GAME CHANGING GIXERS
The Millennium Bug might not have come to anything, but Suzuki’s decision to start producing litre capacity Gixers around the same time certainlymade an impact. We take a look at themodels that paved the way for the latest GP-derived sensation…
WORDS: JON URRY IMAGES: SUZUKI
2001/02
GSX-R1000 K1/2
Where the likes of Honda with the FireBlade and Yamaha with the YZF-R1 broke new ground technologically speaking, the original Suzuki GSX-R1000 was more a case of Suzuki injecting a whole dose of steroids into (then) current tech. But it was a ploy that worked. Boasting 161bhp from its inline four engine, the GSX-R entered the market as the most powerful litre bike by a clear 10bhp and then backed this up with a dry weight of just 170kg. It was brash, wild, and a total hooligan from the very outset and that was exactly what performance-hungry sportsbike buyers wanted.