Suzuki's Retro Big-Bangers

SUZUKI'S RETRO BIG-BANGERS

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF big-bore retro-bikes? Ditto Suzuki, it would appear. The Japanese bikemaker recently unveiled a pair of sporty Open-classers, at least one of which appears to be tailor-made for the U.S. market.

Powered by a beautifully detailed, fuel-injected, 140lcc inline-Four, the GSX1400 super-standard is physically similar in size to the current Bandit 1200. Suzuki alleges 105 horsepower at 6500 rpm and a towering 93 foot-pounds of torque at 5000 rpm.

Chassis-wise, a conventional 46mm fork and dual shocks mated to an unbraced aluminum swingarm complement the GSX’s double-cradle steel frame. Six-pot brake calipers, 320mm floating discs and wide 17-inch wheels are GSXR1000 items. Claimed dry weight is 503 pounds.

Question is, will we see it stateside, and will it replace the Bandit? Suzuki isn’t exactly committed. “It’s primarily a Japanese domestic model,” said a U.S. spokesman. “An announcement (regarding the bike’s future) will probably be made soon.”

The GS1200SS, meanwhile, will most assuredly remain a home-market-only model. Combining a bulging dualheadlight half-fairing with a carbureted, air/oil-cooled inline-Four and twin-shock tubular-steel frame, the all-black SS conjures up images of former AMA Superbike Champion Wes Cooley and New Zealander Graeme Crosby en route to victory at the 1980 Suzuka 8Hours. That’s good, because despite the racy riding position, the claimed 100bhp, 463-pound machine would be hard-pressed to outgun a GSX-R600 on Racer Road. Not that trying wouldn’t be fun, mind you...

Matthew Miles