Touring motorcycles have to be good at a lot of things. They need to have enough power to lug around two people and their luggage on the highway. They need to be comfortable for days – literally. And they need to be reliable. We can’t stress how important this last bit is, because you don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere because something failed on your tourer.
Honda is a great brand to pick for a touring bike, because it has grown a reputation for reliability, no matter what model it is. Ownership costs are also very low, because that is something that Honda pays attention to. You couldn’t say the same about a BMW, but you definitely get your money’s worth when you get one of the Bavarian bikes. They add the kind of refinement that budget brands can only dream of.
What if you wanted the refinement of the BMW, but not its ownership costs? Similarly, what if you desired the reliability of the Honda brand, but want some more features and pace from your tourer? Happily, there is a middle ground, and it is the touring bike with Honda reliability and BMW-level refinement.
The Suzuki GSX-S1000GX Offers Honda Reliability And BMW-Level Refinement
Suzuki has a great strategy of component sharing among its models. It isn’t different from what other manufacturers are doing, but Suzuki somehow manages to extract the best value from its selection. The GSX-S1000GX is one of three models that share a chassis and driveline, with appropriate changes to various components to suit its application better. As a tourer, the GSX-S1000GX has great features and refinement that are comparable to the best European brands in the business (like BMW), and its component sharing gives it reliability like Japanese brands (like Honda).
It Starts At $18,749
The GSX-S1000GX is Suzuki’s most expensive tourer. It is priced at just under $19,000, which puts it squarely in premium crossover territory. However, it does have the feature set and performance figures to back up that price. It also doesn’t need any upgrades as such to be a premium tourer; pretty much everything you’d need or want in a tourer is included in the price.
152 Horses At Your Disposal
Sport Bike Derived Engine, Sport Bike Derived Characteristics
Suzuki has repurposed an old liter Gixxer engine to power its liter naked and touring motorcycles for the GSX-S1000GX. It has ‘detuned’ this 999 cc inline four and has given it a compression ratio of 12.2:1. The result is 152 horsepower at 11,000 RPM and 78.2 pound-feet at 9,250 RPM. This is a flexible engine, but it doesn’t have the typical touring bike engine characteristics that one expects. Suzuki has given it low-RPM assist as a sort of anti-stall, which should give you an idea of what this engine is like.
Not much happens at low revs. However, get to the mid-range and suddenly it’s, “Warp speed, Mr. Sulu”! Things get exponentially more exciting the closer you get to the redline. Thankfully, there is all the electronic assistance you’ll need, including a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU. There are ride modes, cornering traction control, wheelie control, engine brake control, and cruise control.
A six-speed gearbox with an assist and slipper clutch, and a two-way quickshifter, complete the driveline. A couple of interesting features are that the cruise control doesn’t disengage even if you shift gears, and the throttle response is linked to the electronic suspension and changes its response depending on the feedback from the suspension.
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Suzuki GSX-S1000GX Chassis
One Of The Sportiest
The GSX-GX’s chassis has also been derived from an old liter Gixxer just like the engine, so it is an aluminum twin spar frame. The subframe is a stronger one to deal with the rigors of touring, and there is long-travel suspension with nearly six inches of travel available. The inverted front forks and rear single shock are fully adjustable, and have electronic control. The rear has electronically adjustable preload as well, and the damping can be set and left in ‘auto’ mode. The Suzuki Road Adaptive Stabilization will do the rest.
Brembo provides twin 310 mm front brake discs with radial four piston fixed calipers, and a 240 mm disc with a Nissin single piston caliper is at the rear. The six axis IMU enables cornering ABS and rear wheel lift mitigation.
Suzuki GSX-S1000GX Dimensions
This is a normal full-size motorcycle, at 84.6 inches long and with a wheelbase of nearly 58 inches. It is tall, with a seat height of 33.3 inches and a ground clearance of 6.1 inches. The fuel tank holds a good five gallons, and the GSX-S1000GX weighs 511 pounds wet.
You Get All The Features You Can Ask For At This Price
Premium Price, Premium Features
When you’re dropping nearly $19,000 on a Japanese motorcycle, you know you’re going to get a premium product, and that you’re going to get your money’s worth. Even so, the GSX-GX impresses. A 6.5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation greets you when you swing a leg over. An adjustable windscreen, a center stand, hand guards, and color-matched hard luggage are also standard features.
Suzuki GSX-S1000GX Competition
There is some very strong competition in the sport-touring segment that the GSX-S1000GX is in. The only sport tourer that Honda has is the NT1100 DCT. It is priced very differently, at $11,999, and lacks the power and electronic suspension of the Suzuki, but a recent update has given it a six axis IMU, and the six speed dual clutch automatic gearbox is always a boon in the city.
Closer to the Suzuki’s price, there are options like the Ducati Multistrada V2 and Triumph Tiger 900, but they are more adventure tourers than sport tourers. So there are only two real competitors for the Suzuki, both with inline four engines and long-travel suspension.
One is the Kawasaki Versys 1100. It has a different take on sport touring, with a larger capacity engine that focuses more on torque rather than power. It is well equipped, but it also charges a premium with a price of $19,499. The other competitor is a BMW. The S 1000 XR, like the Suzuki, has a detuned liter sport bike engine, and a very tasty base price. However, you’ll have to dip into the accessories to match the equipment levels of the Suzuki, but there is a 20-horsepower and 11-pound weight gap in favor of the BMW between the two that is difficult to ignore.
Suzuki GSX-S1000GX vs. BMW S 1000 XR
|
Suzuki GSX-S1000GX |
BMW S 1000 XR |
|
|
Price |
$18,749 |
$18,825 |
|
Displacement |
999 cc |
999 cc |
|
Engine layout |
Inline four cylinder |
Inline four cylinder |
|
Power |
152 HP @ 11,000 RPM |
170 HP @ 11,000 RPM |
|
Torque |
78.2 LB-FT @ 9,250 RPM |
84 LB-FT @ 9,250 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
511 LBs (wet) |
500 LBs (wet) |
Source: Suzuki Cycles