| Dom I reckon the bike will be more than competitive. As a basic starting point it's light years ahead of an SV in terms of brakes, wheels, swinging arm, yokes and suspension. Add to that 20% more torque, a 12-15bhp advantage at 7000rpm and about the same weight....you have a good package.
The only possible fly in the ointment is a lack of revs. The limiter is pretty brutal at 9000rpm. The SV650 runs out of steam at 9000 but, has the ability to overrev to about 10,500 which, can come in handy. With the 800 I think it's gonna be a case of using the mid-range grunt to fire it out of corners quicker - the wider rubber on wider rims should help here.
As ever it will be a case of whether or not I am up to the job of riding it well. | 
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