April 29, 2015
No new GSXR before 2017
No new GSXR before 2017
IF ever a range of bikes looked overdue for an upgrade, it’s Suzuki’s GSX-R line-up. But while there’s been plenty of speculation about potential upgrades (including some by us), latest evidence suggests we’ve still got a while to wait.
Emissions documents filed with the California Air Research Board (CARB) have homologated all three existing GSX-R models for another year, showing that at the very least the engines of the 2016-spec machines will remain unaltered.
The implication is that we won’t see a replacement for the GSX-R1000, 600 or 750 before the 2017 model year at the earliest.
Although that would normally mean waiting another full year, there’s been a recent trend for manufacturers to release ‘early’ models, so there’s a chance the ‘2017’ GSX-R1000 could appear sooner than its official model year suggests. Suzuki did it with the V-Strom 1000, revealing the 2014 model in late 2012.
However, there are also some hints that the GSX-R1000 replacement could be further away than that. The only GSX-R1000 alteration for 2015 was the addition of optional ABS, something that all bikes over 125cc will need if they’re to be sold in Europe after January 1 2017. If there was an all-new GSX-R1000 due to be ready for that date, developing ABS for the current model might seem an unnecessary expense. The fact ABS has been added might be a hint that the existing bike is expected to still be available come the start of 2017.
The remarkable longevity of the GSX-R is having one good side-effect, though. The fact it’s getting on means its development costs have been amortised already, and as such it’s starting to look like a remarkable bargain. The base model, at £10,599, is £4,400 cheaper than a new R1, for instance, and with ABS it’s still £4k less. Even compared to older rivals like the ZX-10R and Honda Fireblade, the GSX-R1000 is looking cheap. It’s £1,600 less than either of them in non-ABS form and £1,800 with ABS added.