Suzuki GSX S1000 GX 2024
Suzuki GSX S1000 GX, is a new for 2024 crossover that aims to balance speed and comfort in equal measure.
But the question I’ve got is whether this bike is actually good enough to go up against some of the competition in this genre, which I will say is really rather good.
You’ve got the Tracer 9 GT, for example, from Yamaha, and also the brilliant S1000 XR from BMW.
GSX S1000 GX Engine Performance
Now, we’ll start with the engine because for me, this is one of the key strengths of this bike with their 999 cc inline four.
That’s a proven performer because it’s basically derived from their legendary K5.
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of power at the top. It makes 150 horsepower up at 11,000 RPM.
And so that certainly puts it at the upper end of the table when it comes to peak power from crossover style bikes like this.
There’s absolutely bags of fun to be had up at the top of the rev range.
And also it’s got that sporty inline force soundtrack with a particularly basic exhaust note, especially for a stock system.
The only caveat that I will mention is, of course, there isn’t a great deal in terms of bottom-end shove, but I think that’s pretty much par for the course for an inline 4.
It’s the same with the S1000XR, for example.
It’s a trade-off I think a lot of potential buyers will be willing to make for that top-end, rushy peak power.
I will still say there’s enough mid-range there to make it pleasant to ride at moderate speeds. It’s just not got a lot of excitement down there or a strong kick.
But look, it will definitely deliver on thrills when the road opens up and you’ve got a very crisp up and down quick shift that fit it as standard, which also helps with that sense of sportiness.
GSX S1000 GX Handling and chassis :
As for the handling and chassis, well, it is a little bit of a mixed bag, I’d say.
The way it feels and turns is as I’d expect for this sports touring personality because it’s got that decent balance of stability, but also enough responsiveness and agility to make it fun to ride if you do want to pick up the pace on the road.
A lot of it, I think, comes down to how you’ve got this semi-active electronic suspension set up, which is actually a first for Suzuki.
It’s their first ever bike to get that tech. But yeah, I think you’ve got to get it dialed into your particular preference in order to start to feel at one with the bike.
You see, with the damp in, while it is semi-active and constantly adjusting to suit the riding conditions or how you’re riding, It still has three modes of hard, medium, and soft.
I really do think there’s quite a big difference between the three. Hard is particularly hard, and I think probably more suited to European roads where the surface tends to be a bit smoother.
And so I found medium to probably be a better setting for the majority of riding in the UK.
And perhaps it’s handy to still have that soft in your pocket in case you do want absolute comfort for those longer days in the saddle, perhaps when you’re doing more motorway riding.
Then you’ve got the preload as well. You can put that in automatic or you can have it for rider only, rider and luggage or rider and passenger.
But deeper in the menus, you can adjust it with even more granularity, and that can get the bike up on its nose a bit and make it feel more or you could sit down a little bit.
Again, buy us a touch more towards stability. It really is worth getting stuck into those settings and finding the one that works best for you.
This press bike, when I got it, was set to plus three, for example, on the automatic preload to get it up on its nose a bit.
I think it’s got a lot of adjustability once you get your head around all the settings.
And also about 230 kilograms, it’s not a particularly heavy bike, but there are still a couple of things that I think could be improved.
One would be the break here, and I was surprised that it doesn’t have much feel to it. I mean, you’ve got four piston, ragially mounted brembo calipers up front, so a decent sporty setup.
And while there is plenty of power, if you give the lever a good squeeze, there’s not much in the way of initial bite, and there’s not much feel until you get to that point.
Now, perhaps different pads, braided hoses could go some way to help.
But yeah, certainly coming off the S1000XR recently, which, admittedly, you have to pay quite a bit more money for. There is a big difference in terms of the quality and the feel of the break-in.
Then you’ve got the tires. a lot of people who ride this style of bike, in my experience of speaking to them, generally have a third tire anyway, so they’re probably going to swap it out.
But still, it would be nice if it did come on something a little bit more decent as standard.
Comfort & Ergonomics GSX S1000 GX
Now onto the comfort, and the riding position on this bike is fairly typical of the crossover genre.
It’s taller and more open than a low slung sports tourer like the GT version of this bike, for example, but also not quite as tall and open as a full on adventure bike.
For 175 centimeters, it really nice and comfortable.
The bars are fairly wide, but not humongous.
The seat height at 845 mill is fairly tall, And then the pec position, well, it does feel a little bit sporty.
They had to preserve some ground clearance for lean angle, but it’s also not super cramped like a sports bike.
Look, I think if you come in at this bike from a naked, for example, or a sports bike, then with the wind protection on top, you’re going to probably find this bike very comfortable and very pleasant to ride over distance.
But a word of warning, I guess, for anyone coming from a proper tourer or maybe an adventure bike, because it does still have a little bit of that sporting compromise to it.
The wind screen, for example, is only adjustable if you get an Allen key out.
The seat is pretty narrow and also doesn’t give you that much support at the edges. For me, after a couple of hours, it does start to get quite uncomfortable.
if you do want something that’s fundamentally sporty, but with a lot of comfort in mind, then I think it does deliver on that.
GSX S1000 GX Technology
Now, technology, I’d say, is a bit of an interesting one on this bike because I like the fundamentals.
The dash is nicely laid out and easy to read and looks quite exciting. The switch gears, decent. I got along with that quite nicely as well.
And you’ve got some handy stuff like the USB port by the dash, the quick shifter as standard, as I just mentioned, and also cruise control comes as standard, too.
But the thing that really sets it apart from other bikes is the fact that it doesn’t really have preset riding modes like Rain or Road or Sport or something like that.
You actually have to choose your own individual settings and find your own combinations for the current conditions.
So yeah, you can choose different levels of engine map, you can choose different levels of traction control.
And then you’ve got the dampen and the preload that I mentioned, and they’re all controlled through the left-hand switch gear.
Now, on the one hand, it does mean that you have to fundamentally understand the changes that you’re making.
So in some ways, it might give you a better understanding of how the bike is going to behave.
But then on the other, I think some people might find it a bit overwhelming or confusing compared to named riding modes where the purpose of each is a little bit more obvious.
I’d love to know from you what you think down in the comments below. Do let me know which you think you prefer.