Suzuki works at a slower speed than other Japanese manufacturers, so the news that a new GSX-S1000 will be unveiled soon—following the redesigned 2021 Hayabusa—comes as a surprise.
- The bike is the subject of a new teaser video from the company, which is intended to give away as little information as possible, as is typical of such marketing tactics.
- It’s the standard format: darkened pictures, close-up glimpses, and a slightly illogical slogan—in this case, “the elegance of naked aggression”—which would be unsettling in any other sense. However, the teaser, as well as Suzuki’s recent trends in new model growth, can reveal a lot.
Suzuki GSX-S1000
Although it’s tempting to think that Suzuki will go all-out on the next-gen GSX-S1000, stripping the fairing off the new GSX-R1000 to produce a 200-hp Ducati Streetfighter V4 competitor, the reality is that the company’s development trend in recent years has been to cleverly reskin existing components and add a veneer of technology. Even the new Hayabusa defied expectations by carrying over a refined and redesigned variant of the original engine in a practically unchanged chassis.
- According to all indications, the same strategy would be used on the GSX-S1000, and it’s a path that makes a lot of sense.
- Despite the potential appeal of a super-naked derived from the most recent GSX-R1000, the fact is that the current GSX-S1000, with a 150 hp engine derived from an all-time great, the 2005 GSX-R1000 K5, already has plenty of success on the track.
Suzuki GSX-S1000
The Katana has already shown that the GSX-bones S1000’s can be easily clad in more attractive bodywork, and by catering to those who want a retro-styled machine, it allows the GSX-S to be turned into a more overtly modern-looking machine. Suzuki’s teaser mentions “naked violence,” and even in a darkened space, glimpses of the new bike show a significant improvement over the dowdy and dated GSX-S1000.
- Triple stacked LEDs replace the current model’s oh-so-20th-century halogen headlight upfront, and there are distinct downward-turned winglets on either side of the nose.
- Side panels jutting out from the fuel tank’s edges wrap around the fork, almost touching the headlight unit and serving as winglet supports.
The overall impact should drive the bike’s visual weight forward, aided by a new fuel tank that’s positioned to blend in more seamlessly with the seat. The tail, which is mostly obscured in the teaser, seems to have been restyled, and the latest GSX-S1000 appears to lack the current model’s pointy-fronted belly pan, leaving the exhaust headers in full view.
- In terms of technology, the improvements are unlikely to be important. With some luck, we’ll get suspension updates, and the teaser clearly shows a revised fork with a gold-colored coating rather than the black finish seen on the current bike.
- The brakes seem to be unchanged, which isn’t a bad thing considering the GSX-S1000 already has Brembo radial calipers.
There will undoubtedly be upgrades to the bike’s electronics, and the fact that there is a new GSX-S1000 is a sure sign that the faired GSX-S1000F will be right behind it in the revision queue.
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