Image © Suzuki
When Suzuki invited me to the GSX-R1000 K9 launch at Spain's Almeria circuit, I couldn't help but wonder whether the company had, at last, found the perfect compromise?
Image © Suzuki
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I've lived with two GSX-Rs. My year with a 2006 model was nigh on perfect. The handling had a telepathic nature, the steering felt lighter than whisked egg white and the engine had an almost violent belch in the midrange that never failed to impress me - ever!.
But its successor was never quite the same. That's not to say the 2007 model wasn't an impressive bike, it just wasn't quite as spellbinding. The engine was less exciting by comparison and, although a more linear and slightly beefed up power delivery should be an improvement, it didn't always feel it. It didn't generate the same degree of emotion. I missed the old bike's punchy (albeit elastic) character which felt more alive. It was the same with the handling. You had to ask the K7 to tip in. The K6 just knew.
Image © Suzuki
Now I'm in pit lane after a day ragging the K9 and I'm as happy as Larry. Cocking a leg over the seat felt like coming home. It's roomy enough to know instinctively that I could tour on it, especially with the adjustable footpegs that offer three different positions (as does the gear shift lever) and there's enough space for me to lie flat as a pancake on the 17.5-litre fuel tank (the same capacity as before).
Within a couple of laps, the K9 had moulded itself to me, to my ability, expectations and demands. That's part of its magic, it makes you feel like the boss, it flatters, compliments and encourages. Most of the improvements have been directed toward reducing weight, improving handling and making the bike shorter and sharper. The engine produces the same amount of power and torque as the K7, but while it lacks the brutality of the K6, the K9's exhilarating sense of acceleration is permanently available. And the midrange rush is a like a controlled explosion.
...the front felt more stable than President Obama...
Image © Suzuki
A shorter wheelbase, extended swingarm and reduced weight of 5kg has aided the bike's handling. And where the last Gixxer had Kayaba suspension, this new model boasts fully adjustable Showa suspension and BPF (Big Piston Forks). After steaming along the back straight with the throttle on the stop in fifth, I hammered down the six-speed box, taking full advantage of the back torque limiting clutch on the way and grabbed a fistful of front brake. Not only did the back end not step out of line (thankfully) the Dash Pot System did its job by reducing the engine braking and the front felt more stable than President Obama. I won't say the BPF completely stops the bike from nose diving as that seems impractical and quite unlikely, but they certainly reduce that sensation by feeling so much more controlled under such extreme pressure.
The K9 is such a finely tuned package that I'm finding it hard to find a fault. The K6's handling felt so sharp and it's hard to say whether the K9 is as immediate without trying them back to back, but Suzuki has certainly found a balance that's really impressive.
Image © Suzuki
There's a swooping downhill right hander in Almeria which follows a blind crest. It's fantastic. As I tipped over the top of it, I spotted the photographer crouching bravely at the apex. And that's when I realised just how good this bike really is. Not only was I already licking a respectable pace and loving every minute of it, but the bike felt composed enough to pose mid-corner. It gave me the confidence to pick my knee up off the deck and push the inside bar a tad further. I swivelled my foot round on the peg to make sure my toes wouldn't drag and revelled in the fact that everything felt like it was happening in slow motion.
The redesigned bodywork includes a wider headlight, sharper fairing and an upturned tail with a thin-lipped combination of LED brake lights and built in indicators. The instrument cluster is totally revamped too. The circular rev counter still takes pride of place, but racers can now indulge in a new lap timer/ stopwatch, operated from a switch on the right side of the handlebar. The bike still offers three different engine mappings, but they are now selected via a finger-thumb paddle on the left bar. And to top it all off, three amber lights (adjustable engine rpm indicators) race towards a singular white light that urges you to slice through the faultless six-speed gearbox. In all, this bike looks hotter than George Clooney in a sauna.
...the handling makes mincemeat of anything I throw at it...
At the end of the day I head back to the hotel, the bike is back on its standard suspension settings and I'm feeling more satisfied than if you'd locked me up in a chocolate shop for a day. And yet there's more ... suddenly, the roadside furniture is blasting past me, the broken white lines are morphing into a solid stream to my left and I'm grinning like a mad woman all over again. That's always been the beauty of Suzuki's superbikes. They're a real blast on track and more than capable of hanging with the best of them, but they're also so comfortable, so user friendly and so easy to use, that riding them in the real world is just as exciting.
I potter lazily through a village in top gear, with the revs hovering around the 2,000 rpm mark. There's no spluttering, no protesting. Once past 3,000rpm, the smooth power delivery picks up to eventually power through to silly speeds as the curtain lifts on the countryside. And with my bum glued to seat in road-rider fashion, the handling makes mincemeat of anything I throw at it, demanding flick-flacks, high-speed motorway blasts or slow manoeuvres.
Verdict
I don't feel quite as cushioned as I expected though. Traditionally, you sit 'inside' a GSX-R, but the K9 doesn't have such an armchair feel, which isn't a bad thing. The riding position's more noticeable on the road as I'm moving around a lot less and although it's comfortable, I'm grateful that the bike's back on its standard suspension settings as I hit some poor tarmac.
Road or track, this GSX-R1000 is more encouraging, more rewarding and more fun than I'd expected and just as much as I'd hoped. I loved my K6, but this has to be the best GSX-R so far.
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