As a day job I work for a newspaper and here is a test I wrote for it following my visit to the Bedfordshire test day knees up (brilliant, see earlier post)
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| Suzuki GSX1300BK 08 that I bought two weeks after a test ride. |
Suzuki is a specialist in offering desirable, high-performance bikes for a range of different tastes.
It produces the best mass-produced all-round sports bike in the world with GSXR1000, it also turns out the immense Hayabusa - the original 200mph bike (well almost), it’s 10 years but just relaunched with an all-new 1340cc, 181bhp engine.
And Suzuki also makes a couple of ‘budget’ big bikes too, the SV1000 and the 1200cc Bandit.
So, you can conclude Suzuki engineers like making big bikes…
And here are the two most outrageous: The VZR1800, a 125bhp power cruiser - which out poses them all - and the B-King, a rocket exhaust wearing naked bike with the same all-conquering Hayabusa engine, designed to look like a sinister Transformer toy.
Both are incredible. The fact they exist at all is something of a miracle in today’s over-legislated climate and the chance to ride both on the same day, was not to be missed.
Think cruiser and you immediately think Harley-Davidson. They sound right and still manage to dish up character from their lumpy V-twin engines. But they’re not fast.
The VZR1800 is outrageous, a giant hunk of gleaming metal and chrome that will turn more heads than any Harley.
The stock exhaust still has a decent rumble and if you want to pose around town with your glittering chrome, this’ll do nicely. But get her onto the open road, wind on that throttle, in any gear, and the horizon accelerates toward you faster than any car… and most bikes. Your feet actually lift off the pegs. This is a quick, imposing beast which is a hoot to ride and surprisingly nimble around the twisties.
I got off after a 45-minute cross-country blast wanting one, simple as that.
And then I tried the B-King.
It looks crazy, it feels huge and weighs the same as three, full-grown men. All the brochures remind you that this was born from a crazy show bike. The looks have divided opinion.
Simply, it’s better in the flesh than any picture and here are some figures: 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and some nutter on Youtube has filmed the speedo showing 170mph. It’s a bit fast then.
It handles, brakes amazingly well and after another 45-minute ride, I decided I had to have one. Two weeks later there was one in my garage.
This bike has restored my passion for motorcycles and I reckon everyone should try one. It is a bargain too. When the B-King launched 18 months ago Suzuki wanted £9,000, now they want £8,000… most dealers will knock a few quid off too.
Second hand you can pick one up (and remember it won't be more than 18 months old) for under six grand. Yes, that's right, six grand, cheaper than a sports 600 and there's no way a B-King will have been thrashed... will it?
But the new prices won’t last, the pound has been getting weaker and bike prices have crept up.
So, take my advice: buy one now before it becomes more expensive, buy one now before we are all restricted to 100bhp like French riders – buy one now before the petrol runs out. It's an experience every biker should have.
Facts and figures
Suzuki GSX1300 B-King
Engine: 1,340cc, liquid-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke with 16 valves; 181bhp at 9,500rpm, 108lb ft of torque at 7,200rpm. Six-speed gearbox, chain drive. 0-60mph 2.8secs, 165mph (est), average fuel consumption 40mpg.
List price £8,121.
Suzuki VZR1800 (M1800)
Engine: 1783cc liquid cooled V twin, with 8 valves. 125 bhp, 118lb ft of torque, five-speed, shaft drive. 0-60mph 3.5secs, top speed 140mph (est), fuel consumption 40mpg.
List price £9,000
** In fact the VZR1800 weights 770lbs, about 200 MORE than the B-King. Somehow it feels easier to manoeuvre than the BK as the weight is all lower down.
I've also published this on my Sukuki B-King blog
