At the end of 1979 Suzuki shocked the world more than a naked picture of Rachel Welsh covered in a shiny lubricant would’ve done. If you’ve no idea who that is Google it/her and see why so many men, or maybe women too, enjoyed her explicit curves? Anyway, childish perversion aside, we’re talking about motorbikes, right?
The bike I’m trying to talk about was the first Suzuki GSX1100. Suzuki arrogantly dumped this huge motor into the market and nothing else came close. Honda’s 900F was gobbled up and so was its wide sister, the CBX1000. The GSX displaced 1075cc, had a 16-valve cylinder head and produced a claimed 100hp. This gargantuan lump forced the square headlight 243kg beast to a genuine 225km/h and this one we have here still achieves that top speed today – I know I’ve GPSed it.
The engine on this pristine 1979 model has never been taken apart in 35-years of abuse; try saying that for a modern ‘revvy’ thing! Its secret for longevity is a massive roller bearing crank (instead of today’s thin shell bearing stuff) and it soon became the choice of just about every drag racer in the world. Dudes would get, and still do, well over 500hp from this engine with a turbo and nitrous, so stuff that up your fancy new supercharger Mr. Kawasaki H2R!
So the engine was, and still is, a peach but 35 years on and things are not so romantic on this 1979 GSX1100. The brakes, which certainly work as well as they did in 1979, are about as much use as a sauna with no roof and make you sweat as much with one that has a roof when trying to stop from high speeds. And even though the GSX1100 had an industry first box-section aluminium swing-arm, multi- adjustable forks and twin rear shocks with damping bits, the handling today is, er, an experience to behold, shall I say. In a straight line it weaves like a baby python that’s just eaten and dissolved a large bottle of Klipdrift, shame. I never noticed that when I owned one in 1980 but then again I hadn’t discovered the hallucinogenic “delights” of Klipdrift either.
But we’re now in 2015 and Suzuki has not really had a naked bike that stole my heart as much as the good ol’ GSX1100 for a long time. Sure, their Bandit attracted more hooligans than a free England football match with a free beer tent but it never really lifted my shorts, or pulled them down, as much as this big red one. Until today…
Oh yes! Suzuki has stopped tossin’ around with updated V-Stroms and other bland stuff that are about as exciting as watching your mother trim her favourite bush, rose bush that is, and thrown a brand new GSX-S1000A into the market. And once again I’m totally in love with their GSX badge – hurrah!
Suzuki could have made this bike anytime over the past ten years really because the motor is straight out of the frame spars of a GSX-R1000 K5, still one of the best engines they’ve ever made. The K5 has a long-stoke motor, unlike their present version, which is ideal for a naked bike because it makes healthy torque low down in the rev range. And I doubt you’ll ever break it. I lobbed it onto the dyno and came away with a very pleasing 140hp at the wheel, which’ll eat the Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000 and Yamaha’s MT-09 in a Japanese performance fight – just like the old days, right?
The frame and components are like comparing Sputnik to the Space Shuttle compared to the old GSX, thankfully. The new GSX-S has a massive spar frame and equally proportioned swing-arm, which is not from a K5 but the exact same one found on their 2015 GSX-R1000, nice one. And bolted to each end is a suspension package that’s as impressive as the rest of the bike and I never had any inclination to have a fiddle with it.
Suzuki has not littered their new naked flagship with too many, and in most cases unnecessary, electronics. All you get is three levels of traction control that stays off when switched off (why do other bikes not do that for fooks sake?), and ABS for the brakes, which are highly impressive and highly powerful Brembo units.
To ride the GSX-S1000 is an absolute pleasure and that’s putting it mildly. The riding position is perfect with the wide Renthal ‘bars leaning you provocatively into a naughty but nice “look at me” stance. It turns quickly in any situation seeing as it has a long wheelbase and I thought that would affect the wheelie aspect, WRONG! This thing is wheelie monster! Clutch it up in first, then into second, and you’ll be pointing towards Venus for as long as you desire. In fact it’s so addictive and fun that other parts of me pointed towards Venus as well, if you know what I mean. The exhaust develops a gorgeous howl from its stubby silencer and the top end rush over 7,000rpm will make you grip the 17-litre tank like one of those silly bulls rides in a pub garden.
If you want a complete and close to perfect package naked bike with big balls the new Suzuki GSX-S1000 is one hard act to beat, especially at its R141,000 price tag. May sound a bit high for a “mere” naked bike but the high is in the ride, go for a test ride and come away not impressed, I doubt it?
So Suzuki, thanks for giving me back a GSX to be proud of and I do not want to take this one back to Suzuki SA HQ, which says it all really. The only problem now is who can I compare an oiled up lady/woman/girl to the 2015 GSX-S1000 in today’s world – I’ll leave that closed door perversion to you, have fun folks!
For more info logon to: http://suzukimotorcycle.co.za/
