RIDEFAST SEPTEMBER

anything else. This little guy just stood
for a full ten minutes taking it all in. We
sure hope that his parents get him on to
a bike soon. Everywhere we stopped,
people did a second take. Suzuki has
always built pretty superbikes and this is
one of them.
Mieke, Kyle, Sean, Michelle and Glenn
took turns in twisting the bikes ears and
the Suzuki’s proved that even though
they have not had serious upgrades for
the latest models, they are still a mighty
force to be reckoned with.
There are thousands out there with
more power and more aggressive
personalities, the Gixxer 1000R tempers
the delivery for a user-friendly ride that is
easy to manage. And that’s exactly what
we all appreciated.
www.suzuki.co.za for your nearest Suzuki
dealer
Lady Rider Mieke says:
Run. Turn. Stop.
The three fundamental capabilities
required by a sportbike. Has Suzuki
mastered all of them in this 6th
Generation Gixxer?
A simple answer? Yes. But the R model
is the better buy, even with the slight
price difference.
The R model, with Showa BFF and BFCL,
has considerably better road manners than
its base-spec counterpart. Providing better
road feedback in terms of traction to allow
the rider more confident throttle use, it
also absorbs uneven road surface, almost
canceling it out as one would background
noise. To me, riding them back-to-back it
was like riding 2 different motorcycles.
As you get on you immediately notice
the slender frame and handlebars closer
together; a more compact riding position.
This is definitely a bonus if you have
a smaller physique; everything is at a
comfortable distance without making you
feel you’re reaching for it. The bike is
so well balanced that if you’re vertically
challenged it is not impossible to slide off
the seat to get a foot on the ground either.
The bike immediately instills a kind of
confidence in the rider, and I found myself
loosening up and moving freely in the twists
and turns.
Having ridden many previous GSX-R
models, I found it slightly lacking that
exhilarating Raw Suzuki aggression.
Maybe for me, Suzuki has made the bike a
bit too refined?
It won’t disappoint a newbie but might
make a die-hard fan scratch his chin. The
compact powerplant delivers power in a
more linear fashion, and the bi-directional
quick shifter contributes to a fuss-free ride.
What a cool day it was.
See you out there soon!
This Lightie rushed over to the bike and
gazed at it for a full 10 mins.
ATTENTION!
Get a grip in the twisties.
Trick Suspension on the R
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