GSV-R inspires V4 road bike

Suzuki is building a road bike based on its GSV-R MotoGP racer and you’ll be able to buy one in 2004.

For the full story, you’ll need to pick up a copy of MCN, out on Wednesday, March 20, this week.

Unsurprisingly, the firm isn’t keen to reveal details of the bike, but Suzuki’s MotoGP team boss Garry Taylor says a road-going machine is virtually certain. He told MCN: ” It makes sense, obviously. All manufacturers in GPs, and particularly Suzuki, are using racing as a way of developing the breed. One of the reasons people are so excited about four-stroke GPs is the relevance to road bikes. I can’t imagine there isn’t going to be a road bike coming off the back of it. ”

Even Suzuki’s decision to rename it ” GSV-R ” , replacing its original name ” XRE0 ” , points in that direction.

Any road-going relation to the GSV-R will aim to replicate its GP-style look – but under the skin the bikes won’t share much. The GP rules state racers must be prototypes which don’t share parts with production bikes and the enormous price of the one-off components used on racers will stop them being transferred directly to production lines.

What we’ll get is a V4 motor of about 1000cc, closely based on the GSV-R’s 210bhp, 14,000rpm, 990cc unit, capable of around 165bhp at the rear wheel. The firm’s MCN Machine of the Year GSX-R1000 – which will remain on sale if a GSV-R-derived bike is launched – makes around 145bhp at the wheel.