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Sportbike 2: Squint
2003 Suzuki GSX-R 1000

Click for picture album! Psycho bike! On April 29, 2003, I picked up my new blue/black Suzuki GSX-R 1000 at Tony's Cycle. After spending a year with the SV650S, I realized that I needed a faired bike with a lot more power, and sharper handling. OK fine, I shouldn't be sustaining high speeds on any public road, but sometimes I feel the need, and this bike is a lot more suited to a track or to extended day-long sporting rides. In case you haven't seen my other vehicles, I track as much as possible! I sold this bike in February, 2005 to Tony's Cycle and bought two bikes. Loved every minute with this bike... it was fantastic!

History

Originally I had planned to forego the GSX-R and move up to the new 2003 SV1000S, but after consideration of the SV1000's weight, econo suspension and disappointing fact that Suzuki decided to use the heavy and slightly detuned motor out of their TL-S, I started looking at the more focused bikes. What I found upon sitting a few bikes and reading various articles, was that the GSX-R, if anything, was just as comfortable even though it's a little more focused, and it was lighter, quicker and more attractive.

Wanting more torque than the 600 class could deliver, I started looking at the GSX-R 750. What a great bike! The 2002 750 has better brakes and forks than the 1000 or 600 of the same year, same looks, 14,000 RPM redline and excellent riding characteristics. The GSX-R 750 is as sharp as a razor blade, and as dependable as a nail.

Click for picture album! But then they told us what the new 1000 was going to be. New stiffer frame, new motor, awesome new forks, new radial brakes, new looks, new exhaust, 32 bit fuel/ignition control, lighter, faster... oh boy. Being a gadget freak as well as a motorcycle enthusiast, this bike tickled all my erogenous zones. Every one. I had to have it, damn the insurance cost.

Put in plain english, this bike is the quickest, nimblest-handling, big-bore production bike combination to date. It lights a passion in me that is hard to describe, just looking at it. This bike demands serious respect even from riders (and racers!) that have been riding bikes all their lives. I know this, and because I've been riding bikes for almost half of mine, I will practice great restraint. If you question your ability to ride using your head, or you doubt your skills, this is not the bike you should be looking at.

Specifications

"OK Steve, you've told us this is the quickest production motorcycle to date, but what is it that makes this bike so quick?" I'm glad you asked.

That's a weight:power ratio of roughly 3.8:1 with a full load of liquids and a 200 pound rider (me) on the bike. By contrast, a 2003 Corvette has a 10.5:1 ratio. While you're letting that sink in, check out the other cool features:

That just scratches the surface of what this awesome bike is all about. To quote Motorcycle magazine, this bike "rips your tits off." In fact, in testing the 2003, Johnny B of Motorcycle.com wondered why Suzuki bothered to bring out this new bike when their existing one was already better than the competition! Suzuki took any criticism of the "old" 1000, even minor ones, and incorporated changes to rectify them... evolution is good.

Click for picture album! Known Stock Performance

Nobody had yet tested the 2003 version of bike when I wrote this, but I'll be happy to post known performance of this bike as it existed in its 2000-2002 incarnation. The 2003 is slightly lighter and stronger, and also handles better, but since there are no official numbers on its performance yet, this will have to do.

0-60mph: 2.3 seconds
Quarter Mile: 9.76@148.4mph (Motorcyclist Magazine)

Other performance numbers will have to come at a later date, sorry! This bike is so new that I didn't even have it when I made up this web page to worship it.

Notable Quotes

When a motorcycle comes along that redefines the whole genre of "Supersport", it is going to generate some interesting quotes. So, I've decided to archive a few of them for you here. I've only taken them from magazine tests, since everyone else simply says "holy #@#$" after they've ridden it, and that's no fun to read, is it?

"...you have to hand it to Suzuki for simply moving the game into a different league."
- Rob Smith, Bikepoint

"...this Suzuki just kicks you in the ass any time you twist that right grip. Immediately you are pushed forward harder than you ever thought possible."
- Motorcycle.com

"Suzuki has made a stupendously fast and powerful motorcycle feel usable and controllable. This is no small feat."
- Dirck Edge, Motorcyle Daily

"...what we have here is a lighter, stronger, better looking, sharper-handling, quicker-to-stop GSX-R 1000..."
- Motorcyle News

Click for picture album! "the clear winner is this here tire-spinnin,' front-wheel wagglin', big-dicked Suzuki GSX-R1000! You can keep all your 600's and your exotic twins and suddenly I'm over my Buell XB-9S. This thing is for me. Stock for stock, it parts the cheeks of every other sportbike I have ridden to date."
- Johnny B, Motorcyle Online (link)

Magazine Articles

MCNews Australia, Sept. 2002: link
Motorcycle News Feb. 2003: scans
Motorcycle Online Feb. 2003: link
AMA Superbike, Feb. 2003: link
Motorcyclist Online, Feb. 2003: link
Australian Motorcycle News, Feb. 2003: scans
AMA Superbike, Mar. 2003: link
Bikepoint, Mar. 2003: link
Performance Bikes, April 2003: scans
RoadRacing World, April 2003: scans
Two Wheels Only, April 2003: scans
Road Racing World, April 2003: click
MCN, May 2003: scans - vs. R1 and 954!
My initial opinions: click
BikePoint May 2003: click
Motorcyclist, Aug 2003: click
Motorcycle Daily, Sept 2003: click
Motorcyclist Magazine, Oct 2003: click - vs. 999S Ducati
2WF, Jan 04: click - vs. 2004 litrebikes
Performance Bikes, Mar 2004: scans - vs. ZX-10R, ZX-9R, ZX-12R