Considering Suzuki are a company that have a reputation for brashness, not to mention a real flair for naked bikes that sell, it seemed remarkable that as the world turned super naked crazy, they were the only manufacturer missing out. Surely they could take their aging, but packed full of grunt, GSX-R1000, rip off its fairing, fit a set of flat bars and hey presto, create a proper full-on super naked? Well, in late 2015 it looked like they had finally done just that as the GSX-S1000 was launched. Or had they…
A deeper delve into the GSX’s spec sheet revealed that it was indeed powered by a GSX-R1000 engine – but not the latest version, one that was based on the K5 lump. Hang on a second, wasn’t that a motor that was released over a decade ago? Why not use the K9 motor? Or better still, the L2? The signs were there that Suzuki had once again pulled their punches and when the GSX-S1000 arrived, things didn’t get any better.
Visually, the GSX-S1000 was far too safe to be appealing. Naked bikes don’t have much in the way of a fairing to make them look cool, but the GSX-S lacked any form of characters, such as funky lights or even a few sharp styling lines here and there. It was, well, a bit bland. And sadly this feeling didn’t dissipate once on the go.
Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Fast Bikes.
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Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Fast Bikes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Steve Parrish
It's been a busy old month but so good being back in the thick of it. Despite the great British weather, it finally feels like summer is here, and I've been all over the place with some really great events since we spoke last month.
Christian Iddon
It's a long time since I had that feeling... 1057 days, to be precise, and if you were to ask if 'that day' was the day it would happen again, then I would have bet all my worldly belongings against it.
BOTH A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASE
There’s a time and place to lawyer up to the hills, and this is one them...
LONGTERMER KAWASAKI ZX-6R
Last month, I was gearing up to consign my ZX-6R to the back of my garage while I disappeared for the best part of three weeks to work at the TT with Batham's Racing.
YAMAHA WABASH RT
When you live a life of wheelies, burnouts and fast laps on race tracks, it's hard to spot a midlife crisis... but six months on in the saddle of Yamaha's Wabash e-bike, I daresay that's exactly where I'm at. I'll be honest, cycling isn't for everyone, and quite frankly, Lycra is even more polarising, but for me, life on two wheels, be it powered or pedalled, has formed my staple diet for as long as I can remember.
24 HOURS FLAT-OUT!
Ever fancied a crack at 24-hour endurance racing? You might think again after reading this...
PROJECT 37 A TEST OF TIME
Having got his head around the standard bike at Cadwell, Timmy heads to Powerslide Motorcycles with a wish list of improvements for the Suzuki GSX-8R...
'WHY WE GO RACING...5
Ever wondered why big brands spend big money and put in huge amounts of effort to go racing? Well, we did too, so we didn’t hesitate to ask the man who makes that call for Honda Racing UK...
9 BIKES WE WISH WERE STILL HERE...
No one’s worked out how to bring things back from the dead, but if we had our way, these are the bikes we’d oe see makingareturn.
SENSATIONAL SUZUKI LIVE
Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live’s formula proved a winner for the thousands there.
