Litre Beaters: 2003 1000cc test

By the time you read this good ol' George Dubya, a man without the mental capacity to eat a pretzel safely - will probably be trying to put more dents in Iraq than you'd find on the average black cab. Chances are this will end up like many a playground scuffle where the big lad punches the little one who runs home to his mum. But should things go even more pear-shaped it's time to arm up with a bike that'll hit an apex harder than a laser-guided missile and accelerate faster than an Iraqi out of a bunker when he sees said missile coming.

And in the 1000s class there is only one newcomer for 2003 - Suzuki's GSX-R1000. Honda's FireBlade, Yamaha's R1 and Kawasaki's ZX-9R remain unchanged, bar colour schemes while the Suzuki gets a new frame, suspension, radial brakes and a tweaked motor. Last year's Blade did enough to edge ahead of the GSX-R in our group test but has Suzuki done enough to win back the crown again this year? Let's find out.

On Track

Suzuki GSX-R1000

Suzuki has concentrated its efforts on updating the GSX-R chassis for 2003, just the opposite of Yamaha who last year spent time taming the R1's power delivery. The GSX-R's engine feels the same as last year - very linear power band, loads of mid-range grunt and stacks up top too, but the new model's biggest asset is that new chassis that lets you harness it. So much so I found the GSX-R easiest on the track - quite an achievement considering it's putting out the same power as a two year-old superbike... The new chassis gives loads of feedback and is really happy to be ridden hard, but you still have to give it respect. 158bhp bites if you get cocky! Luckily throttle response is very progressive getting back on the power mid-corner which helps reduce the chances of things going wrong, especially combined with the new levels of feeling from the chassis.

Through tight corners the GSX-R felt light and changed direction with minimal effort and the steering was very accurate, hitting the spot every time and tracking through corners perfectly. On the gas rear end grip was phenomenal and considering the power at your right hand, Suzuki must have worked very hard to get the rear suspension right - I can't really fault it. So handling was very impressive, but I still have one gripe. On last year's bike I found that under heavy braking the front end could hop. A lot of riders may not get to this point but on my own GSX-R1000 I spent ages setting it up and although the rear was fine I couldn't cure the front without stiffer fork springs. But this is a small thing, and only shows up braking hard from 150mph to a stop, which to be fair most riders aren't going to do on regularly. Styling? Well blue and white is still the colour to have. The silver looks nice but the black is really best forgotten about.

Track verdict

A very forgiving bike to ride and confidence inspiring despite huge horsepower. The new chassis has really harnessed the power of an already excellent motor and made it useable.