SUZUKI GSX-R1000 (2003 - 2004) Review

Year: 2004

Great old school (real) superbike...150bhp 168kgs thatll do just fine!

Version: K4

Year: 2004

Brought my yellow and silver K4 GSXR 1000 in May 2020 with just 13.5K on the clock. Previously owned a K6 GSXR 750 and the K4 Thou is a much more comfortable beast that's not only quicker but much easier to ride. build quality is good with the bike almost immaculate. Braided hoses are a must on upgrades. Bike pulls nicely from any gear however doing 20mph or below in town traffic really leaves the bike flustered but 30mph and above all the way to over 150mph the bike just sings and your left with a grin from ear to ear.

Buying experience: Brought privately in May 2020 with 13.5k miles on the clock and paid just £3,000 which was a bargain. Bike has been extremely well looked after with the same owner for the previous 10yrs.

Version: standard

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £60

Clutch is weak, bit still hanging on at 52500 on original plates,second gear is a weak point , 67 mpg ...yes 67 mpg without trying,or riding like old man,stable as a rock,light, powerful, loves to be revved, but also torquey smooth, seems more so because of light weight,finish is not in same class as Honda handles great, steers well, covers distance easily, comfy.love it.

Buying experience: £2895

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £60

Had mine 9 years. It's taken me through Europe every year, around IOM TT Course, to work, the shops, the coast. You name it this bike will do it. Best £4k ive ever spent. It'll do all the above and keep up with ANYTHING on the road. She saw off my 2015 ZX10R and often gets the nod over my S1000RR!!

Buying experience: Bought from a dealer blind 9 year ago. Salesman described it perfectly oved the phone and I've never looked back.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £500

Love the riding position brakes are spot on flickable in the bends awesome out of them.

Buying experience: Private had a blinding deal; £2.5k with 14,000 miles and in Rizla colours.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £297

The GSX-R1000 is a great, strong bike. A real mean machine. It's super fast and super reliable. A true rocket.

Buying experience: Getting harder to find as clean as my current one is.

Version: K4

Year: 2004

So much fun you have to have one! Went from a 600 to this and its amazing. Docile and will potter then will go ballistic! It has attitude and character open that throttle and it just goes but very controllable and looks great. Downsides its a sports bike so a little uncomfortable, get side tank protectors as paint wears and will eat tyres when you give it welly which you will and it loves it! 😁

Buying experience: Private 6500 miles so very clean

Version: K3 Blue/White/Black

Year: 2003

Engine is a monster, it pulls from 35mph in 6th gear all the way to 185mph - if you dare ! Loads of torque and the last of the real low and mid range monsters before the emissions ruined it all from k7 onwards really. Brakes are a LOT better than the K2, but I'd recommend some braided hoses just to give it that bit more on a track day. Suspension is probably the best in its class and far better than the K2, it's also more stable than the K5, which i preferred at high speed over the K5. Super comfortable, much more so than any other in its class, especially for a bigger rider. I found the K5 far too small, the K3 is perfect I'm 6ft 2" and 16 stone. Don't open it up on a wet white line like you did your 600 or it'll drop you on your ass. Respect it or it really will bite you. Paint could be thicker on fairings as could the fairings is my only gripe, they are more flimsy than the K2, but I guess that's a lot to do,with shaving weight off the bike, I'd rather have an extra kilo of plastic and paint and it be a bit harder wearing.

Buying experience: I was very lucky, I got mine from a wealthy collector who was inning his collection. It lived in a snooker room for 13 years from new and had just 190 miles on it when I picked it up in January of 2016, a rare find indeed. Having graduated off a K2 600cc, I wanted a K5 initially, but after sitting on one it felt like a 250cc and in honesty was, unstable and uncomfortable. I'm a big guy, so to find a refined and improved version of the K2 in the K3 for me was perfect and I will never part with it now.

Version: K4

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £250

Fantastic Bike on road and track. On a track day everyone will admire you on this beast and on the road everyone will want a butchers.

Buying experience: Purchased privately with extras in November 2013. Low mileage, £3,600.

Version: K4

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £200

owned two 1200 bandits, traded one in for the gixer. great bike. really torquey motor but can take off like an exocet in a moment. Once use to riding position, found it quite comfortable. Came with cowl and pillion seat but not made for two up. makes a reasonable touring bike. fuel worked out better than the bandit!

Buying experience: bought from dealer. Advertised at £3800, bought for £3600. Low milage for year (15k)

Year: 2003

useability

This is the only 1000cc sports bike I've ever ridden, that is as enjoyable driving across Europe as it is around a race track. Excellent torque though out the whole rev range, can be ridden sensibly or not. Clocks are very clear and stylish, but lacking Fuel gage and Clock! Storage under the back seat is amazing, I get a full tool kit, Thermals, a fold up rucksack, an Alarmed Disc lock and a large heavy Abus chain and pad lock all in with ease. The bike looks fantastic and drives like a dream. Also Fuel economy is excellent. I went for the K3 as I think its better looking than the K4 but they are the same bike in every other way so I guess its down to personal taste.

just bought my 1000k3 from my local dealer only went in for a look around as i was getting bored with my tricked up bandit 1200 and boy oh boy is the 1000k3 insane how the hell you are supposed to keep your lience i don`t know but it will be fun trying

I owned a K4 before regrettably trading in for a puny K7. Motorcycle manufactering comes in peaks and troughs new bikes are awesome followed by not such good models until they get a big update at the next peak, The K4 was definitely at a peak the engine is comparable to my busa and having owned an rry blade in between... the k4 made it seem like a 400. it will wheelie from 20 mph or 120 mph and everywhere in between. It revs effortlessly and will lift the rear as easily as the front. It WILL spank every bike made after 2003 (newer doesn't mean better) and with the exception of the 06 blade there isn't a better looking bike. My K7 isn't a trough but it's on the downward slope which means the K4 will rule for many years to come... and should emission laws get tighter it may well be the last REAL sportsbike ever made.

I did a straight swap for a K5 750 4 days before a 10 day jaunt to europe! Insane? Possibly, but touring wise it knocks spots off it's smaller brother. Two up through France and into Germany with soft luggage was easy. New front discs required after 7500 miles was a bit of a shock though! Still love the awesome power and the way it delivers it!

This was my first litre sports bike, I had always ridden 600's before this and was totally stunned by the difference! A tad naive you may think but honestly, if you have only been used to a 600 with the odd shot of a mates 'thou' nothing can prepare you for what this bike will do to you!! I bought it off a friend when it was 7 months old, he got the last Ltd Edition 'stealth Black' model in the country but needed cash and I fell in love at first sight and was only too happy to part with said cash! I removed all decals and got a Yosi tri oval carbon exhaust put on, rather than go the power commander route my local dealer (Saltire Suzuki, Edinburgh) suggested I let them set it up on their 'Yoshi Box'. Sure said I, beats paying £400 for the commander!! The difference with just a little setup is amazing, I thought the bike was a rocket ship before, now it is positively lunar!! So smooth right through the range, added some extra ponies, and mores to the point, saved me £400 into the bargin!! I would suggest changing the end can, loses a good bit of weight, and put a Yoshi on and ask your dealer if they have a Yoshi box, it may not have the massive tuning range of a Power Commander, but be honest, do you REALLY need that amount of tuning to ride this on the road and the odd track day?? I personally don't think so, and if you can get the most out of it on the road, then you are a better man than me! What I have on mine is more than enough to keep grinning from ear to ear. I removed the rear pegs and got a black hanger on, a pair of black rearsets and this machine looks amazing! Still not sold on the dold wheels though, no idea who came up with that plan?!?! It handles like my old ZX6R, has twice the power and triple the fun! If you are thinking of 'stepping up' then I would strongly reccommend this bike! The K4 was an excellent year for it, before they brough out the awkward "ducks arse" rear end, but after they had ironed out the niggles from previous models! I love this bike and wouldn't change it for the world!!!

This was my first litre sports bike, I had always ridden 600's before this and was totally stunned by the difference! A tad naive you may think but honestly, if you have only been used to a 600 with the odd shot of a mates 'thou' nothing can prepare you for what this bike will do to you!! I bought it off a friend when it was 7 months old, he got the last Ltd Edition 'stealth Black' model in the country but needed cash and I fell in love at first sight and was only too happy to part with said cash! I removed all decals and got a Yosi tri oval carbon exhaust put on, rather than go the power commander route my local dealer (Saltire Suzuki, Edinburgh) suggested I let them set it up on their 'Yoshi Box'. Sure said I, beats paying £400 for the commander!! The difference with just a little setup is amazing, I thought the bike was a rocket ship before, now it is positively lunar!! So smooth right through the range, added some extra ponies, and mores to the point, saved me £400 into the bargin!! I would suggest changing the end can, loses a good bit of weight, and put a Yoshi on and ask your dealer if they have a Yoshi box, it may not have the massive tuning range of a Power Commander, but be honest, do you REALLY need that amount of tuning to ride this on the road and the odd track day?? I personally don't think so, and if you can get the most out of it on the road, then you are a better man than me! What I have on mine is more than enough to keep grinning from ear to ear. I removed the rear pegs and got a black hanger on, a pair of black rearsets and this machine looks amazing! Still not sold on the dold wheels though, no idea who came up with that plan?!?! It handles like my old ZX6R, has twice the power and triple the fun! If you are thinking of 'stepping up' then I would strongly reccommend this bike! The K4 was an excellent year for it, before they brough out the awkward "ducks arse" rear end, but after they had ironed out the niggles from previous models! I love this bike and wouldn't change it for the world!!!