The Latest Rumor-Suzuki sports tourer and GS rival on the way
- Thread starter Killtimer
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The more Sport Tourers in the market the better..
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I'm sort of inclined to agree with the top comment on that article...
"Did you just make that story up?"
"Did you just make that story up?"
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I wonder if that will make mother Honda sit up and take notice?
Good for Suzuki. I think it bodes well for Sport-Touring. Internationally, it's a growing market, obviously, and competition from all brands will make the line more competitive, even though we may not see the full fruits of that in the US.
Also, the possibility of two such models tells me that Suzuki is trying to break it's reputation as a "squid only" manufacturer. A GS and a Sport Tourer will be successful on reliability, not stuntability. Could be good for the Suzuki Brand.
Also, the possibility of two such models tells me that Suzuki is trying to break it's reputation as a "squid only" manufacturer. A GS and a Sport Tourer will be successful on reliability, not stuntability. Could be good for the Suzuki Brand.
sherob
Old Herder of cats.
The Busa-tourer rumour has been around for a while... hope they make it 
Several of my riding buds own a BMW GS and a Suzuki DL1000. The DL will absolutely fly on the pavement. I don't see it as a breaking into a market, they already have a presence. It's adding choices.
Visordown is the web presence for TWO (Two Wheels Only) magazine from the UK. In the past their info has been pretty solid, but who knows. Another rumor is that the DL1000 vStrom is being dis-continued lending some credence to the GS rival side of the story.
sherob
Old Herder of cats.
I don't see that many ST's on the road... hmmm... How many have been sold in the US?
The fact is, Sport Touring in general is a niche market... Sport Bikes are a small market... Dual Sport is a small market...
Cruisers are the market
Raven
"two wrecks" - RIP ACL
It's definitely cruiserdom in the US but there's a danged lot of sport bikes out there, too.
Face it, a lot of the sport guys who started in the 90's are getting to the age when the sport bike crouch is not as do-able as it used to be. Since the 'busa has been one of the "dream" bikes on the sporty side since it was intro'd in '99, I'm sure a 'busa engined ST will have a following. As it is, several of the 'busa owners I know already have modded their bikes towards touring so......
Meanwhile, the GS move is also a good one. I'm still amazed that the Japanese have let BMW just walk away with that whole market. The KLR and the V-strom are but weak passes at the DS market. And Honda hasn't even taken a swipe at it in the US. Meanwhile, BMW is cranking out GS's and with the new line of 650's and 800's they're even shooting for more entry level appeal.
Face it, a lot of the sport guys who started in the 90's are getting to the age when the sport bike crouch is not as do-able as it used to be. Since the 'busa has been one of the "dream" bikes on the sporty side since it was intro'd in '99, I'm sure a 'busa engined ST will have a following. As it is, several of the 'busa owners I know already have modded their bikes towards touring so......
Meanwhile, the GS move is also a good one. I'm still amazed that the Japanese have let BMW just walk away with that whole market. The KLR and the V-strom are but weak passes at the DS market. And Honda hasn't even taken a swipe at it in the US. Meanwhile, BMW is cranking out GS's and with the new line of 650's and 800's they're even shooting for more entry level appeal.
FlexyRacer
Be Seeing You
I agree with Steve. If valid, this could perhaps spur an updated Honda ST model depending on a how the Suzuki performs in sales and stirring up general public interest / awareness.
Capt_Gruuvy
Stay-at-Home Astronaut
The brits are famous for fabricating rumors to provoke sales/web hits.
The Busa engine is chain drive. It's not going to be a 'touring' motor.
The Busa engine is chain drive. It's not going to be a 'touring' motor.
sherob
Old Herder of cats.
So is the ZX14... my C14 is shaft :nuts1:
Look at Ducati... gorgeous bikes... killer naked's, superMotard's, superbikes... they'll be coming out with a BMW GS killer real soon :bow1: Now, you talk about a niche
Nope it's true they are going to mount the engine scooter style direct drive to the rear wheel.........
Brits fabricate rumours indeed how dare you sir....
That's not true here. Local dealer said his biggest volume are sportbikes and his biggest margin is cruisers.
sherob
Old Herder of cats.
Rode a friends Hayabusa, very smooth and shall we say... ahh... "snappy" motor too. Guys who can deal with the lay down seating, put bags on them and go sport touring already. I'm too ancient to deal with the riding position.
The only thing that stops me from wanting a Suzuki/Busa based ST, is that the Busa is already right at the best weight (500 and change) that a truly great Sport-tourer should be at. They'll likely make it larger and heavier like their competition. If it's 600++lbs, I wouldn't personally consider purchasing. I'd still have the ST if it wasn't for it's girth, and girth is why I didn't consider a new Connie. It's also why I'll likely never own a wing.
For those who don't mind the weight at all though, the Busa felt light side to side like the Kaw ZX14 did at the Cycle show. Suzuki could certainly build a desirable contender from that engine should they care to sit down and think it through well.
Competition from Suzuki would either make Honda drop out or sit up and finally start thinking straight about an update to their ST.
Didn't Papa Honda pass on some years ago??? He was personally interested in racing and breed improvement. I'm not sure Honda has the same spirit going now days. I could be wrong, but I think they certainly sat on the same ST too many years already. Not that it isn't a great bike, it is. Certainly better than the original Connie that sat still for so many years. However Honda is capable of, and there is room for, refinement in the bike IMO.
As to GS style bike. I'd like to see it (even though I wouldn't buy one, again because of girth) UNLESS they also made a smaller GS style bike. If they took the SV/Strom motors to do it, those bikes "could" be great in the dirt.
Suzuki does know how to do dirt well. Their dirt bikes were always good handlers in the latter years. I'd love to see an SV motored 650 GS style bike from them, actually made FOR doing some real dirt adventuring. That 650 would already be all the motor & then some, that anyone could need-need in the dirt, and easily adequate for even goodly stretches of slab. The SV was 352lbs. dry, so they could make it reasonable weight. THAT I would buy if I lived in the mid-West, maybe even buy it without living in the mid-West. What a fire road machine that could be.
Then again I'm quirky and no one need consider my buying habits when assessing a market. Heck I ride a 250cc Ninja around sometimes, I even go on overnight trips with it, not the norm.
Guys who can deal with the lay down seating, put bags on them and go sport touring already. I'm too ancient to deal with the riding position.The only thing that stops me from wanting a Suzuki/Busa based ST, is that the Busa is already right at the best weight (500 and change) that a truly great Sport-tourer should be at. They'll likely make it larger and heavier like their competition. If it's 600++lbs, I wouldn't personally consider purchasing. I'd still have the ST if it wasn't for it's girth, and girth is why I didn't consider a new Connie. It's also why I'll likely never own a wing.
For those who don't mind the weight at all though, the Busa felt light side to side like the Kaw ZX14 did at the Cycle show. Suzuki could certainly build a desirable contender from that engine should they care to sit down and think it through well.
Competition from Suzuki would either make Honda drop out or sit up and finally start thinking straight about an update to their ST.
Didn't Papa Honda pass on some years ago??? He was personally interested in racing and breed improvement. I'm not sure Honda has the same spirit going now days. I could be wrong, but I think they certainly sat on the same ST too many years already. Not that it isn't a great bike, it is. Certainly better than the original Connie that sat still for so many years. However Honda is capable of, and there is room for, refinement in the bike IMO.
As to GS style bike. I'd like to see it (even though I wouldn't buy one, again because of girth) UNLESS they also made a smaller GS style bike. If they took the SV/Strom motors to do it, those bikes "could" be great in the dirt.
Suzuki does know how to do dirt well. Their dirt bikes were always good handlers in the latter years. I'd love to see an SV motored 650 GS style bike from them, actually made FOR doing some real dirt adventuring. That 650 would already be all the motor & then some, that anyone could need-need in the dirt, and easily adequate for even goodly stretches of slab. The SV was 352lbs. dry, so they could make it reasonable weight. THAT I would buy if I lived in the mid-West, maybe even buy it without living in the mid-West. What a fire road machine that could be.
Then again I'm quirky and no one need consider my buying habits when assessing a market. Heck I ride a 250cc Ninja around sometimes, I even go on overnight trips with it, not the norm.
A DRZ650S would be great. If the sport-tourer is built around the 'busa engine, it's probably only competition for the Concours, rather than the ST.
Hi,
Fully faired, bags , top box. Humm ...... sounds like a BANDIT!!! It would be a easy segway to a full tourer right there...
easy peasy lemon squeezy...
mitch
Fully faired, bags , top box. Humm ...... sounds like a BANDIT!!! It would be a easy segway to a full tourer right there...
easy peasy lemon squeezy...
mitch