Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R: The new old one with less power

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The name GSX-R resonates like thunder among racing fans. In 1985, the Suzuki GSX-R750 ushered in a new era in sportbike manufacturing. The breathtakingly beautiful sportbike featured a high-revving inline-four engine with 100 PS and an aluminum frame that helped keep the weight down to 200 kg. With its low-slung clip-on handlebars, full fairing with dual headlights, and a racing hump, it looked like it came straight from the Endurance World Championship. No manufacturer had dared to build a sportbike so radically before, and the GSX-R 750 relegated the competition to mere bystanders. They, of course, immediately copied the GSX-R, and to this day, most superbikes are based on its concept.

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2021 marked the end for the legend

When the Superbike World Championship regulations increased the displacement to one liter, the GSX-R also jumped to 1000. Generations of sport riders loved the GSX-R because it was always good for top positions on the track, and in 2005, it finally secured the coveted world championship title under Troy Corser. In 2015, the first shock came when Suzuki left the Superbike World Championship. In 2021, Suzuki announced that the GSX-R1000R would not be further developed for the Euro 5 emissions standard and would therefore no longer be offered in Europe. However, it remained unchanged in the lineup in some markets like North America. In the years prior, the 1000cc "Gixxer" had been lagging slightly behind the competition in terms of assistance systems and performance, although it remained a very good motorcycle for hobby racers until the end. At least it offered variable valve timing and good torque (riding report).

Not the hoped-for new development

At the beginning of last year, Suzuki CEO Toshihiro Suzuki (his surname is indeed Suzuki, a common one in Japan) announced that Suzuki would offer the GSX-R1000R again in Europe for 2026. He said: "We believe it is important to bring a supersport motorcycle to market because it is Suzuki's heritage." Many hoped for a new development on par with the competition; instead, the old GSX-R1000R will return in the summer, merely upgraded to Euro 5+. This involved modifying the valve timing for shorter overlap, fitting injectors with ten holes instead of eight, slightly larger valves, and increasing the compression ratio to 13.8:1.

Visually identical to its predecessor

Visually, the 2026 GSX-R1000R is identical to the 2021 model; only the small winglets on the full fairing are new and are intended to provide more downforce. It will be offered as a "40th Anniversary" in three paint schemes. Experts will likely note with approval that while the brushed titanium exhaust on the 2026 model is not exactly short, it is no longer as monstrously large as on the Euro 4 bike. Looking at the data sheet, some fans might be dismayed: 195 PS and 110 Nm. The 2021 model still produced 203 PS and 118 Nm.

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Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R Teil eins (6 Bilder)

There is no progress in curb weight either; it remains at 203 kg. In absolute terms, 195 PS at 203 kg is of course a very serious statement, but most competitors are currently around 218 PS and are often even a few kilograms lighter. While Suzuki's assistance systems are quite decent, they are far from state-of-the-art. The cockpit reveals the aged design with an LC display, while current machines are already equipped with TFT screens.

No chance against the competition

Therefore, the new old GSX-R1000R is not suitable for the Superbike World Championship, and the question arises as to why Suzuki is bringing it back at all. The background is likely that the FIM homologation for the Endurance World Championship, in which Suzuki still participates, expires next year for the current GSX-R1000R. The SERT team even won the title with it in 2024. Nevertheless, it makes little sense for Suzuki to re-release an old motorcycle that will have no chance in direct comparison.