2019 Katana test: new fit for the Suzuki maxiroadster
Suzuki is making a daring bet on the roadster segment in 2019 by launching a new Katana. A motorcycle based on the underrated GSX-S1000, with the cult name but with a contested look. Site was able to try it in Japan and two months before its release in France. Banzai !
2019 Katana test page 2: Strong opinions on the Suzuki
With its short and fairly low rear loop, the Katana can be stepped over very easily. We put our buttocks on a saddle that is quite hard and a little high (825 mm) but the smoothness of its front part allows the pilot of 1.80 m to anchor his two feet – his heels even – firmly on the ground.
The compact and low tank gives the impression of riding an average displacement. The thighs are pressed against the plastic covering – raw and unpainted, too bad – and the knees are naturally wedged just above the frame. They are therefore not too far apart.
The handlebars take the pressure off the wrists. If some purists may regret the presence of this high and wide appendage at the expense of more aesthetic half-handlebars, the gain in ergonomics is colossal. Another good point: the legs are not bent !
Contact, engine: the 4-legged emits a low and regular purring at idle, but is not reluctant to take turns. Short rotations of the handle translate into beautiful vocalizations: the intake and exhaust duo know their ranges perfectly. Very well seen heard from engine manufacturers !
By grabbing the clutch lever, some motorcyclists may regret the lack of adjustment. The distance between the brake lever can be changed. On a motorcycle of this category, we would like to have double adjustment … Too bad.
Unsurprisingly, however, the engine shows a marvelous flexibility: strolling in the city center on sixth gear will not pose any problem. Site is always upset by the jerks during the go-around – never at the cut-off. The new throttle however seems to have reduced this inconvenience.
If the gearbox is still as fast and precise, the selection seems a bit dry. An observation to be moderate due to the low mileage of our test model (290 km at the start): Site is part of the first group of journalists to test the Katana !
MNC’s first laps on the road privatized by Suzuki for its worldwide press launch took place on wet and cold asphalt. In parallel with the character of the good "big" engine of the Katana, these delicate conditions highlight its good "small" part-cycle…
More compact in appearance than the GSX-S1000, Suzuki’s new "blade" slices through the road with the same efficiency. The neutral front axle is easy to handle, the settings on the angle and the grip provided by the Dunlop SportRoad 2 – the original Katana fit, these new tires will be available on the market in the spring – are just as reassuring, even catchy.
Occasionally, the traction control set to 3 (maximum level) by our considerate hosts discreetly reduces the power to the rear wheel. MNC is most of the time at the origin of these interventions: by deliberately accelerating – a little – hard in the wet, the Journal moto du Net ensures that the system will effectively save the money of its "Kataneurs"…
An excellent roadster to cut the road
The route proposed by Suzuki for this presentation is as original as it is short, intense and informative: it is 10 km of a small mountain road that Site covers eight times (four round trips), half of the time under a beautiful sun.
Sure track dry road precisely, the traction is so good that the traction control set on 2 (medium level) no longer intervenes. The rapid and good rise in temperature of the Dunlop compounds allows MNC to put – very – heavy gas on "its" Japanese road.
Acclaimed for its perfect roundness in low revs, the 4-cylinder gains in force in mid revs: from 4500 rpm on the first three gears, pick-ups already require good self-control, good anticipation of turns. or changes in grip and restraint around small bumps or collar tops. The front wheel is most often stuck to the ground, but be careful !
To get the most out of its engine, Le Journal moto du Net up the first four gears when power begins to level off. Or when the – too – small barograph of the tachometer approaches 10,000 rpm. MNC retains in passing that the gearbox selector is not so hard to handle, including downshifting.
The suspensions, on the other hand, are a bit dry on the few fittings and faults of our Japanese "special". At the front, the apprentice Wizard rider will have the possibility and the risk of completely (un) adjusting his fork. The work on the mono-shock absorber is more limited: it does not allow the compression to be adjusted.
For information, Site (1.80 m and 75 kg tester fully equipped, handsome and muscular) did not have to modify the Japanese default settings: 4 lights visible in preloaded on the fork, compression fully closed minus 7 clicks and trigger fully closed minus two turns, second "soft" notch at the level of the rear shock absorber spring and fully closed trigger minus 2 turns. To your tools !
In this configuration, the Katana impresses with its stability, even at full load on imperfectly paved corner exits. The tuning of the fork and the shock absorber is "major": no false note disturbs the ball (l) ade that MNC leads at a high rate…
Riding the Katana, Site takes pleasure in put pressure on his predecessor improvise: a resumption of the front brake in the middle of a curve, a small amount of gas anticipated at the exit … The Suz is simply imperturbable !
The ground clearance is just as satisfactory: at no time did the footrests fitted with prominent lugs come to lick the asphalt during our test. The comrades of arsouille perched on radical sports had better watch out: in the winding, the Katana and its "big" handlebars will be formidable efficiency.
For autonomy, we will go back … to the pump
Unfortunately to keep pace with more powerful motorcycles, it will be necessary to conscientiously whip the 150 horsepower ..; and water them! But the pretty little tank of the Katana carries only 12 liters of gasoline, against 17 on the fake twin GSX-S1000…
Which biker will agree to moderate his acceleration to reach 200 km before the reserve or even running out of fuel … For Site, the Katana’s too small autonomy is its main weakness (Strengths and weaknesses in the right column for readers on PC, in "Find out more" on laptops ….)
Another criticism that the Journal moto du Net formulated against the "Gexesse" and that it could glimpse in the rare stretches of our driving: vibrations appear in the feet at around 110 km / h and rise to the buttocks when ‘we cross at more than 130 km / h on 6th gear.
The 2019 Katana pilot’s endurance is therefore likely to be put to the test on long journeys, despite frequent stops at the gas station! Will the test be surmountable or too harsh? Only a future MNC duel – against the Honda CB1000R or the Kawasaki Z900RS? – over more than 80 km (length of our journey in five hours!) will make it possible to decide.
The saddle also seems a little hard: a good point for those who seek to perceive the work of the rear axle, a bad point for those who would like to cover long distances on this bike which offers a very relaxed driving position, of course, but no protection. in the wind. It’s a roadster !
In terms of braking, the new maxiroadster offers "maxisportive" performance: well wedged against the saddle which goes up on the tank, its rider can plant powerful braking … or progressive thanks to Brembo calipers as biting as they can be measured. !
The brake pedal effectively slows down the motorcycle in quieter use. The feel is not as good as the lever: the ABS is sometimes required to intervene to keep the rear wheel in the axis. Up front, the only complaint concerns the consistency of the lever which tends to become a little spongy in use – very – sporty, close to the circuit. To be validated on a more varied course that MNC does not end up knowing almost by heart…
No need for a counter-visit, on the other hand, to criticize the space under the saddle: it sucks, absolutely nothing! No way therefore to accommodate the slightest yellow vest, however compulsory in France in the event of a glitch on the road … and recommended to show its dissatisfaction – towards the entire political class – on Saturday on the roundabouts !
The verdict of this first test? The editorial staff of Site have always liked the GSX-S1000 dynamically, but were never really charmed by its curves … In the case of this 2019 Katana, the situation is clearer: Matt now appreciates it on the two plans and could acquire it (despite the riquiqui tank), while Alex would not even calculate it so much she is ugly does not have an easy physique !
Still, launching a motorcycle paying homage to the 80s on the market seems like a chic idea to everyone. It would be also nice – if not more? – to celebrate the 35 years of the GSX-R750 next year with a new explosive-neo-retro model … Facing the small YZF-R6 and ZX-6R 636, the expensive 959 Panigale and the expected Daytona 765, Suzuki would have a great card to play !
Related articles
-
2019 Katana test: new fit for the Suzuki maxiroadster Suzuki is making a daring bet on the roadster segment in 2019 by launching a new Katana. A…
-
2019 Katana test: new fit for the Suzuki maxiroadster Suzuki is making a daring bet on the roadster segment in 2019 by launching a new Katana. A…
-
Roadster – Z H2 Test: Kawasaki’s super inflated maxiroadster – Z H2 Test page 3: Not that monstrous?
Z H2 test: Kawasaki’s super-inflated maxiroadster New boss among Kawasaki roadsters in 2020, the Z H2 intends above all to dominate the competition ‘s…
-
Z H2 test: Kawasaki’s super-inflated maxiroadster New boss among Kawasaki roadsters in 2020, the Z H2 intends above all to dominate the competition’s…
-
V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail The Suzuki maxi trail, relaunched in 2013 and revised in 2017, takes advantage of the Euro5…
-
Test 125 Duke: big update for the small KTM At the beginning of the 10s (2010 …), KTM had revitalized the 125 cc motorcycle sector by releasing the…
-
2019 Tuono V4 1100 Factory test: electrostimulation for the Aprilia roadster The Tuono V4 1100 is undergoing a new evolution in 2019: its…
-
2019 Katana test: new fit for the Suzuki maxiroadster Suzuki is making a daring bet on the roadster segment in 2019 by launching a new Katana. A…
-
Z H2 test: Kawasaki’s super- inflated maxiroadster New boss among Kawasaki roadsters in 2020, the Z H2 intends above all to dominate the competition’s…
-
Roadster – Test Yamaha MT-125 2020: what’s up? – MT-125 test page 1: undermined like never before!
Test Yamaha MT-125 2020: the face ? The Yamaha MT-125 launched in 2014 receives a menacing new front end inspired by the MT-09 and the variable-valve…