How good is Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 literbike? A highly modded version of the latest model won the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in its debut year. Its ultra-high-output DOHC inline-four uses sports-car-derived trickery like variable valve timing and electronic ride-by-wire throttle control. And its three-axis accelerometer is immensely helpful to riders of all stripes, feeding input to a computer that controls engine output according to throttle position, gear selection, pitch and roll moments, wheel speed, and more. Selectable modes let the rider control the intervention level. The extra-cost ABS model transcends traditional ABS-equipped bikes, controlling rear wheel lift by modulating front brake pressure during hard stops.
Like other modern superbikes, this is no Jekyll-and-Hyde machine; you won’t find a secret door that suddenly transports you from sane to insane realities. Instead, the GSX-R1000 has an immense but almost rheostatic bandwidth, and so it’s as content trolling through rush-hour traffic as it is screaming up Road America’s front straight.
Likes: Wheelie control? That's old news. The GSX-R1000 ABS has stoppie control!
Dislikes: Bodacious performance, yet boring colors.
Verdict: Massive performance requires maximum respect.
