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Suzuki Is Celebrating 100 Years with Bold New Graphics

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This year might be a throw away for many people (for the record, it lost me at murder hornets); but for Suzuki Motor, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of its incorporation – having been formed as the Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. in 1920 by Michio Suzuki.

To celebrate this century-long milestone and achievement, Suzuki Motor is doing what it does best: bold new graphics. As such, the three GSX-R models are getting a special 100th Anniversary livery, which draws heavily from the brand’s MotoGP program.

These special colors for the GSX-R600 ($11,599), GSX-R750 ($12,699), and GSX-R1000R ($17,999) will be available in only limited numbers  and will be sold as 2021 model year machines.

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Bikes

Smart Updates Come the 2019 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike

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It may only be the third model year for this generation of the GSX-R1000, but Suzuki is bringing some smart updates to its “King of Superbikes” for the 2019 season.

The changes a primarily a response to the rule changes in the WorldSBK Championship, with the 2019 Suzuki GSX-R1000 getting some subtle refinements.

The most notable change is that the new adjustable swingarm pivot, which will help setup changes for racers and track day enthusiasts alike.

Visually, riders will notice that the exhaust muffler on the 2019 bikes has been colored black, to help it blend into the rear tire and not stand out like a flying toaster oven..

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Bikes

Retro Livery Pops on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R Superbike

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We are big fans of the creations that Team Classic Suzuki has been churning out. Stop what you’re doing right now, look at this Katana race bike, and try to disagree with our enthusiasm. It cannot be done.

Taking their touch to the current Suzuki GSX-R1000R superbike, we see what this tire-shredder would look like in a retro-mod livery that is inspired by the bodywork found on the original GSX-R750.

So far it sounds like the bike is a one-off, done by our friends across the pond, but we think Suzuki should seriously consider some throwback paint schemes in its lineup.

Until then, items of note include a number of tasty Giles-made bits, straight from the Suzuki performance catalog, otherwise the bike shown here is pretty much stock.

Overall, the effect shown here is superb, and a big step forward from the powder blue that the GSX-R1000R comes in from the Suzuki factory. We think you will agree.

Per usual, no pixel was spared in the photos on this post. So enjoy the details, in their ultra high-resolution glory.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the 2018 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000R Suzuka 8-Hours Race Bike

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In all our coverage of the 2018 Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race, the name Suzuki has woefully not been in much of the conversation.

This isn’t to say that the brand from Hamamatsu wasn’t present at this prestigious event, but its level of involvement and readiness certainly wasn’t on par with the other three Japanese brands.

Fielding the Yoshimura Suzuki factory-backed team yet again, this year saw a big milestone take place, as Suzuki’s endurance efforts are now being conducted on the current-generation superbike.

This has caused some issues in the paddock, most notably in the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), which is Suzuki’s factory-backed team in the FIM World Endurance Championship.

The winningest team in the FIM EWC – by a considerable amount – SERT struggled during the 2017/2018 season, finishing 6th overall in the championship. Surely as they sort out the new GSX-R1000R, SERT will once again be on top of the game.

In the hunt at Suzuka, it was the Yoshimura Suzuki team that was carrying the banner for Suzuki, finishing 10th – of note, behind the Suzuki team of S-Pulse Dream Racing – IAI, which finished 4th.

A man on a mission, Steve was able to get a bunch of shots of the Yoshimura Suzuki bike before it took to the track. You should check them out, and if you haven’t already, you should see his captures of the Suzuka race bikes from Red Bull Honda, Yamaha Factory Racing Team, and Kawasaki Team Green.

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Racing

Michael Dunlop Racing A Suzuki GSX-R1000R at IOMTT

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Michael Dunlop will be on an all-new machine for the 2017 Isle of Man TT, as the Northern Irishman has inked a deal that sees him on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R superbike for the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, and Ulster GP.

Confirming the news with Britain’s MCN, Dunlop says he will continue to ride with the Hawk Racing team in the Superbike class, with full-factory support from Yoshimura.

The deal also sees him campaigning another GSX-R1000R in the Superstock class under his MD Racing name, as well as a yet-to-be-determined Supersport model.

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Bikes

2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Priced at $14,599

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Suzuki Motor of America has released the pricing on its new superbike lineup, showing aggressive prices for the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 and 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R motorcycles, which will start at $14,599 MSRP.

As you may recall, the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a brand new design that uses a flat-plane inline-four engine with variable valve timing (VVT), which is of note as it is the first superbike to use variable valve technology.

Official specs on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 show a claimed 199hp and 86.7 lbs•ft of torque.

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Podcast

Two Enthusiasts Podcast #36 – Tikka Masala

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Recapping the recent INTERMOT show, Episode 36 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast covers the three big themes that emerged from Cologne: homologation specials, vintage motorcycles, and rider aids.

With these themes in mind, we have a good conversation about the three homologation specials we saw from the Japanese manufacturers at INTERMOT: the Honda CBR1000RR SP2, the Suzuki GSX-R1000R, and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.

The conversation then turns to the neo-vintage models we saw in Germany, and how brands like Triumph and BMW are investing heavily in this trendy niche.

We finish up the show talking about motorcycle electronics, inertial measurement units (IMUs) to be specific. This game-changing technology continues to permeate through the motorcycle industry, along with other rider aids, so we have a good conversation about the rise of the IMU.

As always, you can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. Enjoy the show!

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Bikes

Any Excuse to Watch the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R, Right?

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I was trying to come up with some sort of excuse to show this video about the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R, since it’s basically just a two-minute orgasm about Suzuki’s new superbike.

If you can’t tell, I’m pretty jazzed about the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R and its lower-spec sibling, the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

I think there would be more buzz about the new GSX-R if Suzuki hadn’t basically shown the superbike to us a year before its release, but that seems to be the Japanese manufacturer’s jam right now.

I wont’ waste your time further. Close the office door, hide the kids, pour a drink, grab a towel, and press play.

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Bikes

2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R – A Two-Pronged Approach

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No, that extra R in GSX-R1000R isn’t a typo – Suzuki is releasing two versions of its superbike at INTERMOT today, the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R being the higher spec model for track enthusiasts.

Available later in mid-2017, the Suzuki GSX-R1000R takes the already robust package that is the Suzuki GSX-R1000, and adds to it an up-and-down quickshifter, launch control, and cornering ABS feature set.

The suspension has also been upgraded, with the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R getting the very noticeable Showa Balance Free forks (note the gas cartridge on the fork bottom), and the Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion rear shock, which is an interesting piece of kit, since Showa says the design does away with the need for separate high-speed and low-speed compression adjustment.

The last item of difference, besides the price of course, is that the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R includes a lighter triple tree top clamp.

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Bikes

The All New 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Finally Debuts

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We have had to wait nearly an entire year for Suzuki to finalize and release its new superbike, after first teasing us at the 2016 EIMCA show with it. But today at INTERMOT, the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is finally ready for primetime.

Because Suzuki already teased us the new GSX-R1000 a year ago, much about the machine is already known. But, for a proper plot twist, there will in fact be two variations of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 for 2017, with a higher spec 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R debuting as well.

For the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 base model, of course everything is brand new. The inline-four engine on this liter-bike features a variable valve timing (VVT), a first in the superbike segment. Peak power is just shy of 200hp, with Suzuki claiming 199hp and 86.7 lbs•ft of torque.

The crown jewel of the electronics package is a six-axis IMU, which brings a 10-level traction control system, riding modes, cornering ABS, launch control, up-and-down quickshifts to the once “King of Superbikes” (the latter three items being on the GSXR-1000R).

With a wet weight of 441 lbs, the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is in the hunt to reclaim that crown, making this a strong return for the Japanese brand in the superbike segment.

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