Restrictive practice
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure|May 2022
Suzuki's new 950 version of the GSX comes in restricted and full-fat versions, so does it give you the option of two bikes for the price of one?
Dave Manning
Restrictive practice

Suzuki GSX-S950

Suzuki’s new bike on the block initially seems to be something of an enigma. It’s radically styled, along the lines of a cut-down streetfighter that is all about attitude and performance, and yet it’s also sold as a 47bhp bike suitable for an A2 licence…

And yes, it was the A2-compliant version that I jumped aboard after returning my long-term Hayabusa to Suzuki. A reduction of something in the region of 130bhp! The initial feel is that the bars are really high, with a riding position akin to a large trail bike, albeit without the skyscraping seat height, and you really sit ‘in’ the bike, tucked behind that seemingly large petrol tank. In short, it immediately feels like rather a nice place to be.

On pressing the start button, a pleasing rasp emits from the stubby exhaust pipe, and this is emphasised with the growl from the airbox, exaggerated by the fact that the airbox sits under the fuel tank cover, and only just under your chin really. Although that rorty note isn’t accompanied by the kind of performance that it suggests, but then when you’re on an A2 licence compliant machine, you’ll know that, what with it being restricted to 47bhp.

Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURESe alt
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin

Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
BMW R 12 nineT
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

BMW R 12 nineT

Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX

After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Portuguese Perambulations
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Portuguese Perambulations

Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Highway to Heaven
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Highway to Heaven

Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
Battlaxes at the ready!
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Battlaxes at the ready!

We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
Ducati Riding Experience
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Ducati Riding Experience

When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
Four pot flyer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Four pot flyer

Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Eastern adventurer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Eastern adventurer

With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry

time-read
10 mins  |
October 2024
First Time Lucky?
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

First Time Lucky?

It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024