BEN SUZUKI GSX-S1000
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Topping up the blaspheme box.”
I’ve had quite a hoot on the GSX-S thou this month, which has been made all the sweeter by the fine autumnal weather which we’ve been blessed with of late. Although the majority of the 400-odd miles that I’ve racked up these past few weeks have mainly been clocked on my commute while hounding a fine 15-mile stretch of B-roads to and from work, it’s just been fudgin’ good fun being back on a bike after a few weeks of resting up with busted ribs.
Slinging a leg over the ol’ girl for the first time since a track day at Donny, and having also had a wee fettle with the setup, I was instantly amazed at how much sharper and more refined Suzuki’s larger sibling of the GSX-S breed now felt, resulting in a newly discovered synergy between myself and my steed.
When you find that happy feeling with a bike it’s a great place to be; everything feels almost effortless as your inputs translate more precisely and you get a certain harmonious connection between yourself, the wheels you’re riding and the tarmac you’re tearing up.
Having noted the difference in feel, it got me wondering why bikes don’t come fresh from the factory with a slightly more ‘refined’ setup.
Surely when a bike has so much innate potential to feel and perform better then surely it’d have a positive effect on sales?
I have to admit, the new hoops (Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa IIs) have also been instrumental in the improved feel and deserve a large proportion of the credit. They’ve been faultless, enhancing adhesion with their dual compound construction and improving agility by making the bike steer better with their racier profile, all the while without compromising stability. They’ve also proved capable in wet conditions – although they have yet to be put to the test with heavy rain and standing water. So far, I’d say that they are a great all round tyre, being both capable and content on road or track.
Thankfully I also managed to find a spare five minutes – which then turned into about a bloody hour – to sling on a little carbon bling in the form of a front fender and rear hugger. From past experience of fitting similar items, it has always been a relatively straightforward affair; undo a couple of bolts, remove item, replace with new item, and reinsert bolts. Job done. Well not on this occasion. Admittedly if I had front and rear paddock stands, it would’ve made the chore much less painful, but then again I hadn’t expected to have to remove wheels and calipers in order to upgrade these components.
Firstly, the fixings for the hugger are located on the inside face of the swingarm, making accessibility almost impossible with the wheel in place. Secondly, up the sharp end, undoing the fixings was a doddle, however removing and replacing the fender was never going to happen without removing the front wheel (and calipers). So after a bit of twatting about I finally managed to get the front end blocked up under the bottom of the forks in order to drop the wheel out and get the bastard fender in place. Once it was all bolted back together the result was an overflowing blaspheme box and a rather tidy looking GSX-S1000. These couple of new additions paired with the dinky LED blinkers (fitted earlier) collectively make quite a difference to the appearance of the bike. Nice!