Suzuki GSX-S1000F ABS, the super sports car with high handlebars [ROAD TEST]

Suzuki GSX-S1000F - We started with the skinned sister, which, in addition to the final F, is only missing the hull. We had it too brought to the track during a Luca Pedersoli Riding School course, demonstrating that the heart of the GSX-R 1000 K5 is pushing hard this time too we couldn't resist the temptation of the curbs and we treated ourselves to one of the last track days available at the Tazio Nuvolari circuit before the winter break, with the excuse of taking some photos on the track. However, she doesn't even disdain a nice sightseeing tour, because it wants to be less "specific" than the current "gixxer" or similar competitor bikes. The recipe is as simple as it is good: a heart of a true super sports car that has just been tamed a little (it still has 146 horsepower) just to give it a more full-bodied back and bass, combined with a high handlebar and more "civilized" heights, so you can get off the saddle after a few hours of fun without being exhausted. If on a track that isn't very fast the presence of the fairing isn't even that fundamental, on the road the "F" is more suited to long journeys on the motorway than its naked sister, providing better protection from the air.

Aesthetics and finishes:

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High handlebars and few other details betray a supersport outfit

The House of Hamamatsu is keen to underline that it is not a "trivial" sports tourer, but a super sports car without major compromises, with little space for the passenger and luggage. Actually looking at it he betrays his desire for tourism with few details, very few indeed. Apart from the handlebars, you have to go and look for them with the lantern, like the more welcoming saddle of a "hyper" or the feet under the footpegs, which in fact when used on the track must be removed because they touch well before the limit of the bike. For the rest the GSX-S1000F is edgy and mean at the right point, without too many charms and frills. It won't turn heads like some hyper sports bikes, but we don't mind at all, especially in this color which recalls the colors with which Suzuki dresses its racing bikes, in contrast with the black details, including the rims, frame, swingarm and handlebars. Compact especially in the tail, which is confirmed as declared not too welcoming for the passenger. From the front, her hull makes her a little less slender and essential than her sister who does not have it, as does the high plexy, which betrays a tourist rather than track nature. She doesn't lose too much in aggressiveness, because the more you observe her, the more you discover a mix of details that confirm her dual nature. On the racing "front" we mention the swingarm derived from GSX-R, asymmetric and in aluminium, o the short side exhaustin addition tovery aggressive front end with upside down forks and Brembo radial calipers. At the front, the double headlight is left free at the bottom of the fairing, while the confirmation that nothing is left to chance comes from the evident attention to detail, such as for electrical cables and pipes, the passages of which are well studied. The perceived quality is therefore very good, without any major flaws. The instrumentation is complete, easy to read and with convenient buttons on the handlebar blocks to manage some of the functions.

Engine and performance:

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A smoother GSX-R1000 K5 with latest generation electronics

Saying that it's an easy 146 horsepower wouldn't do justice to the good dose of nastiness that the four-cylinder retains, even after the treatment that has been given to it. Without the "magic" of traction control, a motorcycle like this would hardly have been produced. We'll try to explain it to you like this: 146 horsepower delivered at 10.000 rpm, just 500 more than the maximum torque of 106 Nm. Data from a bad bike, with the curve all flattened at the top, but that's not the case. Or rather, we wanted to leave it the character of the K5 produced from 2005 to 2008, adding more vigorous back and bass. The result is a bike that loves to "spin" on the track with the controls turned off, going sideways in a way that makes you think of everything except the adjective docile. Fortunately, a three-level Traction Control (plus Off) makes an engine much easier that would otherwise not be at all. However, the most permissive mode allows you to have a lot of fun, letting the rear slide before intervening and chasing maximum performance, while always remaining safe. You notice its intervention almost exclusively due to the warning light flashing on the dashboard, a truly positive sign when it comes to traction control, which never becomes invasive, without therefore detracting from the enjoyment of the driving experience. Modern electronics are not only found in the TC, because even the ECM system and the electronic injection are certainly not those of the engine from 10 years ago, also because otherwise it would not have been compatible with the Euro 3 regulation. The changes are not stop here, for example the pistons, redesigned with the FEM (Finite Element Method) are lighter and more resistant than those of the unit from which it derives, which has been completely revised. In practice, the best technologies were used to make a 2005 project cutting-edge, but the characteristics that led to it being chosen as the basis remain unchanged: compactness, including that of the gearbox, as well as the ratio between stroke and bore, different from gixxer 1000 today. The longer travel in fact gives greater enjoyment to the mediums, as was needed for the GSX-S. The work is completed by a 4 into 2 into 1 exhaust which, looks aside, is designed to "fill" the delivery in the first half of its curve.

Ride and handling:

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Quick on narrow roads and also stable on fast ones: a hyper-sporty all-rounder

The chassis of the GSX-S1000, practically identical between the two sisters dressed and naked, reflects the concept of this bike. Self on the one hand it closely resembles that of the gixxer, with a similar frame, always consisting of a double aluminum beam, combined with the swingarm derived from the GSX-R1000, on the other what changes is the rigidity, which is not at all exaggerated here, to avoid too violent reactions and encourage less exasperated road driving. All this comes at a price on the track with a greater propensity of the bike to move, at times giving the impression of almost swaying, but between electronics, excellent weight distribution and suspension, everything is perfectly under control and never leads to annoying situations. On the other hand, it is extremely easy to handle and quick in changes of direction and very intuitive in its reactions.

The wheelbase is 1.460 mm, the trail is 100, measures which would make the stability more than the maneuverability, as befits a touring motorbike, but she manages to optimally reconcile both aspects. We talked about an almost identical chassis, because in reality there are some differences, because the weight of the fairing and the different posture of the driver lead to a different weight distribution, even if only slightly, which is compensated by the specific calibration of the fork. Which however remains there Fully adjustable KYB with registers on the upper covers of the stems. ABS is standard, which manages a powerful braking system, which can count on pair of 310 mm discs, on which they act Brembo 4-piston monobloc radial calipers, capable of stopping i 214 kg in running order of the GSX-S1000F.

Price and consumption:

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The price list is 12.890 euros

The promotion which provided a 300 euro discount until October 31st is over (for the moment), the price of the Suzuki GSX-S1000F is 12.890 euros. Available in three colors: like the one in these blue/black, grey/black, or red/black photos. The same considerations made during the test of the bare-bones sister apply to consumption: she only has a few tourist details, she certainly doesn't have a sixth gear. The speed on the motorway is high and consumption (as well as comfort) is affected. We are around 16 km/l, which however remain substantially unchanged even if from 130 km/h you go up to 160 (we recorded a 15 km/la pace). With 17 liters of tank the "useful" autonomy is therefore just over 250 km.

PROS AND CONS
We like it:
Extreme in fun, but without being uncomfortable, safe with ABS and TC
We do not like it:
Some vibrations on the motorway, due to the high rpm

Suzuki GSX-S1000F: the Motorionline Report Card

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Test photo by Anna Mann
Tester on the track “Ago” Marco Agosti

Test clothing:
Total: Dainese Laguna Seca Evo
Boot: Dainese Axial Pro In
Gloves: Dainese Full Metal D1
Helmet: X-Lite X-702GT