GSX-S1000 - Opinions

[Navy Boy]

Hi All

I'm looking at taking a GSX-S1000f for a spin with a view to it potentially replacing my VStrom 650. The way I see it it's got the good bits of a sports bike without the associated painful elements. Plus I reckon it could well be ideal for my IAM riding/observing too.

What's wrong with the VStrom you ask? Absolutely nothing - It's a cracking bike. It simply lacks a bit of... Fizz...

I've had a good look at a couple of GSX-S1000s now, including Blackbird's, and I like what I see. Especially now that they are doing it in metallic white.

Thoughts? Owner's impressions? What's good or bad about them?

[SVboy]

Hi All

I'm looking at taking a GSX-S1000f for a spin with a view to it potentially replacing my VStrom 650. The way I see it it's got the good bits of a sports bike without the associated painful elements. Plus I reckon it could well be ideal for my IAM riding/observing too.

What's wrong with the VStrom you ask? Absolutely nothing - It's a cracking bike. It simply lacks a bit of... Fizz...

I've had a good look at a couple of GSX-S1000s now, including Blackbird's, and I like what I see. Especially now that they are doing it in metallic white.

Thoughts? Owner's impressions? What's good or bad about them?

1/ pm Blackbird of this forum. He owns one and seems to like it.

2/I am a Suzuki fanboi and wanted to really like it. I don't. Imho, poor suspension, poor fueling and average handling put paid to my interest. A friend spent the $$$ on a nitron, PCV and tune, even a flashed ecu. Just did not really work. MT10 leagues ahead. Opportunity lost Suzuki. Again imho.

[Laava]

I had a ride on one a year or so back. The owner was riding my 2014 v strom. As I took off he told me to watch out for the brakes. I told him I was used to good brakes and he warned me again. Any way, spirited ride on 30km or so of windy road near paparoa, I got off and was happy to hop back on the Strom. He got off my strom with a big smile on his face and said "shit the brakes are good on this bike, must have track pads in"
Anyway, I have a Ducati Monster 1200, that fucker will put the biggest smile on your face. The gsx-s is a teapot in comparison. Just my opinion, mind you I rate the V strom1000 over the gsx-s...

[Navy Boy]

1/ pm Blackbird of this forum. He owns one and seems to like it.

2/I am a Suzuki fanboi and wanted to really like it. I don't. Imho, poor suspension, poor fueling and average handling put paid to my interest. A friend spent the $$$ on a nitron, PCV and tune, even a flashed ecu. Just did not really work. MT10 leagues ahead. Opportunity lost Suzuki. Again imho.

Thanks.

I've already spoken to Blackbird (I attended the same track day as him a week or two back) so I know he likes his though it's not perfect.

I've also ridden the GSX-S 750 previously and liked it. I really like the look of the Yam XSR900 too. Perhaps I'll take one of those for a spin. I'm afraid the looks of the MT-10 are just a bit too challenging for me though I can see why it'd be a great choice.

[Blackbird]

Thanks.

I've already spoken to Blackbird (I attended the same track day as him a week or two back) so I know he likes his though it's not perfect.

I've also ridden the GSX-S 750 previously and liked it. I really like the look of the Yam XSR900 too. Perhaps I'll take one of those for a spin. I'm afraid the looks of the MT-10 are just a bit too challenging for me though I can see why it'd be a great choice.

Hi Lee,
The upgraded ECU sorted the fuelling and l have no issue with the brakes although some EBC HH pads will be used when the OEM ones need replacing. However, I went on a suspension tuning ride with Dave Moss last week and the improvement in handling was huge, even with budget rear suspension - wish I'd had it done before the track day! I don't really have any issue with the bike on technical grounds. As we all know and accept, there's an emotional component to owning and loving a bike. The Suzuki does its job admirably but I have no emotional involvement like I did with the Blackbird or especially the Street Triple. Hope that makes sense!

Incidentally, one of the Auckland IAM members has the F version and I can put you in touch if required.

[TheDemonLord]

I took one for a hoon - as a possible candidate when I need to scratch the new bike itch.

The riding position was comfy, but the seat was a bit small (for my fat arse) - and in cornering, it seemed a little twitchy - whereas the 'busa is very settled.

[Navy Boy]

I'm hopefully having one as a loan bike tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.

[Blackbird]

I'm hopefully having one as a loan bike tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.


You might find the front end a bit stiff. Dave Moss backed off the preload on mine and tinkered with the rebound and compression. I'd got the rear fairly close. Enjoy!!!

[Navy Boy]

Sadly I'm only able to take the bike from the CBD to Devonport and back so I won't get to do an in-depth test.

However, it has given me a good idea as to what it's like in traffic and filtering. The answer thus far is that it's better doing that than I expected. A top gear roll on from 80-100ish this morning showed that it's got plenty of overtaking punch too. Me likey. :laugh:

Despite reports to the contrary the throttle response feels fine to me. No better or worse than any other fuel injected bike I've ridden and the clutch, gearbox and throttle relationship is lovely. Typical Suzuki from my experience.

The bike I'm on has the larger Suzuki touring screen fitted too which seems to be pretty effective. We'll see what numbers Colemans come back with later today.

[Blackbird]

Despite reports to the contrary the throttle response feels fine to me. No better or worse than any other fuel injected bike I've ridden and the clutch, gearbox and throttle relationship is lovely. Typical Suzuki from my experience.



Great stuff Lee! The later models may well have the updated ECU. Those 2005-2008 based long stroke motors certainly have plenty of torque.

[Navy Boy]

Thanks all for your thoughts and feedback. I enjoyed my sadly too short ride on the GSX-S yesterday though I did manage to gain a good impression of what it's like in and around the snaggy traffic bits which is what Auckland traffic and riding seems to consist of mostly.

I collect mine tomorrow from the good folks at Colemans. In Mettalic White with my SatNav and Taller screen fitted.

I'm looking forward to getting some Kms on it this coming weekend too. :niceone:

[Blackbird]

Thanks all for your thoughts and feedback. I enjoyed my sadly too short ride on the GSX-S yesterday though I did manage to gain a good impression of what it's like in and around the snaggy traffic bits which is what Auckland traffic and riding seems to consist of mostly.

I collect mine tomorrow from the good folks at Colemans. In Mettalic White with my SatNav and Taller screen fitted.

I'm looking forward to getting some Kms on it this coming weekend too. :niceone:

Congratulations! Bloody hell - got any room left in the shed???? More importantly, did you have Executive Permission? :innocent:

Look forward to seeing it!

[Navy Boy]

Fear not!

The VStrom has been traded for the GSX-S. The intention is that this will be my main IAMing bike - With its good ergos and cracking overtaking ability :cool: it'll be ideal for the job I reckon.

[Banditbandit]

Hi All

I'm looking at taking a GSX-S1000f for a spin with a view to it potentially replacing my VStrom 650. The way I see it it's got the good bits of a sports bike without the associated painful elements. Plus I reckon it could well be ideal for my IAM riding/observing too.

What's wrong with the VStrom you ask? Absolutely nothing - It's a cracking bike. It simply lacks a bit of... Fizz...

I've had a good look at a couple of GSX-S1000s now, including Blackbird's, and I like what I see. Especially now that they are doing it in metallic white.

Thoughts? Owner's impressions? What's good or bad about them?


Fear not!

The VStrom has been traded for the GSX-S. The intention is that this will be my main IAMing bike - With its good ergos and cracking overtaking ability :cool: it'll be ideal for the job I reckon.

Hmmm .. every one I know who has had one (except for one person) has flicked them real quick ...

I'll be interested to see how long you last.

[Navy Boy]

Yep - It'll be real fun finding out though! :niceone:

[Blackbird]

Fear not!

The VStrom has been traded for the GSX-S. The intention is that this will be my main IAMing bike - With its good ergos and cracking overtaking ability :cool: it'll be ideal for the job I reckon.

Crikey Lee, are you trying to provoke Cassina? You could have said that that it was for running over stray dogs or something....... :facepalm:

[Navy Boy]

:first:

Who me???

With MY reputation...

BINGO!!!

[caspernz]

Hmmm .. every one I know who has had one (except for one person) has flicked them real quick ...

I'll be interested to see how long you last.

You're looking at the wrong crowd. I know a handful of folks who are doing serious mileage on theirs. Or maybe IAM not allowed to mention that...:laugh:

[Navy Boy]

As promised I'm reporting back after having done some Kms on the new GSX-s over a variety of roads this last weekend.

Engine

One word - WOW! Gear choice for a bend or overtaking manoeuvre is fairly optional though the throttle response is taking some getting used to as it feels very responsive, almost snatchy in its action. I even managed to get 20km/litre too which is good going considering the amount of performance on tap.

Ergonomics

Good mirrors and a nice, slightly canted forward riding position mean extended stints in the saddle aren't something to be dreaded. The pegs are fairly high up meaning that legs are bent fairly far up but that's the price you pay for no ground clearance issues. I had Suzuki's taller touring screen fitted which seems to work well without any noticeable buffeting.

Handling/Chassis

Some fine tuning has been needed here. I've softened off both ends from the standard settings, reducing preload to the minimum at the front as well as reducing the damping both front and rear. It seems to have made a bit of a difference but it's still a stiffly suspended bike. The upshot of course is that there's no wallowing in the faster bends and you get good feel as to what the tyres are doing too. As Suzuki say this is a comfortable sports bike and they are right. Ruddy good fun too. I'll be doing some more research into what settings others have used to see if I can get the standard suspension working even better over the coming weeks.

Overall

I wanted something with some more spice compared to my VStrom and I've certainly got that. The throttle response is going to take some time to adjust to but I'm pleased with the bike thus far. Sufficiently modern form an electronics point of view but not too complex that you need a few minutes playing with the various modes before every ride.

Oh and it's quick - Very quick! :yes:

[roogazza]

As promised I'm reporting back after having done some Kms on the new GSX-s over a variety of roads this last weekend.

Engine

One word - WOW! Gear choice for a bend or overtaking manoeuvre is fairly optional though the throttle response is taking some getting used to as it feels very responsive, almost snatchy in its action. I even managed to get 20km/litre too which is good going considering the amount of performance on tap.

Ergonomics

Good mirrors and a nice, slightly canted forward riding position mean extended stints in the saddle aren't something to be dreaded. The pegs are fairly high up meaning that legs are bent fairly far up but that's the price you pay for no ground clearance issues. I had Suzuki's taller touring screen fitted which seems to work well without any noticeable buffeting.

Handling/Chassis

Some fine tuning has been needed here. I've softened off both ends from the standard settings, reducing preload to the minimum at the front as well as reducing the damping both front and rear. It seems to have made a bit of a difference but it's still a stiffly suspended bike. The upshot of course is that there's no wallowing in the faster bends and you get good feel as to what the tyres are doing too. As Suzuki say this is a comfortable sports bike and they are right. Ruddy good fun too. I'll be doing some more research into what settings others have used to see if I can get the standard suspension working even better over the coming weeks.

Overall

I wanted something with some more spice compared to my VStrom and I've certainly got that. The throttle response is going to take some time to adjust to but I'm pleased with the bike thus far. Sufficiently modern form an electronics point of view but not too complex that you need a few minutes playing with the various modes before every ride.

Oh and it's quick - Very quick! :yes:

Nice ! As you can see I ride the "R" but same principles apply. I lowered the pegs 25mm ,much better. I also prefer a softer set up, so backed off comp and pre load.
Not many sport riders do that I would have thought ? But hey, I like it and no one leaves me behind. Enjoy your new wheels ! :shifty: :laugh:

[caspernz]

Easy to see you enjoyed your “running in” procedure on the weekend sir. :innocent::woohoo:

[Blackbird]

Easy to see you enjoyed your “running in” procedure on the weekend sir. :innocent::woohoo:

Hahahaha! I can assure you he was a bit more restrained heading north up the motorway on Saturday evening. Both of us were :msn-wink:

[Navy Boy]

The bike's in having its first service today - Having its R+G bungs fitted too.

As for the running in... well restricting the rider to just under 6k Rpm isn't much of a restriction to be honest :niceone:

The snatchy throttle is still that though - Snatchy... :mellow:

[Blackbird]

The bike's in having its first service today - Having its R+G bungs fitted too.

As for the running in... well restricting the rider to just under 6k Rpm isn't much of a restriction to be honest :niceone:

The snatchy throttle is still that though - Snatchy... :mellow:

Leave it until it's freed up a bit but if it's unacceptably snatchy as mine was, Simon Meade at Suzuki NZ should offer a new ECM free of charge. Transformed mine.

[mulletman]

Leave it until it's freed up a bit but if it's unacceptably snatchy as mine was, Simon Meade at Suzuki NZ should offer a new ECM free of charge. Transformed mine.

Im guessing a 'flashed' one ;) doesnt matter i suppose as long as its smooth :woohoo:

[Blackbird]

Im guessing a 'flashed' one ;) doesnt matter i suppose as long as its smooth :woohoo:

Unsure of its provenance as it was slightly different to the OEM unit so maybe not a re-flash. What it does, however, is eliminate the bottom end lean spot for compliance with EU emissions. Did the biz. It was a universal complaint on GSX forums at the time I bought mine and there were several ways of fixing it, some of which seemed expensive and complicated. Suzuki NZ's solution was rapid, worked perfectly and didn't cost me a cent - good on them! :2thumbsup

[nzspokes]

The snatch is called a fuel cut. They are set to drop to only enough fuel to support an idle when off the throttle. So when you come back on it bang you get fuel and the snatch. Personally its something that really annoys me about new bikes but they need it for standards.

My bakes have been mapped and any new ones will be as well. Just part of the buy price now.

[boman]

FWIW My last Suzuki was snatchy in the throttle. A K&N Air Filter helped this immeasurably.

[TheDemonLord]

Unsure of its provenance as it was slightly different to the OEM unit so maybe not a re-flash. What it does, however, is eliminate the bottom end lean spot for compliance with EU emissions. Did the biz. It was a universal complaint on GSX forums at the time I bought mine and there were several ways of fixing it, some of which seemed expensive and complicated. Suzuki NZ's solution was rapid, worked perfectly and didn't cost me a cent - good on them! :2thumbsup

for my 650FU - this used to happen at 80 Kph in 6th gear - the throttle response in that rev range was horrid - apparently that's the rev range when the compliance test is done.

Every other situation, the Throttle response was smooth as butter.

The 'Bus suffers no such weirdness

[Banditbandit]

Yep - It'll be real fun finding out though! :niceone:

YES ..

(plus 10 fucking characters)

[Banditbandit]

The snatchy throttle is still that though - Snatchy... :mellow:


That's one of the reasons people I know who have had one get rid of it .

[Banditbandit]

for my 650FU - this used to happen at 80 Kph in 6th gear - the throttle response in that rev range was horrid - apparently that's the rev range when the compliance test is done.

Every other situation, the Throttle response was smooth as butter.

The 'Bus suffers no such weirdness


At 80ks on my GSF650NA I would never be in top - fourth probably, maybe even 3rd - depending on how hard I wanted to accelerate - 80ks in top - open the throttle and it's a slug ..

PS - it's not a FU - it's not LAMS ...

[nzspokes]

for my 650FU - this used to happen at 80 Kph in 6th gears

Its a motorcycle, not a truck.

[caspernz]

The snatch is called a fuel cut. They are set to drop to only enough fuel to support an idle when off the throttle. So when you come back on it bang you get fuel and the snatch. Personally its something that really annoys me about new bikes but they need it for standards.

My bakes have been mapped and any new ones will be as well. Just part of the buy price now.

Part of the problem is running around too low in the rpm range, move it up a bit and it improves. But yep, some bikes have weird fuelling at the compliance rpm. On the Busa fitting a K & N air filter smoothed this wee step out...:shutup:



for my 650FU - this used to happen at 80 Kph in 6th gear - the throttle response in that rev range was horrid - apparently that's the rev range when the compliance test is done.

Every other situation, the Throttle response was smooth as butter.

The 'Bus suffers no such weirdness

Not wanting to sound sentimental, but my last bike with carbs seemed oh so smooth at low rpm, the change to fuel injected was certainly noticeable :innocent::shit:.

The Busa is difficult to compare with smaller bikes, as it does many things with ease :innocent::innocent::shutup::shutup::wings::wings: :love::love::devil2::devil2:

[TheDemonLord]

The Busa is difficult to compare with smaller bikes, as it does many things with ease :innocent::innocent::shutup::shutup::wings::wings: :love::love::devil2::devil2:

That she does - I'm at 97,000 Km and rising on her...

[Blackbird]

The Busa is difficult to compare with smaller bikes, as it does many things with ease :innocent::innocent::shutup::shutup::wings::wings: :love::love::devil2::devil2:

And it must be said that your Bus handles pretty darned fine too Rob :niceone: Or is that because you've done advanced training? (Cue outrage from Cassina :weird:)

[caspernz]

And it must be said that your Bus handles pretty darned fine too Rob :niceone: Or is that because you've done advanced training? (Cue outrage from Cassina :weird:)

Nah it’s the lucky colour scheme :doh::doh::devil2::devil2::clap::clap:

[Temporary-Kiwi]

it was the riding position that sold me, plus the older gsxr based mtr, I've had it for 18k so far, I straight away got a nitron r/shock and built a header to get rid of the euro4 junk
the stock br/pads are hard as iron, vesrah race pads transformed the bite/stopping power, then I put some k-tech fork valves in forks, this made it a decent road going sportbike, oh and some auxbeam led h/light bulbs as the stock one beam dip is pathetic.
at present I'm carrying out a full engine upgrade to give it gsxr1000 power.
hoping to have it dyno tuned prior to burt monroe rally, as to handling - I really like it, seems very flickable and sure footed now I have the suspension remedied.
my only complaint is the crap fairing , which is plain ugly when viewed from the front especially, but maybe I can fit something else to it !, at least I don't see it when having a ball riding it, and it's easy to do 500 + kms a day on, I already did a 5k trip around south island, the seat could be more comfortable, but its not near as bad as some others.
oh it's also a great wheelie bike ....

[roogazza]

Post up result of power upgrade and what was changed,I'm keen to hear.

I am thinking of going the other way and putting handlebars on my "R". :shifty::shifty:

[nzspokes]

Post up result of power upgrade and what was changed,I'm keen to hear.

I am thinking of going the other way and putting handlebars on my "R". :shifty::shifty:

Thats what I would do. :Punk:

[Temporary-Kiwi]

the stock cams are small duration/lift, so 1st off bought a k5gsxr inlet cam, raised compression via thin type h/gasket, cleaned up the ports and installed stock gsx intake cam as exhaust cam, retimed the cam lobe centers to a few different timings , settled on 106/104 degrees for broader power.
went a fair bit better, but the autotune stopped working and leaned out mtr.
I'm now going abit further, kelford gsxr1000 speedway grind cams, planed head for more compression, had stock pistons teflon/ceramic coated, carried out between cylinder venting mod, had crank lighened/ rebalance, new piston rings, gsxr750k6 valve springs, epoxy intake ports, flowed ex ports, plus a 5 angle valve seat job
and I built a fully tapered header and special baffle muffler to go with it.
I'm just waiting for the block to return, plus the cams so I can reassemble mtr.
then probably getting brm to dyno tune with the pcv, he thinks it will be 175+ @wheel.
so near enough to a gsxr1000 powerwise!