Sporty – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 ABS test: Absolutely Gexy! – The Gex 1000 goes wild on the Bugatti circuit

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Suzuki GSX-R 1000 ABS test: Absolutely Gexy !

Sporty - Suzuki GSX-R 1000 ABS test: Absolutely Gexy! - The Gex 1000 goes wild on the Bugatti circuit

The GSX-R 1000 can benefit in 2015 from ABS and a MotoGP colorway but still ignores the traction control, shifter or electronic suspensions present on competing sports motorcycles. Out of date, the Suzuki Superbike ? Test.

The Gex 1000 goes wild on the Bugatti circuit

Arrived the day before at Le Mans by road, Site keeps "his" GSX-R1000 restrained to complete his first laps in the company of the Suzukistes registered in the intermediate group during the "30th anniversary of the GSX-R" driving day..

Even in its 100 horsepower version, the water mill allows the Journal moto du Net to overtake, including when accelerating, all of the participants who do not fully use the gears of their older or older GSX-Rs and more. or less restricted…

It must be recognized that the 4-cylinder 999 cc starts to tow badly from 4500 rpm. This roundness – compared to the more pointed 600 and 750 with which we turn – is very practical for (re) discovering a circuit without too much dragging.

Thanks to the large analog tachometer, MNC quickly sees that there is no need to wait for the shine of the shiftlight to upshift: it is already time to do so when the needle reaches 10,000 rpm. Beyond that, the engine continues to take turns but stops accelerating.

Tamed in town and on the road, the gearbox selector is once again on the track: it hangs and even blocks from time to time, making upshifts tedious as you tumble past the pits. Shame ! A quickshifter would be very welcome…

Always in a straight line, the GSX-R1000 marks this time a good point in terms of ergonomics: even the big templates can be pressed entirely against their motorcycle. This is not the case on the new Yamaha for example, on which the elbows butt against the sliders. !

The cornering stability is exemplary and it was hardly except in the impressive and demanding Dunlop that Site felt the GSX-R1000 float lightly on its downforce. But to see the old "Gex" enter this legendary curve, much slower and by waltzing copiously, MNC realizes his chance to pilot the last GSX-R1000 !

Very well designed, the tank allows the pilot to settle down firmly and comfortably in the long right of the Chapel or in the Esses Bleus. MNC can perfect his "Marc Marquez" attitude there: always a little more swaying and head down! For the elbow on the ground on the other hand, it will be necessary to practice again…

In faster sequences such as the Chemin aux Boeufs for example, the size of the Suzuki becomes more handicapping because it requires more travel. The agility, improved in 2012, remains satisfactory for a Superbike … of old generation !

As in town, we appreciate on the circuit the absence of jolts when the gas is cut and resumed. We can therefore dive with the rope and then load the rear tire with extreme precision. The reactions of the bike to the small – or big – touch-ups of the rider in the middle of a curve are also very measured and give confidence.

The braking power of the Brembo "Gold" calipers is also very appreciable and the dosage may be more: braking the little comrades – novice and intermediate groups – is a real pleasure that the ABS does not disturb in any way. Unfortunately, this happiness is not eternal, far from it…

From the middle of the session – about ten minutes, or half a dozen laps at Le Mans -, the Suzuki shows signs of weakness: the lever gets closer and closer to the handlebars … A shame for a motorcycle 13 times endurance world champion! However the braking runs out of steam faster on the unbridled version.

Kindly provided by Suzuki France, the GSX-R1000 "full power" tested by MNC – on track only! – tows much better than its brother approved for the road the French roads…

While the “horse-less” version tops out at 10,000 rpm, the 185 hp version sounds just a second charge at this precise moment! By maintaining a five-digit engine speed (red zone at 13,500 rpm), the rider truly enters the world of Superbike….

To whip out the Suzuki and its 185 horsepower amounts to considerably shortening each stretch, strangely closing the Dunlop curve, obliging to review its braking marks and spicing up the exits of the curve. In the absence of an electronic crutch, the pilot must also show measure at the level of the right wrist….

Unlike its rivals, the GSX-S1000 / F and the V-Strom 1000 (!), The GSX-R is devoid of traction control. Fortunately, the injection and transparent transmission make it possible to perfectly manage the arrival of the cavalry..

Once the motorcycle is raised, we no longer hesitate to completely spin. The Gex then asserts its hypersport status, lifting the front wheel in second and third gear in favor of the slightest bump. No worries, however: the steering damper – insensitive at low speed – suppresses the barbaits.

Completely useless on the French version, the SDMS modes (three engine maps selectable on the handlebars while driving) may prove to be reassuring in the wet or at the start of the day on cold tarmac (mode B), or during the very first outings on the circuit ( mode C).

Needless to say, our "Full Power" test model remained in A mode all afternoon and that the Dunlop GP Racer were generously used. Softer than the S20s, they offered additional stability out of bends.

When entering a curve, the sportier ride makes the bike more lively. The bets on the angle are more expeditious and it takes time to adapt to not dive too early towards the inside of the turn !

In the end, Site is not disappointed with the trip: this GSX-R1000 ABS is a "Gex" as we imagine them and as many loved them … This Suzuki is almost as comfortable on the road as on the track! Such a compromise is hardly found any more than on the Honda Fireblade (read our). Notice to amateurs: the species is endangered !

Indeed, as we observed in the introduction, motorcycle manufacturers are reorienting their Superbikes towards the track and aiming for victory in competition. To return to the level of the best – or to refer ?! -, Gex will have no other choice but to radicalize and cover itself with electronics.

In doing so, the Suzuki range will undoubtedly gain in coherence with a GSX-R1000 closer to the MotoGP prototype (GSX-RR), and a GSX-S1000F intended for motorcyclists who practice motor sport in "leisure" rather than in competition. . A Gex for Le Mans, another for the Isle of Man, in short…

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