Our GS's are going to be worth more..... Graduated Licensing coming

[TheGoodGuy]

If this holds true... and i know the harley riders will be fighting this every step of the way - as will the folks who believe nothing less than 1000cc will do.. but I am fully in support of this graduated licensing thing.. I know plenty of people who started big and regretted it after a nasty crash... and some had serious injuries.. things that could have been avoided with a lower powered bike to learn and build skills 

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/nhtsa-raises-graduated-licensing-as-a-way-to-improve-motorcycle-safety

It should make for a interesting discussion.. maybe Suzuki should bring back the GS with a  EFI engine eh? 

[gruntle]

Good idea...

I have lost far too many friends and their pillion passengers to think otherwise.

Your Mileage May Vary - but mine bloody doesn't.

[Bluesmudge]

I'm all for it, but only if we have graduated licenses for cars too. A basic license should allow you up to 2,500 lbs and 100 hp. Like a Mirage or Yaris. More powerful, larger, and heavier vehicles should require escalating driving test difficulty and years of experience. Want to drive a RAM 3500? Then the test should be nearly as strict as a commercial driver's license. Same for anything with more than 400 hp. And you should have to retest every 5 years.


Motorcyclists usually only kill themselves. The ever increasing size and power of all the SUVs and Trucks on the road is the real scourge. Lots of pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and car drivers getting hurt/killed because anyone can drive a 6,000 lb SUV off the lot with no special licensing requirements.

[Sparker]

It should make for a interesting discussion.. maybe Suzuki should bring back the GS with a  EFI engine eh?

But why, can't they just restrict their SV650? I think it's quite comparable.

[Bluesmudge]

But why, can't they just restrict their SV650? I think it's quite comparable.

It's a good point. The base SV650 is only $600 more expensive than the Honda CB500F and only a few lbs heavier too. So, it's pretty price competitive in the 500cc category. I doubt Suzuki could build a new machine and get the price point any lower with a fresh design 500cc. As much as I want a new GS500 class
bike from Suzuki I don't see it happening.

[gsbarry]

I believe the graduated or restricted category of licensing has been a thing in certain parts of Europe for some decades now. I had a friend from Germany who moved to Canada and was shocked when he found out he could go write his beginners "M1" in Canada, go to a dealer, buy a liter crotch rocket and go do 300 kph down the highway.

The graduated or restricted licensing I think is a great idea for those first few years of riding on the road. Hopefully it comes to Canada too!

I started on a GS500, bought a SV650 and now own the SV1000. The SV650 turned into my track bike for a few years while I rode the 1000 on the road. Although the SV650 is a good stepping stone from the GS500, the SV650 is way more capable, then the GS500 IMO. My 650 would crush my 500 in every way possible and in some instances I think even the sport/touring class 600/650s are too powerful and heavy for a beginner rider.

An updated EFI GS500 would be very cool! Unfortunately I do not see Suzuki putting the R&I or investment into such a thing. Most of their models havent been changed in years or decades. They seem to be the only manufacturer not putting the big bucks into brand development   

[Bluesmudge]

Suzuki was completely stale from ~2016 - 2020 but recently they updated the Vstrom line, the Hayabusa, created the GSXS 1000GT and GSXS-1000GX and just created an entirely new engine that we see in the Vstrom 800 and GSX-8X.

The rest of their line is actually unique because its so old. Its nice to have the GSXR600/750 as a true sportbike option while other manufacturers just drop their smaller inline 4 bikes from the lineup. The DR650 and DRZ400 are pretty darn good as they are and lots of people want simple/reliable/cheap machines instead of the latest and greatest. I wouldn't mind fuel injection on either or another gear on the DRZ but I understand why Suzuki wants to sell them as-is. Part of the appeal of bikes like those and the SV650 is that having decades of parts and aftermarket support is more valuable than a new model from the factory.

The only place Suzuki has no leg to stand on is their trail/motorcross lineup. The rest of the industry has surpassed them in every way. There are now similar priced bikes with E-start that weight less and make more power than Suzuki's kick start only bikes.

[Watcher]

Suzuki was completely stale from ~2016 - 2020

Perhaps longer than that.  Let's not forget they also pulled out of MotoGP in 2022 basically citing "racing achievements don't translate to sales," and they have long since (2012?) pulled out of NA with their automotive offerings.
Seems for the longest time they were focused on domestic sales and small CC stuff, ie scooters.

Even when they were trying to be innovative/competitive it seems like they were a day late and a dollar short.
This is an actual timeline of products:
Kawasaki Ninja EX250 
Honda CBR250R 
Suzuki ... 
Kawasaki Ninja EX300 
Honda CBR300R 
Suzuki... 
Kawasaki Ninja EX400 
Honda ... 
Suzuki GSX250R 

In a market trending above 300ccs, Suzy released a 250...  And they didn't even use industry standardized tires on it.  When they first came out there was ONE tire model you could get for it, the OE Bridgestones, and that was it.  To be fair the rear 140/70-17 is decently common, but that 110/80-17 front tire is just...  Why?  At present my company sells about 30 different options in a 140/70-17, but we sell FIVE in a 110/80-17.  It couldn't be a 110/70-17?
Also to be fair, going down to a 110/70 isn't likely to cause any issues but it does make one question the reason it was done to begin with.  It's like Erik Buell's Blast 500 which used a strange 16" wheel set.  To this day you can only get the OE tires, NOBODY makes any aftermarket tire options for that bike, but then even Erik hated that bike, lol.

Most recently they revealed a DL250 Vstrom, obviously to compete with the Kawasaki Versys 300 and BMW G310GS but once again is perhaps too small.
Glad to see they're trying to innovate a little in the upper-mid range engine classes.  The new 800 twins seem well received and while the GSXS "naked" bikes aren't as popular as similar offerings from other brands (Z900, S1000, MT09, etc) they do show a willingness to diversify.
With the ongoing success of the Honda CB500 class of bikes and the new Kawasaki 500s (actually 450s) perhaps Suzy could be persuaded to make a GSX500 of some kind.  Just take the 800 twin block and sleeve it down or something.
That being said, with upcoming/improving brands like CF Moto and Royal Enfield generating larger market demand as well as great small-mid CC options from other major brands like the new Triumph 400s, Husqvarna/KTM 400/390s, the aforementioned Honda and Kawi 500s, it's likely harder than ever to be competitive for a new rider's attention.  Especially considering that for a lot of these brands the goal is to make lifelong customers.  For Triumph selling a Street 400 isn't the end goal, selling that same customer a Bonneville T100 in a couple of years once their payments are done is the real prize.