Tuesday 16th December 2014

Suzuki GSX-R1000: PH Fleet

Time is up for the PH2 Fleet Suzuki; the GSX-R1000 is heading home!

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After spending seven months together and covering over 4,000 miles, Suzuki has finally asked for its GSX-R1000 back and to be honest, with the dark nights drawing in, I'm not too upset. Riding a 1,000cc sports bike through summer is a wonderful experience. Riding it in winter is considerably less enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to ride on two wheels all year round, it's just that in winter you are riding out of necessity rather than fun and when that switch happens a sports bike isn't the best solution. Give me upright bars, heated grips and a nice big screen to deflect the rain and cold. And some lights that work!

It's back after seven months and 4K miles

The last few months have taught me one big lesson about the GSX-R - its lights are crap. Evening rides home became a bit of an unnerving experience as dip beam is utterly pathetic, I'd surely be better off holding a candle in front of the bike. The dip illuminates a very small section of road ahead and when you hit the brakes this reduces even further. The main beam is excellent, so why is the dip so poor? It's not an uncommon fault on bikes and I can see why so many riders fit HID kits. Fair play to BMW for actually doing something about it with their adaptive system, only 43 years after Citroen first used such a system on the DS...

Long stroke for satisfying grunt
At the start of this year I was genuinely worried about racking up some serious points on my licence riding the GSX-R. However, this hasn't been the case (touch wood, I'm still within the two-week period...) and I reckon it is partly down to the Suzuki's engine. The GSX-R has an 'old-school' motor that relies more on a long stroke than a big bore to make its power. While it lacks at the top end, this gives it a load of low end and mid-range power and that has helped me keep my speed down. The Suzuki is very happy to stay at low revs and you don't feel the need to work the motor. For so much of this year I've simply short-shifted through to top and used the motor's low rpm torque. On a sportsbike with less grunt the revs can creep up and with a 180mph top end it is very easy to accidentally slip over that 100mph barrier and end up with a ban.

Terrible headlights discourage winter riding

There is no way of sugar coating the fact that the GSX-R1000 is behind the game in terms of outright performance and electronic assists, however as a road bike it is still very impressive. Suzuki has always made its sports bikes quite big and roomy and as a result the GSX-R is surprisingly comfortable over long distances. The relaxed engine is very happy to pootle around at low revs and the gearbox is nice and slick. I certainly missed the fact it didn't have ABS (this has changed for 2015) but for summer riding the lack of traction control didn't really worry me, probably because no vehicle I own has it!

Do I miss it? In some ways yes, irrespective of the weather I always picked the Suzuki over a car as it was so practical and I did love that buzz of acceleration and ability to go mentally fast at the drop of a hat. However I can't say I fell in love with the GSX-R. The Suzuki wasn't a bike I formed an emotional bond with, due to no fault of its own. I had a Buell Firebolt a few years ago that was a piece of crap, it fell apart, snapped belts and had a string of mechanical faults, but somehow these all endeared me to it and I still smile when I think about it.

Jon compares notes with ... John (Reynolds)

The GSX-R performed faultlessly come rain or shine, did everything I could ever ask of it on track and the road, scared me senseless when required and guided me home at two in the morning from an airport when I was knackered and just wanted a hassle free ride. The performance levels of the GSX-R1000 are still well above my riding ability, so I can't really fault it for being slower around a track in the hands of an ex-racer than modern litre bikes, and it is an excellent day to day superbike thanks to its practical side. It may not be the most cutting edge sports bike out there, but there is still a hell of a lot to like about this old school bike - not least its price tag if you shop around.

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FACT SHEET
Bike: Suzuki GSX-R1000
Run by: Jon Urry
On fleet since: April 2014
Mileage: 4,368
List price new: £10,999 (basic rrp)
Last month at a glance: Last month with the Suzuki and Jon is in a reflective mood

Previous reports
A two-wheeled addition to the PH Fleet!
Beer, ferries and speed in month two. Lots of speed.
Suspension and tyre tweaks tested at a Suzuki track day
Winter prep begins for Jon and the GSX-R

[dukebox9reg]

Both bikers and car owners that fit HIDs to there reflector headlights or even cheapo after market protector lights are selfish gits with no respect for other road users.

There are plenty of legal uprated bulbs you can get on the market along the lines of OSRAM and Phillips extreme etc which wont blind every car within 3 miles.

Slightly lighter note, one of my first bikes was a Suzuki (must be a common theme) with a 6V electrical system. Its lights were that poor on a road I was unfamiliar with I went straight through a hedge when I didn't spot a corner.

Edited by dukebox9reg on Tuesday 16th December 16:17

[dukebox9reg]

black-k1 said:

I love my cheap Chinese HID replacements. MUCH better than any uprated halogen bulb, including (illegal) 100w units, and no more expensive.

For a bike with the performance of the GSXR I would suggest that good headlights are extremely important and that HID is the only realistic way to go.

And illegal, completely selfish and dangerous to all other road users. I applaud you.