RE: PH2 ridden: 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Thursday 26th April 2012
In a lot of ways, Suzuki choosing to launch the updated GSX-R1000 without any electronic trickery apart from a fuel mode selector was a smart one. With a price tag of £10,999 the GSX-R is cheaper than the rest of the 1,000cc gang by quite a few quid. But better than that it stays true to Suzuki's general ethos. Where Honda has the reputation for safety (it was the first to put ABS on a sports bike), Yamaha for clever engineering (it's the only manufacturer to have a 'different' in-line four) and Kawasaki for down right brutality (ever ridden a 2004 ZX-10R?), Suzuki's sports bikes have a certain 'feeling' that separates them from the competition. Electronics would certainly dilute this.
Looks much like the 600 and 750...A few months back and having ridden the 750 we predicted - hoped, maybe - that the GSX-R1000 would be the rider's bike of 2012. Having slung a leg over the new thousand at the Portimao circuit in Portugal, were we right?
No electronic aids but all the purer for itOn the track
Like the GSX-R750 PH2 rode a few months ago, the 2012 GSX-R1000 feels slightly more sprightly than the 2011 version when it comes to the motor, but it isn't as apparent as on the smaller capacity bike. Unlike a Fireblade the Suzuki has a nice raw edge about it, something that the super smooth Honda lacks. When you ride a 1000 there's nothing wrong with a bit of character and the odd vibration, which is why the GSX-R is so much more engaging. There is a bit of a powerband higher up the rev range but unlike the ZX-10R, which feels a bit gutless low down, the Suzuki pulls strongly in the small figures before going ballistic as the revs rise. But is it that different? Yes it feels more eager to rev, but it's not gigantically removed from the 2011 version, which in many ways is no bad thing - Honda hasn't really changed the 'blade's motor since 2008 and there wasn't much wrong with the 2011 GSX-R1000's engine. Or chassis for that matter.
Blingy gold Brembos unique to the 1000Suzuki has limited the changes to the 2012 bike's chassis to new tyres (Bridgestone S20) and updated brakes and suspension settings. Having ridden all of the 1000s on track while the Fireblade is probably the most reassuring due to its superbly balanced chassis, the light handling of the Suzuki is a real plus. There is something that clicks with the GSX-R1000 and you always feel really comfortable riding it fast on a circuit. And for 2012 it is even better thanks to the superb new Brembo brakes.
Others may be quicker but the GSX-R is more funWhere does it stand?
Without the electronic gizmos the GSX-R ultimately will not win the track group tests this year. It certainly isn't as fast as the stunning BMW S1000RR or as balanced as the Fireblade. However, it brings something new to the party - character. Clever electronics can get in the way of what riding a bike is all about - pure two-wheeled enjoyment. In reality all 1000s are way too fast for road riding, so you are splitting hairs when it comes to performance. What matters is how it feels and the emotions it stirs in you. And there's just something likeable about the GSX-R's rawness, more so than the ZX-10R and in some ways more than the Fireblade. A rider's bike? Reckon so.
PH2 ridden: 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000
New for 2012 but lacking all the electronic gizmos, how does the new GSX-R1000 stack up?
Looks much like the 600 and 750...
In the pit lane
It's either a positive or negative depending on your point of view, but the new GSX-R1000 looks, well it looks just like the GSX-R600 and GSX-R750. With a 750 and 600 in the same line-up you have to keep looking at the brake calipers to make sure you get on the right bike. A tip here, the 1000 is the only GSX-R to get lovely gold Brembos with red lettering - it is unlikely you will spot the discs are 0.5mm thinner than last year... Other than the calipers and a slight facelift, which includes dumping one exhaust can to save weight, the main changes are inside the GSX-R's motor. Something that isn't instantly apparent.
No electronic aids but all the purer for it
Like the GSX-R750 PH2 rode a few months ago, the 2012 GSX-R1000 feels slightly more sprightly than the 2011 version when it comes to the motor, but it isn't as apparent as on the smaller capacity bike. Unlike a Fireblade the Suzuki has a nice raw edge about it, something that the super smooth Honda lacks. When you ride a 1000 there's nothing wrong with a bit of character and the odd vibration, which is why the GSX-R is so much more engaging. There is a bit of a powerband higher up the rev range but unlike the ZX-10R, which feels a bit gutless low down, the Suzuki pulls strongly in the small figures before going ballistic as the revs rise. But is it that different? Yes it feels more eager to rev, but it's not gigantically removed from the 2011 version, which in many ways is no bad thing - Honda hasn't really changed the 'blade's motor since 2008 and there wasn't much wrong with the 2011 GSX-R1000's engine. Or chassis for that matter.
Blingy gold Brembos unique to the 1000
You can, of course, have too much of a good thing when it comes to brakes. The Brembos on the Ducati 1198 are simply too ferocious and make braking quite scary but on the GSX-R1000 Brembo has got it spot on. The new calipers are superb, hugely powerful yet delivering loads of feeling, although they highlighted a slightly soft front end. Braking hard into a hairpin the back end of the GSX-R slewed around quite a lot, probably due to the BPF forks being a touch too soft, or, ahem, the rider a touch too heavy...
Others may be quicker but the GSX-R is more fun
Without the electronic gizmos the GSX-R ultimately will not win the track group tests this year. It certainly isn't as fast as the stunning BMW S1000RR or as balanced as the Fireblade. However, it brings something new to the party - character. Clever electronics can get in the way of what riding a bike is all about - pure two-wheeled enjoyment. In reality all 1000s are way too fast for road riding, so you are splitting hairs when it comes to performance. What matters is how it feels and the emotions it stirs in you. And there's just something likeable about the GSX-R's rawness, more so than the ZX-10R and in some ways more than the Fireblade. A rider's bike? Reckon so.
SUZUKI GSX-R1000
Engine: 999cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, fuel injection
Power: 180hp @ 12,000rpm
Torque: 86 lb ft @ 10,000rpm
Top speed: 173mph
Weight: 203kg (dry)
MPG: 43 (est)
Price: £10,999
PH2 on track with the GSX-R1000
Discussion
The GSXR 1000 is a great bike. But it really is stuck in a timewarp, and it does not seem to have moved on since the K5/6: be it in looks or performance... nothing. 
The bike isn't out of date per se in terms of usable performance, but those buyers are what, 6-7 years older since 'it' came out in 2005?
What Suzuki need is a new corporate [design] face for their bikes. And then some. Just like Subaru Imprezas have not really improved over the same years, maybe Suzuki just don't know how to move their brand forward?
The bike isn't out of date per se in terms of usable performance, but those buyers are what, 6-7 years older since 'it' came out in 2005?
What Suzuki need is a new corporate [design] face for their bikes. And then some. Just like Subaru Imprezas have not really improved over the same years, maybe Suzuki just don't know how to move their brand forward?
I see no reason to want to change mine for a new one. Its slower, heavier, blander and is it really worth double what I'd sell the current one for?
Ive just had filter, pc3 and single ackro fitted and its like a new bike already. A used model with a few choice mods is the best direction to go in my mind.
Id rather have a zx10
Ive just had filter, pc3 and single ackro fitted and its like a new bike already. A used model with a few choice mods is the best direction to go in my mind.
Id rather have a zx10
Broccers said:
I see no reason to want to change mine for a new one. Its slower, heavier, blander and is it really worth double what I'd sell the current one for?
Ive just had filter, pc3 and single ackro fitted and its like a new bike already. A used model with a few choice mods is the best direction to go in my mind.
It's nearly as good as a K5/6 now then Ive just had filter, pc3 and single ackro fitted and its like a new bike already. A used model with a few choice mods is the best direction to go in my mind.
.Agree with the above, no reason to upgrade if you already have a recent gsxr be it 600/750/1000.
Surely its not that difficult or expensive to improve the looks of the bike and or drop the weight in a similar fashion to the lower cc bikes.
The only positive i can think of is that this years GSXR and last years will be readily available way under the list price new (even though it is significantly cheaper then its rivals already) usually with attractive finance packages.
Surely its not that difficult or expensive to improve the looks of the bike and or drop the weight in a similar fashion to the lower cc bikes.
The only positive i can think of is that this years GSXR and last years will be readily available way under the list price new (even though it is significantly cheaper then its rivals already) usually with attractive finance packages.
). Just the right balance of technical and general interest.
I don't come on here just to criticise the reviews, honest, but....
173mph? You sure? Never properly tested my stock K6 with a GPS etc, but had 180 on the clocks on the back straight of Snetterton with a good deal more to go on a day I felt really ill so was taking it pretty easy.
Sure, the clocks no doubt over-read, but would have thought it'd be capable of a good bit more than 173.
Oh and you know that it's actually a myth that crocodiles hide in the apexes of some of the corners there!
173mph? You sure? Never properly tested my stock K6 with a GPS etc, but had 180 on the clocks on the back straight of Snetterton with a good deal more to go on a day I felt really ill so was taking it pretty easy.
Sure, the clocks no doubt over-read, but would have thought it'd be capable of a good bit more than 173.
Oh and you know that it's actually a myth that crocodiles hide in the apexes of some of the corners there!
_g_ said:
I don't come on here just to criticise the reviews, honest, but....
173mph? You sure? Never properly tested my stock K6 with a GPS etc, but had 180 on the clocks on the back straight of Snetterton with a good deal more to go on a day I felt really ill so was taking it pretty easy.
Sure, the clocks no doubt over-read, but would have thought it'd be capable of a good bit more than 173.
Oh and you know that it's actually a myth that crocodiles hide in the apexes of some of the corners there!
MCN found the same thing when they tested it too, it was actually a fair bit slower in a straight line than the 2011 model. There was suspicion of a limiter being fitted.173mph? You sure? Never properly tested my stock K6 with a GPS etc, but had 180 on the clocks on the back straight of Snetterton with a good deal more to go on a day I felt really ill so was taking it pretty easy.
Sure, the clocks no doubt over-read, but would have thought it'd be capable of a good bit more than 173.
Oh and you know that it's actually a myth that crocodiles hide in the apexes of some of the corners there!
_g_ said:
Oh and you know that it's actually a myth that crocodiles hide in the apexes of some of the corners there!
Although Coypu in the Bombhole when it rains are quite common.I think the four Japanese manufacturers are stuck in a rut with regards their bike development at the moment. They seem very risk adverse and each one is only prepared to build an IL4 as that is what the other three are doing, almost like they are scared to be different.
Looking at the European manufactures sportsbikes are available in IL3, IL4, V4 and V-Twin formats.
It's almost a reversal of the 1970's when the Japanese were outdoing each other with innovations and the Europeans stuck with what they knew.
MattOz said:
I went from K5 to K7 and haven't regretted the change for a second. Both fantastic bikes. The new 2012 bike isn't worth the cost to change in my opinion. I'd rather stick the £4-5k into the current machine and just make it that much more special.
Id agree, Ive ridden for a fair bit or owned all the GSXR1000's and took the 2012 bike out a few weeks ago(when we had some sunshine, if you can remember that far back...), it does have more low down grunt than the previous model and I have no doubt it will easily pass the 173MPH stated in the article.Whilst it was a very enjoyable experience and the brakes are the best yet on any GSXR, its not an aspirational machine and offers no USP...The styling needs some revision and pronto, it looks too fussy and worse than all the previous models back to the K5, which is when it really was a fresh design, it has no "wow" factor about it at all.
If you want something without the fancy electronics and not in the 12-13K bracket, as a Suzuki fan it saddens me to say , id opt for a 2012 Blade.
Glad to see that it's got Brembo brakes fitted, I always thought that was the weak point of the 1000. I've had 5 Gixers 1000 over the years with the K5&K6 being the best by far, sounded amazing with a full yoshi system on too. K7 was so dissapointing I went back to a K5, it just felt dull in comparison.
7DWM said:
Glad to see that it's got Brembo brakes fitted, I always thought that was the weak point of the 1000. I've had 5 Gixers 1000 over the years with the K5&K6 being the best by far, sounded amazing with a full yoshi system on too. K7 was so dissapointing I went back to a K5, it just felt dull in comparison.
Brembos do make a huge difference. 
7DWM said:
Glad to see that it's got Brembo brakes fitted, I always thought that was the weak point of the 1000. I've had 5 Gixers 1000 over the years with the K5&K6 being the best by far, sounded amazing with a full yoshi system on too. K7 was so dissapointing I went back to a K5, it just felt dull in comparison.
I can understand that - with the factory exhausts and cat in place my bike didnt handle half as well as it does now. How many pennies are those brakes Matt?
Broccers said:
7DWM said:
Glad to see that it's got Brembo brakes fitted, I always thought that was the weak point of the 1000. I've had 5 Gixers 1000 over the years with the K5&K6 being the best by far, sounded amazing with a full yoshi system on too. K7 was so dissapointing I went back to a K5, it just felt dull in comparison.
I can understand that - with the factory exhausts and cat in place my bike didnt handle half as well as it does now. How many pennies are those brakes Matt?
Cripes but then if they work worth the ££s.
Not had any issues with the standard ones but Ive yet to do a trackday - is this why you changed them?
You wouldnt actually realise how much weight was in the pipes and cat until you pick them up - guess those torpedoes on the new bikes need to go straight away.
Not had any issues with the standard ones but Ive yet to do a trackday - is this why you changed them?
You wouldnt actually realise how much weight was in the pipes and cat until you pick them up - guess those torpedoes on the new bikes need to go straight away.
Broccers said:
Cripes but then if they work worth the ££s.
Not had any issues with the standard ones but Ive yet to do a trackday - is this why you changed them?
You wouldnt actually realise how much weight was in the pipes and cat until you pick them up - guess those torpedoes on the new bikes need to go straight away.
Around 10 kilo's...I weighed mine after ditching the cat and twin exhausts on my K7...Not had any issues with the standard ones but Ive yet to do a trackday - is this why you changed them?
You wouldnt actually realise how much weight was in the pipes and cat until you pick them up - guess those torpedoes on the new bikes need to go straight away.
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