Used test: 2017 SUZUKI GSX-S1000F Performance and comfort united
More than ever, in the super-competitive world of motorcycle manufacture, the cost of building bikes is a crucial commercial factor.
It can be a hugely expensive business, with the price of development of engines alone being massively high. One obvious way of reducing the expenditure is to take advantage of sharing key components, already fitted (and effectively already paid for) in other models in the range. It’s not a new tactic and virtually every chief manufacturer benefits from it. That’s certainly true of Suzuki’s GSX-S1000. Introduced in 2015, the naked streetbike’s central feature was its engine. A detuned version of the one fitted in the 2005 GSX-R1000 sportsbike, it suited the GSX-S perfectly. Using it helped lower the cost of manufacture significantly, and influenced the bike’s £9499 new price tag.
It got great press at its launch, but despite its attractive style, accessible performance and comfortable riding position, the
