BACK in the GAME

Suzuki’s built a real contender; a bike that’s got more than enough fight in it to cause a few black eyes among the litre sector’s elite. And for a tasty price too.

SUZUKI GSX-R1000R

Fourth gear, 130mph, and the Gixer still wants to save on front tyre wear.

WORDS: DANGEROUS BRUCE IMAGES: SUZUKI

There was never any question as to whether the new GSX-R was going to be special, it was more a question of just how special it would be. To be fair, it needed to be pretty exceptional to bridge the cataclysmic divide which had seen the one time king of sportsbikes slip lethargically into the shadows of too many pesky litre bike newcomers. Outdated, out-gunned and appearing about as technologically advanced as a typewriter, time had not been kind to Suzuki’s flagship. If ever a revolution was needed, now was the time.

That’s a call to arms that’s been answered with the delivery of the all-new GSX-R1000 and higher spec R-version. In a bid to wipe the floor with the opposition, Suzuki brought out the big guns with the development of its new Gixers, utilising the latest design software, production techniques and the company’s smartest brains in a no holds barred approach. Handed a blank piece of paper and told to build a bike that bettered all of the opposition, without excuses, was none other than project leader Shinichi Sahara; the man largely responsible for Suzuki’s audaciously impressive MotoGP comeback.

Having flown all the way over to Oz, we finally got chance to swing a leg over this man’s creation. Or rather the higher spec GSX-R1000R version. The standard bike wasn’t coming out to play, but considering how similarly packaged the two models are, sharing the same engine, frame, three power modes, 10-stage traction control system and all controlling six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), it was reasonable to think we’d get a good flavour for what the £3k cheaper option had to offer. But what exactly do you get for that whack of extra dosh on the ‘R’? A fair amount, as was explained during the model’s presentation, including some fancy Showa Balance Free Suspension at both ends, a shifter and blipper system, cornering ABS and a traffic-light domineering launch control package. There are worse ways to blow your wedge…

I’ve heard a few people have a pop at the bike’s new image, with the key hang-up being it’s, ahem, sizeable exhaust. But this bike’s a different beast to the preceding model I clocked 5,000 miles on last season. It’s a lot narrower for a start, being some 13mm slimmer on the nose cowl and a whole 50mm sleeker at the waist. You’ve got the bike’s slimmed-down motor to thank for that, as well as the 10% lighter pressed aluminium frame. When I first saw the model unveiled at the EICMA show, the frame blew me away with how small it was, but seeing it again in pitlane at Phillip Island got me appreciating just how in keeping it was with the sharper, more condensed outline of the Suzuki.