GRAND SPORT OF TOURING
Suzuki GSX-S1000GT
It’s not long since it seemed that sports tourers were on their way out. Adventure bikes were outselling and outperforming them in the touring game, while nakeds, retros and a handful of good-old sportsbikes had the sporty side of things covered, thank you very much. It didn’t seem like there was much room for bikes that wanted to take you far, and do it fast.
More recently it feels like the wind has changed: Honda is just about to fit it’s Africa Twin engine into a more sport touring-oriented package; BMW has added a 900cc version to its XR offering; Triumph is bringing out a Tiger 660 Sport; Kawasaki and Yamaha already have bikes in this category; what Ducati’s idea of an adventure bike is, looks pretty sporty to many. The list goes on…
What a lot of manufacturers are doing, is using a flexible engine and chassis platform that can be easily transformed into bikes that look and feel very different, without having to change any of the costly key components.
Looking at the bigger picture, it’s no surprise that Suzuki has taken the
