Suzuki Sport Motorcycles

Hooligan with maturity: The thinking man’s sportbike

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Photos by: Suzuki

Would I glance at this bike every single time I walk through my garage and smile?

For me, very few naked bikes pass this test but plenty of sportbikes do. I like fairings. However, I’ve busted my back twice. I’m 40. I think it’s time for a nakedbike – without losing the fun of a sportbike.

Somehow the curves of the GSX-S tank and the radiator shrouds, from a certain front three-quarter angle, remind me of my old GSX-Rs and Hayabusas. I was thinking about the bike after I saw it and then later sat on it, and I could not help but think about it a lot more. I’m almost the perfect target market for Suzuki, according to their press kit – 40-years-old, sportbike rider, experienced, don’t like gimmicks or too many gizmos to play with, seek quality and style in a motorcycle and appreciate easy to ride, great handling and smooth power delivery these days on the street instead of outright performance.

This is a big year for Suzuki – the 30th Anniversary of the GSX-R750, the 10th Anniversary of the GSX-R1000 K5 (that powers the GSX-S) and the 35th Anniversary of the GSX range. I had a K5 GSX-R1000, and now 10 years later, I’m able to buy a bike with a chassis that suits my old bones but still has that K5 engine I loved.

While the GS750 was Suzuki’s first four-stroke inline-Four, it was the GSX range that kicked off Suzuki’s 16-valve lineage. The original concept of the GSX series from the 750E to the 1100S Katana was high performance yet with a broad powerband, nimble handling and great durability. Suzuki has continued this tradition with the new GSX-S1000. The GSX family starts with the new GSXRR MotoGP bike (Prototype), then the GSX-R comes next (Racing) followed by the GSX-S (Street Sport) and GSX-F (Sport Standard).

The GSX-S concept combines the spirit of the GSX-R with street sensibilities, which I recently put to the test. After spending a full day testing the GSX-S in the Spanish sunshine, I’m convinced Suzuki has pretty much nailed that brief.