It's great, but Suzuki haven't gone far enough with the new GSX-S1000GX

Suzuki’s new GSX-S1000GX is based heavily on their popular GSX-S1000GT sports-tourer. It’s powered by the same 999cc inline four-cylinder engine and wrapped in an aluminium beam frame, but it boasts taller bars, a thicker seat, new gyro-controlled rider aids, semi-active electronic suspension and new styling.

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Fast facts – Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ stats as tested

• £15,599 (from £14,499 base model)
• 999cc 16v inline four
• 143.2bhp/77.3lb.ft
• 132.92mph
• 234.2kg

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We got our first taste of the new Suzuki GSX-S1000GX during its world launch in Portugal in November last year, but now we’re taking a deep dive into what it’s like on normal roads in typical British conditions.

We’re using the GX+ version, which comes with hard luggage, and over the next five pages we’ll performance test it, run it on a dyno, weigh it and go for a spin with a pillion. We’ll also embark on a 900-mile road trip to the Scottish Borders, basing ourselves at the biker-friendly Buccleuch Arms Hotel in Moffat.

What’s it like on a big tour?

It should come as no surprise that with its ‘tall-rounder’ layout and powerful engine the Suzuki can cover big miles without breaking sweat. It’s manageable and relatively light for a sports-tourer, too, weighing a measured 234.2kg on our scales, full of fuel.

The engine is never short of grunt for easy overtaking, or firing out of corners without troubling the gears, but it feels ‘busy’ at 70mph, where it’s revving a needle’s width short of 5000rpm. It isn’t a big problem, although the vibes tingle enough to blur the mirrors slightly, but you always wish you could snick a seventh gear to calm things down.

If the GX were mine I’d be tempted to lengthen the gearing for more relaxed motorway cruising, although changing front or rear sprockets could affect the speedo reading, electronic rider aids and the subsequent change in wheelbase would alter its steering geometry.

The ride-by-wire throttle tube spring isn’t as light as it could be, but the standard-issue cruise control is on hand to save your right wrist during long spells on the motorway. The system works well, but it’s basic and fiddly to adjust your speed on the move. Average fuel consumption during our test is 48mpg with the fuel light coming on at around 150 miles.

Suzuki say the GX’s layout is somewhere between a conventional sports-tourer and an adventure bike, which is bang on, but underneath all that new bodywork it’s still a humble GSX-S1000 roadster and isn’t as spacious as it looks in pictures. Footpeg position is surprisingly sporty, although never uncomfortable. I’m six foot and my first leg stretch doesn’t happen until at least the first 100 miles have slipped by.

If you want more legroom, rivals such as the Honda NT1100, Yamaha Tracer 9 GT or BMW S1000XR are more spacious. From the waist up the Suzuki’s riding position is more relaxed with only a slight reach to the bars and light pressure on the wrists to contend with.

Carrying a pillion, from the rider’s perspective, is a breeze and you barely notice they’re there. There’s plenty of room to move around and the new electronic suspension keeps the GX balanced and sharp handling (see separate ‘Pillion Opinion’).

Slippery new bodywork offers decent weather protection at motorway speeds, but the standard screen is low and can be noisy in a headwind. It’s three-way adjustable, but not on the move. It has to be unscrewed and repositioned instead. The standard tool kit doesn’t contain a small enough Allen key to undo its four retaining bolts, but armed with the correct one it still isn’t a two-minute job.

Here in sub-zero conditions the screen’s rubber retaining nuts feel like they’ll tear if pulled out of their fixing holes. We end up replacing the screen in its standard position and suffer the windblast. The isn’t a system befitting of a 15-grand motorcycle.

Also, the temperature gauge reads three to four degrees high, which isn’t a big deal most of the year, but it is when you need to know if the degrees have dropped enough for there to be ice on the road.

Is the K5 engine still a tour de force?

Much praise has been heaped on the 2005 GSX-R1000 K5 engine and rightly so. It’s an angry, grunt-laden icon and even tamed for life powering the GSX-S1000 in 2015, it’s still a cracker. Like the old superbike, the GX is loud and proud with a screaming exhaust note, deep airbox growl and voracious appetite for revs. It’ll dispense with 60mph in a fraction over three seconds and 100mph in 6.98 seconds (the K5 does it in 5.63). The GX also has one of one of the crispest, most delicious gearboxes and standard up/down quickshifters in the business.

Unsurprisingly the GX almost mirrors the K5’s dyno curve up to 7000rpm before tailing off, but still makes a healthy 143.2bhp. That’s enough to dispense with a quarter-mile in just 10.88 seconds, which is bloody quick in anyone’s books. Top speed is heavily restricted, though and hits a GPS-measured 132.92mph on our test strip (we’ve tested a K5 at 183.39mph).

Does the new electronic suspension work?

As well as having semi-active damping, the rear preload adjustment is also electronic, so there’s no C-spanner to worry about, or even an adjuster wheel. Instead, it can be set to work in an auto mode that keeps the GX sitting flat, regardless of the load on the back. Alternatively, rear preload can be set in one of three static positions.

The GX also softens its power delivery over rough surfaces for more control. That’s something we experienced on rough Portuguese roads at its launch, but not here on smoother terrain.

Despite all the tech, the semi-active suspension feels pretty much the same as a regular mechanically adjustable set-up on any given stretch of road. But what it is very good at, is making big changes at the touch of a button, to give you a bike to suit varying conditions, riding styles or moods. You can make the GX ultra-soft for comfort, or to find grip in tricky conditions. A hard setting controls the suspension for more enthusiastic riding and medium is a compromise between the two. We settle on the soft mode for the motorways and medium for everything else.  

Is the standard rubber any good?

OE-spec Dunlop Roadsport 2 tyres (120/70 x 17 front, 190/50 x 17 rear) are developed specifically for the Suzuki. They’re at the budget end of Dunlop’s sports tyre line-up and didn’t inspire us at the GX’s launch, but they’re still capable, safe and grippy enough on hot tarmac to allow the kind of heady lean angles seen in the Suzuki’s brochure shots.

But they have a vague feel, harsh ride and aren’t confidence inspiring, to the point we have to electronically add more rear preload to help the front tyre dig in. We reckon fitting the latest sports or sports-touring tyres would give the Suzuki a plusher ride, more grip, feel, crisper steering and warm up faster too. Going up to a 55-profile rear would also offer you more agility and cornering grip, but the change in tyre diameter could affect the rider aids.

Is the GX fun?

When the conditions are right the Suzuki gives you the full, foaming-at-the-mouth superbike experience. It demolishes straights, carves through corners and, with its electronic suspension set hard, is stable and accurate, but the brakes, despite having chunky GSX-R1000 Brembos, are a let-down.

They do the job and don’t fade, but they lack power and feel. It’s a common problem with some Japanese cornering ABS set-ups and our performance testing highlights this. It takes the GX 58.67 metres to stop from 70mph. That’s 2.52 metres worse than the GSX-S1000GT with the same brake set-up minus the IMU.

In previous tests a non-ABS GSX-S1000 naked stopped from the same distance in 51.32 metres, a GSX-R1000K5 in just 48.67 metres and the GX’s close rival: the Yamaha Tracer 9GT+ does it in 53.37 metres. Suzuki’s cornering ABS may well be a life-saver in an emergency, but its lack of performance robs you of some riding enjoyment.

Are the rider aids useful?

ABS aside, the GX’s new lean-sensitive rider aids are smooth, effective and easy to adjust. For the entirety of our test we choose the ‘B’ power mode (‘A’ is too aggressive, ‘C’ too tame) and a fair amount of traction control for peace of mind on cold, wet roads.

Traction control combines anti-wheelie and the power is always softened when the GX is leant over, to stop things getting out of shape in the first place. The Suzuki also detects instability, via its IMU and reduces power if things get squirrelly, which they do during speed testing (see Performance Data boxout).

Is it good value for money?

Taken in isolation the GX+ is decent bang for your buck. It’s well finished, loaded with rider aids, cruise control, hand guards, a rack, USB charger and panniers, but there’s no top box option. There’s a

thorn in the Suzuki’s side, though and that’s the £15,010 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+. It’s cheaper than the GX+ and not only matches its spec, but it has just about every touring bell and whistle you could ask for, including a screen you can adjust on the move, a centrestand, radar cruise control, backlit switchgear, cornering lights, a bigger 7in dash, confidence-inspiring Bridgestone T32 sports-touring tyres and a lot more legroom. The 890cc, 117bhp triple might not be a match for the GX on paper, but it has monstrous real-world grunt and is even faster, hitting a true 146.22mph in previous tests.

Options and extras

Centrestand – £403.02 – General cleaning and chain maintenance, especially on a long trip, is a lot simpler with a centrestand. It should really be standard on a sports-tourer like this, but it isn’t and a few quid over £400 seems a bit more than cheeky on a bike that is already pushing £15k.

Heated grips – £419 – Heated grips would’ve made our cold journey a much more pleasant affair and we wish they were included as standard. They’re not, but Suzuki have been running a special offer until January 31 when they will throw them for free. See if your dealer can help you out.

Comfier seat – £394 – We got to try Suzuki’s accessory ‘Premium Seat’ at the GX’s world launch last year. It did improve comfort slightly, but the standard seat is more than plush enough for big trips. We’d definitely recommend trying out the standard seat first before spending extra.

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Pillion opinion

MCN Office Manager Alison Silcox weighs in on the GX’s passenger performance

Over the past few months I’ve popped my leg over the back of numerous bikes and the Suzuki GSX-S1000GX has proved to be the sportiest. The pillion seat is stepped up from the rider and climbing aboard I instantly notice just how high it places me. I’m 5ft 10in and Neevesy is a couple of inches more, but with the taller perch I’m able to clearly see over his head, which makes for great visibility.

But being up so high I’m battered by the breeze at higher speeds, which is my main criticism. Grab rails are well placed and there’s a large enough space between the rail and seat to stop my fingers feeling trapped. I can loosely hold on with my right hand and arm slightly behind me, which I find the most comfortable. There’s a decent drop to the pillion pegs, so my knees don’t feel cramped, even after an hour or more in the saddle. The ride comfort is good and while the suspension is firm, it isn’t too harsh and the seat pad might look small but it’s surprisingly well padded, so my butt cheeks don’t suffer.

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Performance data

Our data shows the Suzuki to be rapid under hard acceleration, but the bike is restricted to 132.92mph (an indicated 139mph) flat out. It’s generally stable at high speed, according to our performance tester Bruce Dunn, but he found the steering becomes light and twitchy in a head wind, which triggers the GX’s electronics to reduce power to help the rider maintain control. That might explain why it is speed-restricted and there’s no top box option in the luggage. Braking performance from 70mph to 0 is poor.

• Top speed 132.92mph
• 0-60 3.10s
• 0-100 6.98s
• Roll on in top gear 40-120mph 10.81s
• Standing quarter 10.88s@129.99mph
• Braking 70-0mph 58.67m
• Measured kerb weight 234.2kg

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The MCN verdict – Suzuki GSX-S1000GX+

Our deep dive reveals the GSX-S1000GX to be a capable sports-tourer, but it isn’t the consummate all-rounder we hoped it would be. On the plus side it accelerates with the venom of a superbike with a soundtrack to match, is composed through corners, fun to ride and its K5-derived motor oozes grunt, although it’s buzzy at motorway speeds. Its gearbox and quickshifter are sublime, the dash crystal clear and the new lean sensitive rider aids are smooth and reassuring.

The addition of electronic suspension is a real plus and lets you quickly adjust the set-up for changes in road conditions, riding mood and extra loads. It’s all-day comfy, even for taller riders and adding a pillion doesn’t upset bike or rider, although passengers are exposed to windblast.

But braking performance is poor, the screen tricky to adjust at the roadside, tyre choice average and its lights through corners weak. Panniers are standard on this GX+ model, but the lack of a top box option will restrict its touring aspirations. It’s well built, and reasonably well equipped, but this is a fifteen grand motorcycle and Suzuki haven’t gone the extra mile needed for the price. Heated grips and a centrestand are glaring omissions, especially when you can have these goodies and more with a fully-loaded and cheaper Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+.

Pros:

• Superbike acceleration
• Comfy riding position, despite sporty pegs

Cons:

• Screen adjustment/no heated grips or centrestand
• Brakes could be better