Suzuki SV650 discontinued in Europe, still available in U.S. market

Sep 03, 2025

The SV650’s 26-year run has finally come to an end. Well, it has in Europe, anyway.

Late last week, news broke that the trusty SV wouldn’t return for the 2026 model year. That’s due to the model no longer meeting E.U. emissions standards.

Enacted on January 1, 2024, Euro 5+ regulations strengthened OBD II protocols, mandated catalyst monitoring, and intensified durability testing. Retrofitting the SV650 to comply with those guidelines wasn’t worth Suzuki’s efforts, it seems.

A split-screen image of the 1999 model year and 2026 model year Suzuki SV650. — Debuting in 1999, the SV650 has become a stalwart in Suzuki’s range. The V-twin-bound naked bike went on a side quest as the SVF Gladius from 2009 to 2016, but it returned as the SV650 in 2017. The model has remained largely unchanged ever since. Suzuki photo.

During the Euro 5+ rollout, a one-year derogation phase allowed the brand to continue selling SVs on the continent, but that period ended in 2025. As a result, European customers won’t be able to buy a new SV650 once the remaining stock vanishes from dealership floors. That doesn’t spell the end of the model, though.

An SV650 rider zooms over a bridge in an urban area. — The U.S. market has become an island of misfit motorcycles in recent years. In other words, the choice destination for OEMs offloading their outdated models. We can now add the SV650 to that growing list. Suzuki photo.

Give us your tired…

We’ve seen this movie before. European emissions render a motorcycle obsolete. Yet, the model remains available in the U.S. market. Yamaha, Honda, and home team Harley-Davidson have all taken this route, but Suzuki has made a habit of it.

In 2009, Euro 4 regulations forced the Hamamatsu marque to discontinue its DR-Z400S/SM, GSX-R600, and GSX-R750. Thirteen years later, the GSX-R1000 became a casualty of Euro 5 standards introduced in 2022. All four models remained in Suzuki’s U.S. lineup. The SV follows in those footsteps.

The 2026 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and DR-Z4S staged wheel-to-wheel against a white background. — Only after long-awaited updates did the GSX-R1000 and DR-Z series return to Europe. Suzuki photos.

Despite singing its swan song in Europe, the 2026 SV650 is already available on Suzuki’s U.S. website. What’s more, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hasn’t proposed any plans to tighten motorcycle emissions in the coming years. In April 2024, the agency adopted new regulations starting with 2027 model year vehicles, but those constraints only apply to light-duty and medium-duty four-wheelers, not motorcycles. In effect, Suzuki can indefinitely offer the SV650 in the United States. It might not be alone, either.

A V-Strom 650 rider leans around a corner on a mountain road. — The V-Strom 650 arrived on the ADV scene in 2004. The model entered its third generation in 2017. As of September 2025, Suzuki offers the middleweight adventurer in three trims (base, XT, and XT Adventure). Suzuki photo.

The V-Strom 650’s fate in the United States is still unknown. While the middleweight ADV exited the European market alongside its naked bike relative, Suzuki still hasn’t announced whether the model will return stateside in 2026. On the other hand, a Suzuki representative reassured me that the brand plans to announce the V-Strom lineup later this month. If the 650 variant is included, it will join the SV650 as Suzuki’s V-Twin holdovers.

That’s because the GSX-8S and V-Strom 800DE are the apparent heirs to the aging 650s. Although the SV and V-Strom have grown long in the tooth, some riders still prefer the proven track record and the charm of Suzuki’s 645 cc V-twin. That’s all to say, if you’ve ever wanted an SV650 or a V-Strom 650, now might be the time to grab one. U.S. consumers can still buy them, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be around forever.