~ Auto Buzz ~: 2015 EICMA: Suzuki GSX-R1000 Concept + Video

“Know this: It is the most powerful, hardest-accelerating, cleanest-running GSX-R ever built.”

The above statement is from the Suzuki press release on the 2017 GSX-R1000 Concept and, well, let’s hope it’s true. Suzuki goes on to say that the Concept Gixxer is also “the lightest, the most compact, the most aerodynamic and the best-handling GSX-R1000 ever.” Some very bold statements, indeed!

Factually, here’s what we know. The all new 999cc liquid-cooled DOHC inline-Four was developed with MotoGP technology to be compact and to increase peak power without losing low-to-mid range output. Suzuki Racing Variable Valve Timing (VVT) positions steel balls in grooves in the intake cam sprocket and adjacent guide plate. When moved outward by centrifugal force, they stack in diﬀerent grooves during low and high RPM. During high RPM operation the system rotates the intake cam, retarding intake cam timing which elevates peak power.

Suzuki Racing Finger Follower Valvetrain system replaces the previous model’s bucket-tappet system with a ﬁnger follower rocker arm type to improve valve control and allow higher RPM. Suzuki Top Feed Injector (S-TFI) uses secondary injectors located in the top of the airbox operate at higher RPM to deliver ﬁnely atomized fuel through the throttle bodies and into the combustion chamber.

Suzuki Exhaust Tuning-Alpha (SET-A) adds two servo-operated SET-A butterﬂy valves, one in each header balance tube. The SET-A valve in each header balance tube remains closed to enhance lower-RPM and mid-range power, then opens to add power at higher RPMs.

GSX-R1000_concept-YSF_Top A Showa Balance Free Fork (BFF) uses external damping circuits to equalize (or balance) oil pressure above and below the solid internal piston as it moves. Using external circuits instead of valve stacks positioned on the piston itself allows smoother, more precise, and more consistent piston movement and damping control, without the influence of unequal pressure or oil cavitation. External nitrogen-charged oil reservoirs are also used to further stabilize suspension action.

Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion (BFRC) rear suspension is claimed to be significantly lighter than previous versions. As the BFRC shock piston moves, oil is pushed through external damping circuits, through a valve stack and back into the shock, on the other side of the solid piston. The system balances pressure on both sides of the piston, allowing smoother, more consistent piston movement and damping.

In the electronics department the Concept Gixxer is outfitted with a ride-by-wire throttle, a ten-level traction control system, three different power modes via the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) system, a quick-shifter for both up- and down-shifts, launch control and ABS.

Bodywork is MotoGP inspired, while an “all-glass cockpit” features no analog or mechanical mechanism. Conventional information, like road and engine speed, temperatures and gear potion are displayed along with data related to the advanced electronic systems. Best of all, Suzuki claims the interface has been designed to grow intuitively as the rider uses the motorcycle and its systems.