Quick ride: Suzuki GSX-S1000F
The most fun sportbike in recent memory is not a sportbike
We’ve reached peak sportsbike. This is the only logical conclusion after riding the motorcycle you see here: the Suzuki GSX-S1000F ABS. The name is a mouthful; I had to google it just to get it right. It’s as if Suzuki tried to inject as much provenance and brand halo effect in the name, and you can’t really blame them. The tagline they use for the S1000F is “beyond the sportbike”. You see, this is a bike like no other currently in the market. Or for that matter, in the country; this is the only example on the road in India, and we are priviledged to ride it.
Back to the convoluted name. ‘GSX’ should be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in sports motorycles. The GSX-R1000 has been a giant in the litre-class motorcycle wars, often trading places with the other Japanese manufacturers for top honours. Unfortunately, they’ve been left behind in the race more recently. Their last memorable update of the GSX-R1000 was the K5 back in 2005, which deeply impressed the motorcycle press. The GSX-S1000F shares many components with the GSX-R line, suitably updated for its time and intent. This bike is pitched as a “sports roadster”, indicating on-road use rather than as a track tool.
Let’s be perfectly honest: the compromises you make in a pure sportbike are simply not worth the trouble unless your body can keep up with your ego, or riding is your day job. Your wrists, lower back, neck and ankles will take an awful beating if you’re in a race crouch in traffic. It won’t even take long; a half-hour commute is enough for you to want to park your intercontinental ballistic road missile until early Sunday morning. Very early. The GSX-S1000F is not like those bikes. This is instantly and surprisingly evident the moment you swing a leg over the seat. Ergonomics are comfortable, with your knees relaxed, your back canted slightly forward and your weight off your wrists. Unlike a traditional sportbike, this one uses a Renthal Fatbar on risers instead of the traditional clip-on items. The result is a flickable, light steering feel that is balanced and neutral.
The riding position makes the weight of the bike all but disappear. Climbing off the 180-odd kilo Ducati Hypermotard onto the S1000F, I was struck at how natural and easy-going the bike felt. The 214kg curb weight is carried with great confidence and it’s an easy bike to walk through tight parking areas. The ease continues as you slot it into gear and pull away. The clutch pull is a bit harder than I expected, but action at the gear lever is buttery-smooth and very light. Power delivery is predictable and smooth, almost docile up until 5000rpm, when you realise you’re already doing illegal speeds without trying. There is some snatch just off idle, however. This is a deceptively fast motorcycle, so be warned. Suspension is also well-sorted: stiff, sporty but still comfy. The 43mm KYB forks are fully-adjustable, which is commendable for a bike in this segment. Whatever jerks you may feel from sharp bumps are ironed out by the surprisingly plush seat, despite being a typical sportbike pad. Perhaps the only bugbear I noticed on our short ride was brake feel, which seems to lack initial bite. Suzuki claim the calipers are the same Brembo monobloc units used on the current GSX-R1000, so you can’t fault their creed. There’s also no slipper clutch, and the bike uses shorter gearing than the GSX-R, so remember to blip on downshifts!
Of all the criticism of the GSX-S1000F you’re likely to come across on the Internet, a common thread will be the way it looks. Its naked stablemate, the GSX-S1000 is a short bike with big plastic shrouds, as is the fashion. It’s a well-used and accepted design. This faired version adds full wind protection and a tall, narrow windscreen. The flat-bottomed twin headlamps and the angles make for a polarising front fascia. Look at it side-on, however, and it’s much more agreeable. The hawkish nose and generally sharp aesthetic recalls a predatory bird; to my eyes, more than the Suzuki Hayabusa. This is where it’s more evident just how far beyond the sportbike Suzuki went. The frame is all-new and lighter than the current full-bore GSX-R. The swingarm is shared, as are the front brakes. In the rider’s seat, the all-digital console is crisp and legible, and quite easy to glance at on the move.
The icing on the cake for this already gushing review is the electronics package. ABS is present and Suzuki has provided three-stage traction control which can also be turned off. This is very useful for a bike of this capability, which, despite being a step below a full-blown sportbike, still outputs 145hp and 106Nm of torque, thanks to the retuned long(ish) stroke K5 motor. There are more powerful nakeds that compete with this almost-gixxer, but few can approach the refinement and practicality. If you’re still on the fence, know that this motorcycle has one of the sweetest stock exhaust notes we’ve ever heard. And you can have all this at Rs 12.7 lac ex-showroom, Pune. So what you have is a “sport roadster” that can keep up with the best sportbikes on your Sunday breakfast rides, and get you to the table without needing physiotherapy later in the day. We must have reached peak sportbike when the most useful, fun sportbike isn’t a sportbike at all.
(Thank you Dr Debanshu Bhaduri for your bike and two days of anxiety)
Originally published at thrillofdriving.com on December 14, 2015.
