Used Bike Guide 2002 SUZUKI GSX-R1000 K1/2: HAVE SOME OF THAT!

In 2001, the bad boy of the litre bike class arrived - Suzuki's GSX-R1000

- JON URRY

The early 2000s were a great time for the litre bike class. After ripping up the rulebook with the original FireBlade, Honda rediscovered its mojo and in 2000 the Blade was treated to a total revamp that saw it become lighter, faster and more agile than ever before. Yamaha was still sailing on the crest of a wave as its YZF-R1 continued to evolve and dominate the sales charts, and Kawasaki was doing its best to flog a few more bhp from its ageing ZX-9R platform. But one name was noticeable by its absence – Suzuki. Much like a dodgy stomach after a vindaloo, everyone knew Suzuki would strike... it was just a matter of when and how hard. In 2001, the world found out.

The GSX-R1000 K1 arrived and in typical Suzuki fashion, with very little refinement but a whole stack of performance and attitude. Where Honda and Yamaha had made great shows the year before about how they had honed their litre bikes to be more user-friendly, Suzuki ignored this route and instead unleashed the most powerful bike in its class on the competition. It was exactly this kind of brash attitude that GSX-R fans were waiting for Suzuki to display and, predictably, they lapped up the K1.