New Suzuki GSXR1000

Hmhhh, do those pipes work?

Nothing announced in Canada or
the U.S. yet, but reports from Europe say that Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 is
a whole new bike for 2009.

A totally new engine is of course more compact
(a remarkable 5.8 cm shorter) while being more powerful, while
a longer swingarm (to take up the space of the shorter engine) should
lessen (can’t say ‘minimize’) the wheelie tendency. Longer swingarms
are also the current vogue for better handling, but the proof will be
in the riding.

The engine has the usual mod cons
— increased compression ratio, wider bore (so obviously a shorter stroke
for more revs), titanium valves, and ’12-point’ injectors.

A new frame for the new engine
and swingarm is a given, and suspension is upgraded to match. The front
features Showa’s trick new Big Piston Forks (BPF), as on the ’09 Kawasaki
ZX-6R, and are claimed to have the same benefits … lighter, more responsive,
less dive when braking.

Brakes are the fashionable radials,
and equally fashionable monobloc style for more stiffness.

The rider-controllable electronics
keep last year’s three-way power setting, and add a lap timer.

The only problem is that the
exhaust system makes an older Buell look like a thing of grace and beauty.
The aftermarket will be pleased.