power to propel it to an 11 second quarter mile and a top speed of 129 mph. There is no doubt that the SV is a versatile bike, but it was never designed for off-road travel.

Some SV owners have felt their bikes would make excellent Adventure Bikes with a few modifications and part swaps. An impressive example of one of these custom SV650 Adventure Bikes was built by Russell Smith of Kansas. His SV650 started out as a salvage yard bike before Russ applied his creative genius to it. With donor parts from several different bike models, it’s surprising it turned out to be such an attractive looking motorcycle. Russ performed many of his own fabrications to the bike for the foot controls, under seat tank and carbon fiber bodywork.

The SV650 donor parts list includes DRZ400S forks, GSXR1000 triple clamps, GSXR rear shock, KTM Supermoto front fender and CRF450 footpegs. (photo courtesy Photobucket/RussS_)

Russ fabricated his own under seat fuel tank that holds 6.9 gallons and weighs just 7 lbs. A big improvement over the original 14 lb. 4.5 gallon tank. The custom carbon fiber dual headlight cowl design was inspired by the Buel Ulysses. (photo courtesy Photobucket/RussS_)

You can get more details about this ongoing bike build on the ADVRider Forum.