Suzuki GSX-S1000... A dilemma... Talk to me...

[mboy]

So long story short, I could do with about £5k right now temporarily... I'm not in financial difficulty, and could certainly put the cost on a low interest credit card (private surgery to fix a botched NHS operation!) if I needed to, but I have been given an opportunity to PX my 22 Ducati Streetfighter V2 for a 22 Suzuki GSX-S1000 and put about £5k in my pocket...

Now I bought the Ducati on a bit of a whim, it's a lovely bike, arguably 5% of the time it's awesome, 95% of the time it's too focussed for road riding. I've done just shy of 2k miles on it, and would obviously take a fair hit on it if I just sold it on right now (looking at about a £2k hit for the 4 months I've owned it)... Now I own it outright, so it would more than cover the £5k, and arguably as a 2nd bike it's a bike I don't need... It also has its flaws, has been back to the dealer several times to have minor niggles fixed (Ducati reliability might be way better than it was 20yrs ago, but my particular bike has had its niggles).

The GSX-S1000 option intrigues me... It's a bike I've always thought would be a great road bike, but probably overlooked cos it's not especially desirable. I hear only great things from those that own them, and those with Streetfighters/Tuonos/Superdukes/MT-10's (all of which I have now owned at some point) etc. seem just to look down their nose at them. But GSX-S riders seem to actually be out there putting miles on their bikes more than owners of other said "Super Nakeds" it seems to me...

To put the price change into perspective... For what I am being offered for my SFV2, if I then went and bought a brand new GSX-S1000 I'd have about £2k left in my pocket, maybe £2.5k if I negotiated the right deal... This 10 month old bike has 1200 miles on, and would leave me £5k better off, so financially at least it's making sense to me.

I am a road rider through and through... I have done one track day ever. I'd like to change this in the future, but I have other priorities at the moment...

So is the GSX-S1000 gonna light my fire? I'll be honest and say I always used to say in-line 4's weren't for me... I've had an MT-10 (which is a crossplane engine so not a conventional in-line 4) and a Honda Blackbird in the past, and actually really loved both engines on their merits! But I know there's some dull in-line 4's out there, but the K5 derived lump in the GSX-S seems well received too...

What's the stock suspension like? This is somewhere I can be quite critical, and have upgraded bikes in the past. My MT-10 forks weren't great but the shock was awful. Tuono 1100 V4 Factory was sublime with its electronic Ohlins though... Somewhere in the middle I'd accept...

So do I go for it? Or just take the hit on the Ducati (which I've pretty much decided is going anyway), put the money in savings, then have a look next year once I'm back to full health...?

[Skub]

@Supermofo seems to love his.
viewtopic.php?t=5006

[weeksy]

yeah there's a lot of love for them from the owners of the 750/1000 on here..

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It depends what you want, if you want the modern equivalent of a 1200 Bandit get one

[MyLittleStudPony]

Get one of them Frazers.

[Supermofo]

@Supermofo seems to love his.
viewtopic.php?t=5006

I flippin well do too

To the OP, no idea if you'll like it but I absolutely love mine. I can see why people look down their noses at them, it's not as flash or have the gadgets of the Superdukes, MT10, Tuono's etc. But as a road bike it does what it says on the tin. Decent torque and 148bhp in a naked bike has got to be more than enough surely! I find the handling really good and it's comfy enough for longer trips. The rear shock can be challenged at times but is fine for the majority of my riding, I'm going to upgrade my suspension next year some time, don't mind waiting as I said I find it's fine 95% of the time. The forks I find decent. The front is fully adjustable and there's re-bound and preload at the back. Brakes I find lack a bit of bite, but stop well enough. Finish I think is pretty good. The icing on the cake for mine was it was only £8k pre-reg brand new. I don't think I could have found anything anywhere near as good for that money. Oh and no niggles whatsoever (touches wood!). Not sure how much different the newer shape one is to mine, but doubt it's much different. The GT version has been selling like hotcakes and seems well received.

I should imagine in comparison you'd find the Ducati better at stuff, but then the Suzuki is what it is, a budget bike. But as you've noticed I've seen a lot of GSXS1000s online with 30, 40, 50, 60k miles on so they are being ridden and in the main those higher mileage bikes seems to maintain their finishes fairly well. The main forums for them are in the states but in general from what I've read most owners like them.

Only downside was the OE tyres, they were pretty damn horrible.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My 750 passed 19000 miles today, the fork springs are definitely getting better with some miles on them

[Yorick]

My 750 passed 19000 miles today, the fork springs are definitely getting better with some miles on them

Maybe the old oil will have more effect than the springs?

[Taipan]

If you're taking a hit on the Duc anyway, then dont take another hit on a new GSXS, go for the second hand one. No brainer for me.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My 750 passed 19000 miles today, the fork springs are definitely getting better with some miles on them

Maybe the old oil will have more effect than the springs?

Could be, the front end feels softer, but it still feels damped, but it could just be that I've got used to it as I haven't got any fatter

[Potter]

It's a total no-brainer to me, just sell the Ducati, put the money in the bank as an emergency fund and use the £5k for your op.
Why take on another bike that you don't really want?

Personally I always think it's better to have an emergency fund tucked away in easily accessible cash rather than have it tied up in assets that you don't really need (or even want). You don't need the V2 or the GSXS (and they're both depreciating assets anyway), so free up the cash and give yourself a pot of money to dip into when you need it.

[mboy]

OK, so... 5 weeks later I have a bit of an update...

Thanks to all who posted. I genuinely thought long and hard about things and took all opinions into consideration as well as doing more research on the bikes.

Fortunately, I was able to sell my Ducati privately in the end, which meant I netted about £500 more than I would have done selling it to a dealer at least... Small victories.

So I sat down and assessed the situation. And then I was handed a bit of a lifeline in that work is happy for me to go back to work P/T and pay me pro-rata for the next couple of months, and it also seems my missus' work Bupa care will actually cover the cost of the operation I need too... Much bigger victories!

Anyway... I took a punt on a cheap 20 plate Gen1 GSXS100F, the faired version... I know many people hate the looks of them, but I quite like it, it's only the cheap old school headlight that ruins the look from the front (with an LED/HID conversion, they look amazing!), from all other angles they look great, and the small screen helps in the same way that it does on a Tuono too.



It's a 1 owner bike, 3yrs old, 14k miles, FSH, it has been used all year round as a commuter so is a bit tatty in places, but I also paid bottom dollar for it too... Crucially it rides spot on, and the jobs to sort it are pretty easy (aside from the 15k valve service due soon).

So I did a few hundred miles on it, and wow, what a bike! I love it already...

Ordered a new chain, sprockets, 55 profile rear tyre (stock had a puncture repair in anyway, but also wanted to change to a 55 to aid turn in) and got them fitted this last weekend...

It's fair to say the chain and sprockets were due... As was a SERIOUS clean!







All cleaned up... New chain and sprockets (16T front down from 17 to count for the taller 55 tyre), new tyre and almost ready to go...



And here it is on a quick 15 mile shakedown ride (ignore the chicken strips, it had just rained, tyre is brand new, it'll get leant over properly soon enough)...



Next steps...

Got a Nitron R1 shock coming... The stock suspension is better than I had been led to believe, but the shock does suffer a little with a lack of damping when pushed. Forks aren't bad at all though.

Need to look into braided hoses, better pads and trying to minimise the ABS intervention somehow, as it's incredibly intrusive compared to most bikes I've owned I find!

Picked up a cheap riders seat pad to get re-upholstered and padded as the stock seat isn't ideal I find. I'll get about 20mm more height added along with some proper padding and a flatter shape, should suit nicely.

Looking at exhaust cans, more for looks than anything as stock exhaust sounds really good actually!

Beyond that... Well I'll just try and put some miles in when I can. I'll give the dogbone link a good regrease when I fit the new shock, and am getting quotes on getting the valve clearance service done (though many people are telling me not to bother as they never need doing).

Impressions so far...? Engine is amazing! I had no reason to be worried about any lack of character with an IL4, it's a peach of a motor! Super economical too, the bike is averaging a genuine 53mpg (the on board computer is actually quite accurate to be fair, I've checked) since I got it and I've not been hanging about! It'll pull 6th gear from 20mph too, so you can ride it like a twist and go scooter and leave it in 6th all the time until you need to stop... It's a really, really good road bike, with just a few minor rough areas that are pretty easily rectified compared to most bikes it would seem, and for the price I paid, the first owner had over £5k in depreciation in the first 3yrs and given the effort I've already put into it cleaning and maintaining it, I've already increased its value by at least £500 as it is...

Now if it just had a QS/autoblipper and cruise control, I'd be over the moon! But I can overlook those niceties given how good it is otherwise (and the gearbox is a peach anyway, clutchless shifts are so easy both up and down!)...

I can see why Supermofo and Le Grand Fromage have been so vocal about theirs on the other thread about them!

[Yorick]

Looks amazing. A bike without a fairing is like a car without a windscreen

[Supermofo]

Excellent choice sir!

Interesting to read someone else's opinion of my bike as I don't think we have any other owners of the 1000 or even someone who's ridden one. Happy to find you share pretty much the exact same thoughts. I can't help but feel that whilst it's a 'budget' bike in the scheme of things, it's an indication of just how good a budget bike can be nowadays.

I'd read a fair amount of 'The rear suspension is junk' on forums, but as I mentioned above whilst it could be better its definitely not bad and I don't mind waiting to replace mine as I'm just going to extend my loan payments (to myself) at the point it ends to I don't even notice the cost of a new shock. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts of the Nitron as that's on my list. Forks though I find fine. I see you also share thoughts on the brakes. I find mine ok, they lack....something, I think it's that initial bite/feeling for me but nothing bad enough I'm going to bother to change yet. I'm hoping new pads will help. I've notice the ABS on ripples/bumps in the road, I suspect it's a basic system. Although I've heard similar criticisms of the much more expensive GSXR.

Yes, that engine. It's a cracker isn't it! I find it's pretty much spot on for me, for road riding it's got lots of midrange torque and goes nuts at the top and sounds really good for a standard set up. When having fun 2/3rd gear are awesome for massive grin factor and yet it still pulls very well in all the gears. I typically average 50-53mpg as well which just boggles my mind, this also means I get well over 150 miles to a tank so usually I use that as a guide. On the run to Yeovil the range said I'd have enough to do 180 odd miles I seem to recall and I find the remaining range to be pretty accurate. Having said that I think I only put something like 14.5 litres in when I got to Yeovil so might have got 200.

At this point I can't think of another bike I'd want. Sure there are sexier bikes, but the GSXS does everything I want and does it well. And for thousands less than the other 'super' nakeds.

I usually take my sprocket cover off every chain clean, but the GSXS looks a bit of a pain to do so I've not bothered. I'm dreading what I find when I do

[mboy]

Looks amazing. A bike without a fairing is like a car without a windscreen

I like naked bikes too typically, but not so much a fan of the styling on the naked GSXS myself, that and I wanted a bit of a fairing and a screen anyway... The faired version headlights do look challenging from some angles, but I've worked out they look much better in a solid glossy colour rather than the matt or the 2 tone options... I've seen one retrofitted with an angel eye style headlight setup reminiscent of a late 00's R1, and it absolutely transforms the look of the bike!

Excellent choice sir!

Why thank you sir!

I'm shocked just how good a road bike it is, I find it quite odd that at no point have any journalists really raved about it when they have continually raved about many other bikes that I have ridden/owned that are definitely not as good. I think it's the parts bin special nature to be honest that stops them from getting more excited about it, but I am judging any bike by how it rides more than how it looks in my garage. Or perhaps it's just that the world of sports bikes (and now naked bikes too) has disappeared up its own backside in a never ending pursuit of lap times and peak horsepower claims that somebody forgot to make them fun to ride on the road and affordable to own! Anyway... I'm starting to get the "Modern Bandit" reference now, having dismissed it before. It's not that it's as basic as a Bandit, far from it, it's that its more basic than the overpriced exotica but at the same time its performance is remarkably accessible given how basic it is.

Nitron shock has arrived, will get it fitted soon I hope. Picked up an Arrow exhaust can at the same time, not cos I'm expecting more noise but cos the stock can looks rubbish and I didn't pay much for this 2nd hand (and I like Arrow), but already found that the stock exhaust can is properly corroded on due to it having been used as a commuter so that's going nowhere for a moment! The irony that the hose clamp snapped in half the moment I put the allen key into the bolt and turned it but the exhaust can isn't budging wasn't lost on me!

I'm expecting to give the suspension dog bone some TLC too, put it that way...

Think I might try pulling the fuse on the ABS, to try and work out if the brakes feel good without the ABS or not. I suspect the basic ABS system wouldn't be so much of a problem if there was more feel to the brakes and a little more initial bite. What I've found a couple of times now is that after applying the brakes initially and almost nothing happening, I've pulled them quite a bit harder almost immediately and then suddenly got quite a lot of fork dive and the ABS kicking in as the ABS reacts to the sudden extra braking effort. More initial bite would stop me from having 2 bites at the cherry, and more feel would mean I could tell when I was about to start troubling the ABS or not. It seems to be a Japanese thing annoyingly that they always make the brakes lack feel and a bit wooden on their bikes from stock. I've had various European bikes, Aprilias, Ducatis, KTM's, even a BMW, and without exception all have had much better brake feel as stock, with or without ABS fitted. So I'm hoping it's just some decent pads and braided hoses!

Good luck with whatever you find underneath the sprocket cover... I hope for your sake you haven't used something quite so gunky to lube your chain and my bikes previous owner did!

[MyLittleStudPony]

That looks spot on with those headlights.

Overall it sounds like a great result / choices on all fronts.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The sprocket cover was pretty easy to get off on the 750, two bolts hold it on.

[mboy]

That looks spot on with those headlights.

Overall it sounds like a great result / choices on all fronts.

Not mine sadly, and an expensive upgrade. It does go to show that it’s all in the crappy stock headlight that Suzuki fitted, the reason why people say it’s ugly. Had they spent £100 more on the bike, they could probably have sold it for £1k more with that headlight!

[mboy]

The sprocket cover was pretty easy to get off on the 750, two bolts hold it on.

It’s only 4 on the 1000 to be fair. Need to be careful that the clutch cable is attached though, so worth disconnecting the clutch cable at the lever first…

[Couchy]

My bro has a ‘22 gsxs1000. He’d had his cb1000r for two years bought new in 2020. Loved it till he rode the Suzuki. From reviews I didn’t see why till I rode the Suzuki and it’s bloody lovely. The engine is a monster and it handles superbly. No idea what the press are smoking when they don’t like it.