Restrictive practice

Suzuki's new 950 version of the GSX comes in restricted and full-fat versions, so does it give you the option of two bikes for the price of one?

- Dave Manning

Suzuki GSX-S950

Suzuki’s new bike on the block initially seems to be something of an enigma. It’s radically styled, along the lines of a cut-down streetfighter that is all about attitude and performance, and yet it’s also sold as a 47bhp bike suitable for an A2 licence…

And yes, it was the A2-compliant version that I jumped aboard after returning my long-term Hayabusa to Suzuki. A reduction of something in the region of 130bhp! The initial feel is that the bars are really high, with a riding position akin to a large trail bike, albeit without the skyscraping seat height, and you really sit ‘in’ the bike, tucked behind that seemingly large petrol tank. In short, it immediately feels like rather a nice place to be.

On pressing the start button, a pleasing rasp emits from the stubby exhaust pipe, and this is emphasised with the growl from the airbox, exaggerated by the fact that the airbox sits under the fuel tank cover, and only just under your chin really. Although that rorty note isn’t accompanied by the kind of performance that it suggests, but then when you’re on an A2 licence compliant machine, you’ll know that, what with it being restricted to 47bhp.