Fresh from the track, breathing heavily and sweating like a drug mule in Heathrow airport, I couldn't help but question my fitness and whether or not that chocolate eclair for breakfast was the smartest choice. Maybe not, but I'm not the only one to make debatable choices, with perhaps a bigger mistake being Suzuki's decision to let go of its flagship GSX-R1000 at the end of 2022. For me, it only seems like yesterday I was spinning laps on this game changer around Philip Island during its launch in 2017, lauding it for its GP-derived engineering, torquey motor and impressively agile chassis.
As a road bike, it was pretty damn good, and on track it would go on to win domestic championships the world over, plus a Senior TT in its maiden year in the hands of Michael Dunlop, who lapped the Island with a 133mph average. It was never the fastest, nor the smartest, but it was perhaps the best overall package on the scene until the last few years, when the likes of BMW's S1000RR, Ducati's Panigale V4 and Honda's CBR1000RR upped their games and rendered it obsolete, with a nigh on 30bhp deficit compared to its rivals.
Suzuki had two choices: go all-out to find more power, less weight and a dash that didn't look like a throwback from Knight Rider or accept its fate and bow out with dignity. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it chose the latter. But the story hasn't stopped there, because for all those people hung up on big horsepower figures and shiny trick bits, there are also an abundance of racers and teams that have continued to see the depth and versatility of this discontinued protagonist.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2024 من Fast Bikes UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2024 من Fast Bikes UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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.
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. As motorcycling events go, Suzuki Live's 2024 effort is surely set to take some topping. Held over two days at the iconic Cadwell Park circuit, the event played host to a list of two-wheeled legends and a mixed bag of iconic Suzuki machinery spanning five decades.
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.