New GSX-R1000 for 2016?

Will Suzuki launch a brand new — and long overdue — GSX-R1000 for the 2016 model year?

Over the last few months we've been hearing about a number of possible routes the Japanese manufacturer could take, from releasing an all-new bike, the GSX-R1000L7, with variable valve timing (VVT) — the first on a pure sportsbike — to not even firing a shot and instead holding off for another 12 months.

British weekly MCN has promulgated the VVT path, and says that  Suzuki's system will use a variable inlet valve timing and lift system, featuring an intake camshaft with multiple cam profiles. The cam profiles are altered by sliding the lobes sideways along the shaft itself, delivering optimal power and torque throughout the rev range.
Horsepower is certain to be around the 200 mark, while a massive effort will be made in reducing kerb weight to below 200kg — which shouldn't be a problem considering that nearly a decade has passed  since the last major update to the GSX-R1000. And Suzuki will most certainly draw inspiration from its MotoGP bike, the GSX-RR (pictured), to deliver a taut and razor-sharp chassis, and there'll be rider electronic aids galore. Yamaha R1-esque, we'd suggest. The current kerb weight of the GSX-R1000 is 203kg.

Even if the VVT engine doesn't eventuate, Suzuki could still push ahead with unveiling the new GSX-R1000 at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan in November 2015. But according to the Visordown website, that could also in theory make it a 2017 model if the bike doesn’t actually go on sale until very late in the first half of 2016… Clear as mud?

Another school of thought says that we won't be seeing  a new GSX-R1000 at all this year, which means we'd have to wait another 12 months (ie EICMA in November 2016) to see a new beast in the flesh.

Another reference point for all the speculation is that anti-lock braking will be mandatory in Europe as of January 1, 2017 for all bikes over 125cc. The GSX-R1000 obviously falls under that umbrella, and in 2015 Suzuki is offering optional ABS on the GSX-R1000 (but not in Australia). If a new bike is coming by the start of 2017, why would Suzuki spend so much money on fitting ABS to the current model?

And could Suzuki take on a twin sportsbike assault like Yamaha has done, with the higher-spec bike taking on many of the hues associated with the GSX-RR MotoGP bike. So many questions…

 Regardless of what transpires, a new GSX-R1000 is a tantalising prospect for sports bike aficionados, and certainly one that has been a long time in the making.

And a successful sportsbike could help Suzuki's bike business get back into black after a succession of losses — and one small profit — since 2008. Only last week Suzuki released its management blueprint for the next five years (HERE) which focuses on the "development of products which clearly define characteristics of Suzuki". The company will also up its R&D spend appreciably.

One thing the current GSX-R1000 has up its sleeve is that Suzuki has well and truly amortised its development costs, and that's one of the reasons why the bike is so competitively priced. And further to that, Suzuki has a cracking deal on the current model GSX-R1000 at the moment (HERE), with the GSX-R750 and GSX-R600 also included in the pencil-sharpening exercise.