The Touring Motorcycle That Feels Smaller Than It Really Is
The bulk of a touring motorcycle can pose a problem if you tend to ride around in a city once you get there. Or simply if you prefer to use your touring motorcycle for multiple things other than touring. You might need a couple of people to help you back it up, and there are also very good reasons for not wanting bulk out on the highway. Let’s not even talk about what would happen when you get to a twisty piece of tarmac. What you need to negate all of that then is a touring bike that feels smaller than it is, ideally built on a sporty platform. Lucky for you, a certain Suzuki GSX-S does exactly that.
A Compact Touring Bike Would Do Everything Well
Imagine having a touring motorcycle that is large enough to accommodate two in comfort, yet small enough to back up without assistance. One that will steer side to side without protesting, and be gentle on fuel, tires, and brakes. This would truly be a unicorn motorcycle, one that is usable no matter where you ride it. You’d have to look at a manufacturer that is used to making motorcycles for markets that need small motorcycles as well as ones for markets where the roads are as big as they come. There are the usual suspects, of course, but the answer comes from a somewhat surprising direction.
Suzuki Knows A Thing Or Two About Compact Heavyweights
Suzuki might be more famous as a compact car manufacturer, but it does know a thing or two about making motorcycles that feel compact as well. Take its most popular motorcycle, the Hayabusa. It might be nicknamed the ‘Bus’, but the fact remains that it is an extremely maneuverable motorcycle for its size and bulk. It is the same for the rest of Suzuki’s motorcycle range, including its touring motorcycles, so it’s little surprise then that that’s where we’re going to find the touring motorcycle that feels smaller than it really is.
The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT Is The Touring Motorcycle That Feels Smaller Than It Really Is
Given that we feel our touring motorcycle needs to be large and accommodate two plus luggage in extreme comfort, it comes as a breath of fresh air that the GSX-S1000GT from Suzuki manages to do that with a fairly compact footprint. This is because it is based on a liter-class sport bike, so not only is it compact, it is also a thrill-a-minute given the right road. In short, it feels like a superbike without the stress, thanks to an inline-four engine engineered to be compact. Whether you’re planning to use it for the commute or for a long tour, this is a manageably sized bike that shrinks around the rider without getting uncomfortable when the occasion asks for it.
One Of The Best Things About The GSX-S1000GT Is Its Price
The advantage of using an old platform is in cost, and that reflects in the price of this Suzuki. The base price is $14,399, which includes a TFT screen, the electronics that provide safety, and the hard luggage you see in these pictures. There is no truly comparable motorcycle when it comes to this style of sport tourer and the value pricing, making it the most well-rounded bike under $15k.
The Powerful I4 Engine Loves To Be Revved
The GSX-S1000GT uses a world-famous sport bike engine retuned to be more usable for touring and daily use. This is an inline-four engine with liquid cooling and a DOHC head, with a high-ish 12.2:1 compression ratio and a displacement of 999 cc. It produces 150 horsepower at 11,000 RPM and 79.6 pound-feet of torque at 9,250 RPM, which gives it a perfect balance between power and fuel economy. That is quite a high horsepower figure for that kind of displacement, and yes, you do have to rev it out to get it going, but anything from the midrange onward takes you to warp speed. A six-speed manual gearbox has a standard two-way quickshifter, an assist and slipper clutch, and a final chain drive.
The Aluminum Chassis Contributes To The Compact Feeling
The sports bike-derived engine is perfectly matched to the sports bike-derived chassis, giving it speed, stability, and everyday comfort. In the same way that the engine is derived from an old GSX-R, the chassis is also taken from the same family. It is an aluminum twin-spar frame with the swingarm made from the same material. Suzuki has given it a stronger bolt-on subframe to meet the rigors of touring with a pillion and hard luggage.
The suspension consists of inverted forks at the front and a single shock at the rear. It is fully adjustable at both ends, and there is 4.7 inches of travel available at the front and 5.1 inches at the rear. The brakes consist of twin 310 mm front discs with Brembo monobloc radial four-piston fixed calipers. At the rear, there is a 240 mm brake disc with a Nissin single-piston caliper. This is rounded out with 17-inch alloy rims shod with tubeless radial tires.
Tips The Scale At Under 500 LBs
This is a compact motorcycle for a tourer at 84.3 inches long and 32.5 inches wide with a wheelbase of 57.5 inches. The ground clearance is par for the course at 5.5 inches, while the seat is at 31.9 inches above the ground. At the same time, Suzuki has given it an appreciably large five-gallon fuel tank, which gives it great balance for a sport-tourer. The wet weight is quoted at 498 pounds, which is normal for the segment. However, it is very well centralized, which helps with the compact feeling.
The Feature Set Has Everything You Need, And Nothing You Don’t
The GSX-S1000GT does not have the absolute premium set of features available on much more expensive tourers but is the most well-rounded touring bike you can buy in 2026 because you wouldn’t know the shortfall of features when you ride it. It starts with a large 6.5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation as standard. Also included in the price are color-matched saddlebags and a USB charging socket.
As far as electronics are concerned, it has a by-wire throttle but no six-axis IMU. However, there is five-level traction control plus an ‘off’ setting, ABS, and three ride modes. Cruise control is another important touring feature that is standard. It can be turned on at 19 miles an hour onward, and in second gear and up.
The Only Real Competition Comes From Team Green
The traditional sport touring segment seems to be a dying one with crossovers taking over today, so only a couple of extremely good models are available. A couple of them are the BMW R 1300 RS with a base price of $17,095 and the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT with a base price of $20,499. The KTM in particular is one of the most well-rounded touring motorcycles today and feels quite compact, but its pricing excludes it from this conversation.
Instead, we’ll have to look to the Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX as a direct competitor to the GSX-S1000GT. The base Ninja 1100 retails for $400.00 less than the Suzuki, and it has a six-axis IMU and a four-way adjustable windscreen. This makes it the best value for money Kawasaki touring motorcycle today. You could also choose to pay a little more and get the SE variant at $15,799. This adds an Öhlins S46 rear shock, Brembo front brake calipers and discs, stainless steel braided front brake lines, and heated grips as standard features. It weighs a little more than the Suzuki but makes a lot less power, since Kawasaki has chosen to focus on torque with this motorcycle.
Source: Suzuki Cycles
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments