On Friday 14 January, I flew to New Plymouth and bought my first ever Suzuki. It was New Plymouth Motorcycle Centre's demonstrator GSX1250FAL0, with Givi touring kit. Indy Candy Blue with gunmetal grey rims, which I think is the best of the three colour schemes Suzuki offers the L0s in.
ABS as standard with the headlight and instrumentation purloined from the GSX-R, some may think that the FA is just a 1250 Bandit in drag. As well as the fully-faired engine it also has a different front suspension set up compared to that in the Bandit. Consequently it handles discernably differently, in a predictable and quite agreeable way.
Today the Blue Suzuki had its scheduled 6,000km service -- almost exactly 5,000km more than when I bought it two-and-a-half months ago.
I reckon that bikes always ride better after a decent mechanic has plied them with fresh oil and a bit of TLC. Today was no exception, also helped by me coming to terms with and enjoying the various modifications I've made to the once standard bike. The weather too was a perfect Wellington autumn day, which any motorcycle would be stupid not to enjoy.
This bike has the best gearbox I've ever shifted with. It is an absolute pearler, up and down. Not a false neutral to be had anywhere. Fresh oil today seemed to enhance that blissful experience.
The engine too is a delight. If BMW had built a four-cylinder engine this smooth that delivered its maximum torque at 3,700rpm, the world's motorcyle press would be festooning it with lavish adulation. Suzuki builds one and nobody says a word. It's a gorgeous piece of kit, a real rider's engine that is willing and absolutely unflappable. The injected fuelling is faultless.
Its fuel economy is pretty darned good too for a big bike. 15 to 16 litres of 91 octane will propel rider, bike and luggage about 300km, with four litres left, just in case.
This machine is not standard. Modifications to date include:
- Scottoiler -- to make the chain go further
- Oxford heated grips -- for rider comfort in the cold and wet
- Leo Vince SBK muffler -- so the rider and proximate New Zealand public can hear and appreciate what the engine is doing
- Garmin zumo 550 -- for extra trip meters, accurate speed information, height above sea level, and a reliable route for those moments when one really needs one
- Rad Guard -- to keep projectiles out of the radiator
- Rider saddle -- because Mr Suzuki of Japan really doesn't understand what serious saddle time means for a rider and pillion, but fortunately Mr McDonald of Tauranga does
- 55W H7 Ion Spark low beam bulb -- because the standard bulb is a bit thin on dip.
Suspension is good. Not outstanding but good, indeed better than I was expecting. Ohlins may be in order at about the 20,000km mark when the rebound on the rear should start to tire.
I'm still keeping an eye on the brakes. I have high standards in that regard, from over 80,000km on a Yamaha FJR1300T which has absolutely brilliant stoppers -- lots of stop with lots of feel. The FA's brakes are OK, 7.5 to 8.0 out of 10 on the Hitcher FJR scale. They're certainly much better the the brakes on some other ABS-equipped bikes I've ridden, which would be lucky to score a 5.0 on the above scale. Yes Mr BMW, I'm talking about yours.
After 5,000km, I'm starting to get the hang of the luggage. It's all Givi, which is hard to fault, although I'd be happier if it was all Monokey system. The panniers are Monokey, the topbox is Monolock and can take a bit of a fiddle to connect.
Next purchase will be tyres. After 6,000km there is a bit of wear starting to show on the rear. Time will tell what distance finally exhausts them. The OEM Bridgestone Battlax 021s are OK but I'll replace them with something else. The front tyre isn't as sharp as some other makes. At this stage my leading contender is the Dunlop Roadsmart.
I am really surprised that more of these bikes haven't been sold in New Zealand. They are outstandingly good value for money in standard form and can be made a quite exceptional bike for little additional cash. They go well and look great.
I am really enjoying my Suzuki GSX1250FA and we plan to be happy together for quite some time.
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Originally Posted by James Deuce
and I can only concur that this is a fabulous bike that deserves far better recognition than it has had so far! I loved it and found it great to commute on and splitting was a breeze as well. 
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