All-new” is a term thrown around pretty loosely in the motorcycle PR world. Some new blinkers, a lighter exhaust and 'Bold New Graphics' is typically enough for the PR spin doctors to call a motorcycle “all-new.” This is exactly why when we first learned the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was going to be totally updated last winter we were a bit skeptical – just as we always are. But when we first rode the 2009 GSX-R1000 K9 a few weeks back (it was a late release like Suzukis always are) we realized a funny thing – it really is all-new. In fact, it’s the first time the bike has been totally redesigned since its inception in 2001. (Funny, I swear I’ve ridden several ‘all-new’ or ‘totally-redesigned’ GSX-R1000s in the last eight years. Guess I must not have read the fine print on the press kit or something?)
For a complete breakdown of everything that’s changed be sure to check out the 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000 First Ride. But to sum things up, the '09 upgrades include redesigned bodywork, a totally updated, more powerful engine, twintitanium exhausts, updated chassis geometry and Showa’s new Big Piston Fork. And that’s just touching on the big stuff…
