All Tests – Suzuki GSX-S1000F Test: looking for sporty bikers, tourists not! – MNC is testing the GSX-S1000F on the Isle of Man

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Suzuki GSX-S1000F test: looking for sports bikers, tourists to refrain !

All Tests - Suzuki GSX-S1000F Test: looking for sporty bikers, tourists not! - MNC is testing the GSX-S1000F on the Isle of Man

Like Kawasaki, Suzuki offers bikers a streamlined version of its new maxiroadster. Except that the GSX-S1000F is not a motorcycle designed for tourism but rather for the Tourist Trophy of the Isle of Man, where Site discovered the beast… Test.

MNC tests the GSX-S1000F on the Isle of Man

A few minutes before the start, Richard "Milky" Quayle, our opener of the day usually in charge of the training of "newcomers" at the, warns us: "we ask you to ban any wheeling, stoppie or burn, because the police don’t really like it"…

For Site, respecting this instruction will be very easy: acrobatics on a motorbike are not our "cup of tea". Riding fast on two wheels, on the other hand, "TiTi" style, is much more in our ropes. And that’s exactly why driving on the Isle of Man excites us so much…

"Speed ​​is not a problem here", adds the very friendly Milky,"just obey the city limits, and ride at your own pace around the rest of the island". The only imperative of course: stay on the right track (the one on the left!), Because the road is not closed.

It is in heavy traffic that we begin our taxiing. Unsurprisingly, we note from the first meters that the main flaw of the GSX-S1000 is present on the F version: cuts and go-arounds require extreme finesse to limit jolts.

Asked about this – weak! – by all the French journalists, the Japanese engineers defend themselves by replying that they wanted to make their engine as responsive as possible, claiming that it is easy for the rider to adapt to this liveliness.

After 242 km of intensive driving, MNC however regrets to contradict the venerable Japanese: correctly managing the throttle requires a little too much attention from the pilot. Especially in slow curves negotiated in seconds, like Glen Helen for example, where it is not however good to widen its trajectory…

The behavior of the cycle part is however above any suspicion: neutral and progressive, the bets on the angle do not require any physical effort or mental calculation. Compared to the roadster, they do not seem to be accelerated or unbalanced by the addition of the fairing..

The handling is all the easier as the driving position on the GSX-S1000F is scrupulously identical to that adopted on the GSX-S1000 roadster. There is therefore a single inconvenience: the width of the tank which is a little excessive and spreads the driver’s thighs. Pity.

Compared to the – real real – sport GSX-R1000 this time, the driver’s posture is significantly more upright and relaxed. The Japanese engineers calculated that compared to the Superbike, the handlebars of the streamlined roadster are 165.4 mm higher and 72 mm further back. Likewise, its footrests are 28.3mm lower and 32mm further forward..

Also, low-speed maneuvers or improvised course changes in the middle of a curve – slow as well as fast – are clearly facilitated. When stationary, the wrists are not martyred, while the buttocks and legs support without tiring journeys of more than 60 km in one go, the equivalent of a loop of the "Moutain Course". !

More comfortable than a sports car intended for the track, the new Suzuki road sports car does not meet the standards of a road bike. As on the roadster, the negligible vibrations of the footrests go up in the saddle once past 80 … miles per hour, or 130 km / h !

Motorway connections will be all the more boring as the protection offered by the bubble is clearly insufficient: the wind hits the head, shoulders and even the top of the pectorals. Future owners would undoubtedly have appreciated having a larger and adjustable screen to get to the fatigue-free…

The participants in this type of day on the circuit, as well as the rare French bikers who circulate on the German "autobahn" – or, much better, who visit the Isle of Man -, will realize that their motorcycle is restricted. Not only 100 horsepower in France, but also 240 km / h all over the world.

"This limit introduced on the roadster is retained on the faired version", explains Shinichi Sahara, former head of the MotoGP program at Suzuki (at the time of), now in charge of the development of commercial sports models..

"To exceed 240 km / h chrono, or about 260 km / h counter, it would have been necessary to rework the chassis to make it more rigid"Said Sahara San."But in our opinion, this speed should satisfy GSX-S1000F users.".

With its fairly long gear ratio (unchanged from the GSX-S1000 "very short"), the bike however asks only to lengthen the stride: during its two loops of the "Moutain Course", Site easily exceeded 140 mph (225 km / h), especially on the dizzying descent to Creg-Ny-Baa…

Under these conditions, it is strongly recommended to curl up behind the small bubble to relieve the cervical and biceps. At the end of the straight line, the attack of the calipers on the two 310 mm discs is not excessive. To brake short, the two fingers on the right lever must work…

Classified as a sports car, the GSX-S1000F isn’t as drastic as its big one-piece Brembo calipers suggest. Bikers used to the hyper-biting braking of an Italian Super (be) bike, for example, will have to rework their approach technique. Some might even be disappointed: to test before purchase.

The accelerations and times, on the other hand, are very tasty: vigorous from 4500 rpm and furious until the red zone placed 8000 revs higher, the 4-cylinder inherited from the GSX-R1000 of 2005 – "Gex K5" for intimate – offers an impressive range of use.

If necessary, the mill even agrees to go down to idle and start again without a hiccup, provided of course that the pilot carefully manages his throttle! Whatever the speed, the sound is serious – from GSX-R! – emanating from the pot further amplifies the performance of the motorcycle. We want more…

We therefore take great pleasure in using this engine. And this happiness redoubles when refueling: according to the on-board computer (all the information scrolls via the controls on the handlebars), Site would have consumed on average only 6.5 l / 100km. And without dragging himself, Milky can testify !

Cautiously and discreetly crossing the townships in sixth gear, MNC let loose on the sections of the road without speed limits. What a foot to ride at your own pace! When dropping two gears, cars are overtaken in a flash and quickly disappear into mirrors – as good looking as they are practical, by the way..

However, you have to focus on what happens in front and on the right, which is sometimes unsettling … Gulping down the superb rows of the Snaefell Moutain at over 100 mph (170 km / h), the faired GSX-S is however firmly planted on its wheels: its stability at high speed is effectively superior to that of the roadster.

The confidence it inspires in MNC is such that the few drops that dot the little bubble and our visor as we pass Bungalow do not give us back our hands: the Suzuki is in its element on the Isle of Man, in the section fast but also in slower and generously bumpy passages !

"We left the suspensions in the factory configuration because in our opinion it offers the best compromise over the entire route.", says chief tester Jurgen Plaschka. And it is clear that the GSX-S1000F performed perfectly..

In wooded areas, where the roots have ended up deforming the road, the GSX-S1000F is particularly comfortable and its rider too. Especially out of bends, the traction remains surprisingly good. Enough to make owners of other streamlined roadsters "green" with jealousy…

One of the main strengths of this bike is its handling … or handling of "roads" in the plural, whether fast or slow, bumpy or flat, blind or very open! The machine is forgotten and allows its pilot to concentrate on its trajectories, not easy to find on the "famous and perilous" Tourist Trophy !

It was only on very strong braking that the "road Gex" seemed to us to be overtaken by events: the asphalt was so dented at this point and the front axle so loaded – a little too much – by MNC that the wheel rear has left the ground several times, causing the intervention of the ABS.

The Bosch system then began to release the pressure of the braking circuit in jerks – sensitive to the lever without being unpleasant – slightly increasing our braking distance and our entry speed in a curve. Fortunately, the safety margin taken by MNC was not exceeded and the turn could be taken without incident. !

Set to level 2 (out of 3) by the Japanese engineers, the traction control went unnoticed throughout this test. Only a stop in a gravel parking lot allowed us to check that it was working very well. The most sporty will however be able to disconnect it.

Review of our "magnificent" day of driving on the Mountain Course: the GSX-S1000F is an excellent tool for working on open roads! On track, it will also allow apprentices "païlotes" to feast despite the lack of bite of braking and the clamping at 240 km / h.

On a daily basis, it will be necessary to deal with the too brutal injection and the small storage space under the saddle (specific U or a small disc lock), not compensated by a top-case. Finally, the impossibility of attaching – real – suitcases to the rear loop (not reinforced) and the vibrations felt on the motorway will greatly limit its use on vacation … You have been warned. But for the rest, what a success !

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