Well it is, isn’t it? Take an established GSX-R based platform and dress it in touring clothing and what you get is one of the best motorcycles to emerge from the Suzuki stable in years. Quite simply it’s terrific but when you peel back the posh clothing you’ll discover there’s so much more to the new GT sports-tourer.
Firstly, let’s get into the 999c, in-line, four-cylinder, DOHC engine. Personally I’m a bit fed up with people saying it’s ‘just’ an old K6 motor, which it isn’t. With many, no lots, of internal parts that do not come from the K6 engine, the only thing in common is possibly the shape of the crankcases. It’s a bit like saying an i-Phone 6 is the same as an i-Phone 14 – looks the same but the internals are vastly different, see where I’m coming from? Anyway, what you do get is 152hp (or around 136hp at the wheel) and 106Nm. More than enough to propel the GT well north of 240km/h, enforcing the ‘sporty’ side and then some. In fact its only two Japanese competitors are the Kawasaki’s z1000SX (12hp less and 10kg heavier) and Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT, which makes around 108hp at the rear wheel, and it’s more expensive as well.
Suzuki has riddled their GT with modern day attributes to keep the ‘modern day’ rider happy and content. Ride-by-wire opens the door for traction control (five options), cruise control, three power modes and the bi-directional quickshifter, to name a few. These functions are named STCS, SDMS and SIRS (traction control, drive modes and intelligent ride system if you’re confused), all of which can be seen and adjusted on the best instrument display Suzuki have made to date. Quite possibly one of the major talking points of the GT is the new 6.5-inch TFT display, which relays over 21 pieces of information including the new (which you have to download) mySpin app. This allows for full connectivity with your phone and then you can load and use GPs products etc. directly onto the new screen – very cool addition I’d say!
Another conversation piece is the aggressive styling, which certainly attracts attention in a good way. From the mean looking LED headlights to the new rear end it is a good-looking motorcycle on all counts. The chassis isn’t really the same as their naked S and Katana models though, because the GT has a different sub-frame to carry panniers and passengers and a longer swing-arm for more stability I’d imagine. The suspension is by KYB and set softer than the two models mentioned before, which I preferred as those two were set a bit on the hard side for my liking. Either way it has top quality components in the ‘springy’ department. And to bring it all to a halt you’ll find the usual Brembo mono-bloc radial caliper set-up chewing on 310mm discs, with ABS of course.
So Suzuki has certainly got the styling spot on and you’ll notice the blue option has the touring pack installed, which includes the colour-matched panniers, taller screen, heated grips and a handy tank pack carry case. This will cost an extra 30k+/- over the base price of R249,900, making the GT more affordable than many adventure bikes, where the large ones go for well over the 300k mark without any accessories.
Now here’s the problem with modern sports-tourers, as many riders will go for thinly disguised adventure bikes with smaller wheels instead. I think they’re missing the point, as the sporty side of the GT is far more exciting than some oversized adventure bike, but that’s a topic for debate at a later date.
Anyway, to ride the GT is an absolute pleasure. It’s effortlessly quick when you wind back the throttle with a noticeable top-end rush as the throttle bodies clear their lungs. You can turn off all the electronics and pull high-speed wheelies if you desire, but the kind of rider that’ll buy the GT probably won’t have any interest in those types of antics. If you decide to cruise along at legal speeds though you’ll be rewarded with one of the smoothest engines in the business. Perfect fueling throughout the rev range is another attribute and the quickshifter is typical Suzuki and one of the best found on any motorcycle I’ve ridden, to the point of it having a sort of ‘automatic’ feel when you get the change just right. And when you unleash 136hp to the rear wheel the new stubby silencer emits a pure GSX-R howl, and I wouldn’t change it for a noisy option, which can become irritating on a long excursion, right?
To complement the engine, Suzuki has the chassis well and truly sorted, stable at high speeds and equally so through the bends, where you can generate some serious lean angles if you fancy getting your knee down. Every brisk ride gave me a smile as big a Cheshire cat that found a stash of weed, and then consumed it. It’s comfortable, practical and, most importantly, very easy to ride and live with on a daily basis. Whether it be touring, shopping, commuting or riding like a hooligan, it’s a hard act to accomplish on a 150hp ‘touring’ motorbike.
I did mention getting your knee down and the GT is a rather special sports-tourer that’ll revel in a bit of track action if you desire, it is a GSX after all. Even if you don’t want the touring pack I would highly recommend the taller screen though, it works as it’s not intrusive to the rider’s field of vision and makes high speed touring, or racing, well…better.
As you can see I enjoyed my time with Suzuki’s new GSX-S1000GT and quite simply it’s one hell of a sports-tourer for the money. I’ll guarantee you won’t be disappointed with this executive racer if you choose to own one, I most certainly wasn’t.
Go to www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za <http://www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za> for more technical information and to see if your local dealer can oblige you with a test ride.
Images: Chris Kuun.
