Quick! What doesn’t feature traction control or ride-by-wire throttle technology, has lighter pistons and a new 4-1 exhaust and Brembo brakes, and just lost two kilos?
The answer, of course, is the 2012 Suzuki GSX-R 1000.
In a world where sportbikes move towards more and more electronic control to help riders harness their machine’s power, Suzuki has said ‘No thanks.’ Instead, their engineers focused on the usual – bringing the 2012 litre-bike’s weight down, and tuning up the engine for more power.
So, instead of traction control, you get lighter pistons, higher compression, changes to the tappets and valve recesses to get you going faster (supposedly boosting low- and mid-range performance while improving gas mileage), and Brembo monobloc calipers to slow you down faster once you’re up to speed.
Other touches include new instrumentation, new black fork tubes and new red pinstripes on the wheels.
Pricing has yet to be announced.
Good job on the styling! Â Looks crisp.