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'Beyond' from Kiwibiker gives a first year (and 28,000km) report on his Suzuki GSX1400 K2 (2002)

2002 Suzuki GSX1400 - big, naked and unashamed The Suzuki GSX1400 is classified as a sports tourer and is a retro, naked bike with all the modern additions that technology brings. It has fuel injection, hydraulic brakes front and rear, the front carrying six pot calipers shoving the pads onto 320mm platters, fully adjustable front and rear suspension, electronic instrumentation which has an accurate fuel gauge, clock and all the necessary warning lights. The clutch is also hydraulically activated.

The engine is an oil/air cooled unit of 1402cc pushing out 106 HP at 6,800rpm, with a hefty dose of arm wrenching torque peaking at 5,000rpm at 126nm. The torque curve has more grunt at 3000rpm, than many sports bikes have at their peak and the curve gives copious amounts of torque from 2000rpm, right through to 8,000rpm, with the redline at 9,000rpm. The dry weight of the bike is 228kgs.

I bought the bike second hand as a K2 with 15,000kms on the clock. I've added another 28,000 kms to the total.

The reach to the handlebars suits me perfectly, as does the peg to seat ratio. The seat height is 790mm, which means both feet can easily be placed flat on the ground. I am 85kgs and 186cm tall. This bike is very comfortable and long distance riding can be accomplished without getting tired, after a full day in the saddle. The gauges are easy to read and simple, with enough idiot lights for oil, fuel injection problems, blinkers, full beam and of course, neutral.

106hp does not seem to be a lot for a 1400cc motorcycle. This is more than compensated for by the copious amounts of torque, which come as soon as the clutch is released and gives you a good arm wrenching ride up to around 8,000rpm in any gear. In fact, the peak horsepower and the relatively flat line on the torque curve, over most of the rev range, are perfect for road riding in all conditions. There is no need to rev into high RPM's to maintain speed or move quickly and no need to change gear unless you like a good shove up the backside.

People make the mistake of getting on these bikes and trying to ride them through the gears, to the red line, like a sports bike. The action is over by 8,000rpm, so it's better to shift at around 7500rpm and ride the constant torque wave. This makes for very quick acceleration with standard GSX1400's pulling just under 3 seconds from 0-100kmh.

The good thing about lower horsepower and more torque, is the ability to lay the power down, coming out of a corner. Sure, you can light the back up if you are not careful but the torque seems to cause the bike to squat down and shoot out of the corners, which gives it a bit of an edge over the go easy on the throttle, super sports.

Wheelies? No problem; on the throttle in first, back off slightly and crank her and she's up no problem. Stoppies? I've seen shots of people doing stoppies on these, but I prefer not to in case I go too far and have this behemoth of a bike bury its handlebars in my back. I have no aspirations to become a pavement pizza.

Speed? It's a big bike, carrying quite a bit of weight. It takes some serious amounts of ponies to push a large machine through the air at very high speeds. With my face nearly jammed on the dials and tucking in real tight, lying over the tank, I've had her up to 253kmh - not too bad considering the air pressure on an unfaired bike.

Two up riding is a breeze. A pillion is virtually unnoticed as far as affecting power goes. Hills, overtaking, fast takeoffs and general all around riding are no problem and make no difference to the way the bike moves.

Talking about handling, when these bikes were test ridden and reviews started coming out, the handling was rubbished with comments like lardy, a whale, cumbersome, heavy etc. On the stock, factory suspension settings, they are quite right. Ground clearance can be an issue when it's pushed really hard but I have found hanging off the bike allows me to corner even harder when required and if needed.

When I first got the bike, it took me a while to get used to it and once I was and really started to push it in corners, I got a bit of a fright. In high-speed sweepers (160-180kmh) if you hit some undulations in the road, it would wobble and weave, which was a little disconcerting like riding a jelly around the edge of a desert bowl.

I finally found an article on the best tweaks for this bike, dialed in heaps of preload front and rear, maximum compression on the rear, fiddled with the damping and now it's as good as it gets for such a bike, without going for after market suspenders. It's made a huge difference to the handling and stability.

In short, this bike will stay with sportsbikes when pushed. It's quite amazing that a bike of this size and weight will actually corner like it does in the sweepers, but it's even better in the real tight stuff and thrives on tight chicanes and corners.

So time to talk you through a ride. The sun is shining and the roads are dry, roads I know like the back of my hand. The first short straight appears; the silky smooth Suzuki gearbox gets kicked down a cog and the right grip is twisted hard. The front skims the ground in second gear and the bars go light. The awesome feeling of sheer torque pulls my arms forward and I lean towards the front of the bike to counteract the increasing forces. The horizon rapidly approaches as I flick into third and then fourth. Clutchless changes are no problem.

Now in fifth, on the six speed box, the needle hovers around 230kmh and the first sweeper approaches. The front, adjustable brake lever, is pulled slightly with two fingers, the throttle blipped and into fourth, then third; I slide up to the tank to get the weight over the front with a little trail braking into the corner as the bike is laid over. It drops in without effort and with slight throttle control I hold the line. As the corner exit approaches, the throttle is turned more and more and the bike stands up easily, powering into the next section. A tight series of corners is next.

Big bike, poor handling? Take a look at this photo and see that myth blown out of the water I counter steer the bike hard into the left hander and feel the left foot peg, feeler bolt sliding across the asphalt and my boot jumps up and down a little with the bike heeled right over. The tyres are warm and grip is now at its best. Counter steering again and the bike immediately drops into the right hander, then back over to the left. The handling on this bike is sublime; it goes exactly where you want it. Haul on the front brake hard and the pads bite into the disks, slowing the 250kgs (wet) down remarkably quick, ready for the hard left hairpin; pick my line, turning in late to get the best view around the corner, change down, drop her over, off the brakes, hit the apex, throttle open, slingshot out of the exit with the beautiful sound of twin exhausts in full song. Oh what pleasure, indescribable feelings of euphoria and that adrenaline rush that sweeps your body when you ride to the edge and push a big bike to it's limits.

A more open chicane is just ahead, I power down the short straight and chop down through the gears once more, throw her into the sweeping left, pegs scratching once again; this is a tight corner so more counter steering input is applied to the bars, to heel her into the right hander. A little head shake develops as the power is applied along with the counter steering forces and over she goes into the next gentler bend with the needle hitting 170kmh. This bike is a pleasure to ride. On we go, maintaining the pace and enjoying the seemingly endless series of bends this road dishes up.

Verdict:

I haven't got tired of this bike. It does all I need it to. I can ride all day and then do it all again without discomfort. It is a brilliant all rounder, it really is and you go out and surf the torque wave again and you know, you just can't part with it. It's got under my skin like no other bike ever has. There's something very satisfying about throwing a big heavy sports tourer through the twisties, going smooth on the throttle and hearing some harder bits touching down. You can actually 'ride' this bike and it requires your attention and input at all times. Stress relief is a throttle twist away.

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