In 2001 Suzuki unleashed their all-new sportsbike on to an unsuspecting world. And it was very, very good.
When Suzuki pulled the covers off their long-awaited response to the FireBlade and YZF-R1 in 2001, everyone knew it was going to be good. But just how good was the question.
We didn’t have to wait very long for the answer because as soon as the GSX-R1000 K1 landed kicking and screaming it set the standard for the next generation of litre bikes to match. And that standard was far from the refined and mature machines its sportsbike rivals were evolving into.
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Mad, bad and very, very wild, the GSX-R1000 K1 was a typical Suzuki product from its very outset. In taking the GSX-R750 as a base and effectively giving it a whole heap of steroids, Suzuki made a bike that while outwardly and technologically didn’t really change the game that much, in terms of performance it ripped up the rule book, stamped on it, set it on fire and then pissed on it to put the fire out.
Read the rest of this article in the July issue of Fast Bikes, in the shops NOW!
