SPORTY TOURERS!
2022 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT and Honda NT1100
The adventure touring sector has pretty much blown traditional sporty tourers out of the water for years now. But is there life in the old ST class yet? Honda and Suzuki certainly seem to think so, with both firms releasing new machinery in the sector for 2022.
First up is the Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT
– a fully-faired version of the naked GSX-S1000 we rode earlier in the year. This GT version takes the same 152bhp engine and decent chassis package and adds a much more touring-friendly fairing. You also get a 19-litre fuel tank, wide rubber-mounted handlebars and LED lighting, plus extra-comfy seating. There’s optional hard luggage, thanks to a stronger new rear subframe, and a huge 6.5-inch TFT colour LCD dashboard.
On the chassis front, there’s fully adjustable 43mm USD KYB forks up front and a pre-load/rebound adjust shock in the back. The electronics are also proper: up/down quickshifter, Bluetooth, cruise control, power modes, ABS and traction, of course. The GT costs £11,699 and is in shops now.
The NT1100 also uses an existing engine and frame, this time the 100bhp 1,084cc parallel twin motor and steel tube double cradle frame off the Africa Twin. The running gear is tweaked for a more road-biased feel and look, and there’s all-new bodywork. It looks a bit on the chunky side – and does tip the scales at a hefty 238kg wet (248kg for the DCT automatic transmission version). Suspension is standard Honda fare – Showa all round, but with a 43mm USD fork and remote pre-load adjust rear shock. It’s also rammed with toys: a big 6.5-inch colour LCD touchscreen dashboard, traction, ABS, cruise control, heated grips, Apple/android media set-up, and hard panniers as standard. It also has wheelie control, though the 100bhp/248kg power-to-weight ratio suggests that particular system might not be called upon too often…
As always with Honda, the new NT1100 will no doubt be a great thing to ride and far exceed its slightly dull-looking specsheet numbers, so we’ll reserve full judgement until we get a spin on one. Price and availability were still to be confirmed as we went to press.