Words: Bill Hunter.
Imagine taking one of the best superbikes of all time, then add high levels of comfort for touring abilities and replace the manually adjustable suspension with state-of-the-art electronic components – wouldn’t that be fantastic? Well Suzuki has done just that with its new GSX-S1000GX which, is a bit of a mouthful, and I wouldn’t recommend saying that quickly, with a mouthful of spaghetti bolognaise whilst wearing a white shirt!
Oh yes, Suzuki has certainly delivered something electrifying with its new Sports Crossover, with the firm's most sophisticated electronics package to-date. Now that alone should make you sprint to the dealers and demand to own one, but wait, let’s delve into the new GX before you commit.
Firstly, let’s get the elephant in the substation out of the way, in the form of the K5 derived engine. Yes, it has comparable crankcases, but the internals have very little in common with the one used in the K5 GSX-R. Suzuki has installed countless new internal components in a quest to offer better performance benefiting its touring attributes. Don’t get me wrong, this 999cc, DOHC, and one of the best, in-line, four-cylinder, one-litre engines of all time, still punches out a hefty 152hp@11,000rpm and 106Nm@9,250rpm. More than enough to give you ‘dry teeth’ if you ride it as hard as a GSX-R.
Ok, so the engine is a peach on all counts, but let’s dive into (pardon the pun), the SAES (Suzuki Advanced Electronic Suspension). It’s the first time Suzuki, in conjunction with Showa, has gone up this path, which works on both the front and rear springy parts. Basically you never have to grab a spanner or screwdriver again to set your required suspension choices, tremendous! The new system uses solenoid valves to do the work for you and monitors the internal parts at an alarming rate of 1,000 times per second. This myriad of damping choices is set by only using the left side switchgear, so the only thing that might get a bit tired is your left thumb.
On the 6.5-inch TFT (with a white or black background light, and the usual phone connectivity), there’re two new separate windows relaying information to the rider. One shows the three damping mode choices, which are Hard, Medium or Soft. The other window shows the chosen pre-load settings on the rear shock. These are; rider, rider plus luggage, rider with pillion and again with luggage, to firm up the rear end to your liking, plus an auto function where the bike decides for you depending on how you’re riding. However, you can also enter deeper (no giggling), into the menu and alter the compression and rebound by a further +/- x 3 increments each way on the front, and +/- x 4 each way on the rear. With thousands of possible combinations the rider will certainly have no complaints choosing the right set-up.
It doesn’t end there though, far from it. This very clever system has SRAS (Suzuki Road Adaptive Control), SFRC (Suzuki Floating Ride Control), and SVDC (Suzuki Velocity Dependant Control). I believe they all sort of work together and detect uneven and bumpy road surfaces and instantly change the damping to smooth out the ride, including the throttle valves for a softer power delivery, utilising the new six-axis IMU and incoming information from the wheel sensors. There’s also SDDC (Suzuki Deceleration Damping Control) to prevent excessive front end dive while braking hard, a bit like the old anti-dive system and, wait for it, SSDC (Suzuki Slope Dependant Control), which stops the rear wheel lifting if you somehow happen to ride down the side of a mountain.
So that’s it then, with the ‘We certainly have the most Acronyms’ of the year award, er, no! SDMS (Suzuki Drive Mode Selector), Alfa version (excuse me!) offers three ride modes, which are Active, Basic and Comfort, or throttle response severity. Traction control is there but, unfortunately, I couldn’t find the acronym, with 7 options and off, but I did find SRTC (Suzuki Roll Torque Control). This is another intelligent addition that, as far as I understand, monitors and regulates power delivery and torque output (in conjunction with the traction control), when your knee is down, or close to the floor and driving hard out of the turn, to prevent high-sides, or similar, and keeping you from eating hospital food. Oh, hang on again, I forgot, there’s lean-angle sensitive ABS, Cruise Control that still works when changing gears, wheelie control and low-rpm assist, to prevent embarrassing stalling. And after all of that you’re probably thinking of the acronym, FFS! Either way there’s no denying the vast wealth of electronic gadgetry living inside the new GSX-S1000GX.
By now you’re possibly wondering WTFIILTR and I’ll let you work that out for yourself, but it is a WMC (Wonderful Motorcycle), OK, I’ll stop now. I had the pleasure of having it for a few weeks and it soon became apparent that the GX is a perfect all-round companion. Either for long-distance travels, going to the shops/bar, pulling a few massive wheelies, or even a vigorous track-day are all a within its limitless CV. In fact I was one of the first to ride it this year blasting up the track at the Simola Hill Climb in Knysna. On the way there, from the Hotel, I had the suspension damping set to medium then, once at the circuit, I fiddled with the damping to firm it up a little for the event, and never went near a toolbox, fantastic! It worked and I really enjoyed tearing up the iconic southern coast hill with ‘dry-teeth’. You can revisit the article, and the one mentioned below, in our 'Local Stuff' section…
A few months later I found myself in Hazyview for the ‘Suzuki Weekend Away’, finding clues and the like throughout the magnificent topography. This time I had the ‘missus’ with me, no problem, with a quick jab of the thumb the rear pre-load was increased to suit, not by too much though – she told me to say, he, he. At the end of my few weeks with the GX my chosen settings for everyday riding were Medium on the damping and I just left the rear pre-load on Auto, simply because I just enjoyed the way it adapted.
As for the all of the electronic acronym stuff, I never really felt them in action, but the ride was always impressive on all counts with zero complaints, which shows they all work as they should then, never intrusive but always there. The bi-directional quick-shifter, again, is as exemplary as ever from Suzuki. Even with a full tank of 19-litres and a wet weight of 232kg the GX is so easy to ride and throw around, probably due to the heritage of the GSX-R derived chassis. Oh, and the Brembo brakes (310mm discs), also from the R, did the job of retardation well enough.
The GX is a good-looking steed too. The new fairing with twin stacked LED headlights, flanked by sidelights, gives it a distinct appeal. The screen is effective for high-speed touring and has three settings, but you have to change it manually and remove the screen and move the inserts. I would have preferred some sort of simple lever-type operation regarding that, seeing as everything else is so easy to change. You might notice the green bike has the optional factory panniers, which is a good idea seeing as the GX comes with all the fittings already in place, and a handy rear rack, oh, and hand-guards. In fact everything you see, and read about, is how it comes with no irritating add-ons, like some manufacturers insist you have to buy (you know who you are!). As for colour choices there’s blue, black, and the green I’ve just mentioned. Visit the Suzuki SA site to view the options on offer.
So, it’s exciting, superbike fast, superbly suspended, supremely comfortable due to the new thicker seat (much better than the one on the GT), delivers smooth, relentless power, wheelies, gives you ‘dry-teeth’ when ridden hard, tech-laden to the max, and it’s as versatile as, err, a versatile thing. What more could you ask for from a motorcycle? Well the price I’d imagine; if I said you’d get all of this for under 300k, you might not believe me. You should though as the GSX-S1000GX is R299,900, with some deals I’ve recently seen for a little lower, if you shop around! I’d certainly recommend booking a test ride at your local Suzuki dealer to see if you might also be converted to the electric dream – and that reminds me of a song to finish off…
Click www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za to book a test ride.
Images: Sudoku and BB.
