Is it a good pillion bike?
What is the GX like for a passenger? RIDE office manager Alison Silcox finds out
From a pillion’s point of view, the GX feels like a sportier sports tourer. When you climb on to the pillion seat it feels much taller than similar tall-rounders/adventure bikes due to the separate seat that’s stepped higher than the rider’s perch, rather than a one-piece rider/pillion seat.
I’m 5ft 10in and this step elevated me clear of the rider’s helmet – and while it gave me a fairly unobstructed view of the road ahead it put me more in the airflow. Some pillions may like this; others won’t.
On the go, I liked the position of the pillion grab rails. There’s lots of room between the rail and seat, which means your fingers don’t get trapped, and as the rails are nice and long you can vary the position of your hands with ease.
The drop to the pillion pegs is decent and so is the padding in the seat. I found that after more than an hour in the saddle I wasn’t experiencing any cramp or discomfort, which is very good. I’d certainly be happy travelling a fair distance on the back of the Suzuki.
During the ride I didn’t really notice the self-levelling suspension doing its thing, but the rider did comment that he didn’t spot the extra weight of the pillion in how the GX rode when in automatic preload mode – which he was impressed by – and that the bike felt roomy even with a pillion. But he wasn’t impressed with the brakes – he said he had to use more rear brake than normal to counteract the poorly-performing front brake. As pillion I didn’t immediately notice he was doing this, but it does explain why we had a few abrupt coming-to-rest moments as he couldn’t get the bike slowed enough initially and had to keep the lever firmly squeezed right down to a standstill.
Overall, the GX is pretty good for a pillion. Taller passengers may find being stuck in the wind tiring over a long trip, although if you’re on the shorter side and used to staring at the rider’s back you won’t suffer in the same way – and the ability to see the road might be an advantage.
‘It’s more sportier sports tourer, less tall-rounder’