- 5/23/2025
Experience the all-new 2025 Suzuki GSX-S1000GX+, Suzuki’s most advanced sport-touring motorcycle ever. In this episode of MC Commute, we test the GSX-S1000GX+ to see how its 999cc inline-four engine, semi-active Showa suspension, and state-of-the-art rider aids perform in real-world conditions. With premium features like integrated hard luggage, a full-color TFT display, and advanced ride modes, the GX+ aims to be the ultimate high-performance touring machine. Is this the best sport-touring motorcycle of 2025? Watch our full ride review to find out!
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00All right everyone, good morning! Today we're riding Suzuki's GSX-S1000GX Plus crossover motorcycle.
00:07One-third sport bike, one-third touring bike, one-third adventure bike, all pure fun.
00:12This motorcycle is really nice because it has more upright style ergonomics.
00:17Where the GSX-S1000GT Plus is more sport bike style ergonomics,
00:24this motorcycle is more upright and adventure sport bike ergonomics.
00:29That means it's very comfortable to ride.
00:32Yes, the seat height is a little tall, but we stand at six foot tall.
00:37We have no problem putting both feet on the asphalt at a stop.
00:42The rear sets are positioned in a way where they're not too high.
00:47So you have a lot of room in the knees. It feels very comfortable to ride.
00:52Now the handlebar bend on this motorcycle in typical adventure sport bike fashion,
00:56there is a good amount of rearward sweep.
00:59The handlebar is not too high, not too low, and it's actually a really comfortable bend for logging miles on the street.
01:07If there's one thing Suzuki always gets right, it's the padding and the surface of the seat.
01:14And this seat is crazy comfortable.
01:16It's one of the standout features of this bike.
01:18It's just the high level of comfort for your rear end.
01:22Now this particular motorcycle is powered by a 999cc water-cooled dual-varied camshaft inline-four engine.
01:30This is the same powertrain architecture of Suzuki's 2005-2006 GSX-R1000 motorcycle.
01:37Now Suzuki just didn't pull this engine from its warehouse in Hamamatsu, Japan.
01:42This engine has been assembled using modern manufacturing techniques, but the architecture is the same.
01:49This engine is really cool because it has a lot of character.
01:52It doesn't vibrate excessively, and it has good power.
01:5573 pound-feet of torque at the business end of that 17-inch rear wheel.
02:00We also really like the character of this engine.
02:04It has a nice sporty feel.
02:06Power is put back to that 17-inch rear wheel via a cable-actuated clutch with slipper function
02:12and a 6-speed quick-enabled electronic quick-shifter.
02:18So we can up-shift and down-shift through the 6-speed gearbox without having to use the clutch.
02:25Very nice feature.
02:26The electronic quick-shifter calibration on this Suzuki motorcycle is really nice.
02:31It's a pretty fast response, and it just works really well.
02:36Suzuki has their electronic quick-shifters really dialed in.
02:40Clutch action is very nice.
02:41It's not too wimpy.
02:43It's not too stiff.
02:44You definitely are going to have to apply a little bit of force to that clutch lever.
02:48It's not that wimpy, which is nice.
02:50I like a well-weighted clutch lever, and the clutch lever on this system is well-weighted.
02:56Really like the character of this inline-four engine.
02:58It has a nice, pleasing growl at low RPM.
03:03And again, it doesn't have too much vibration.
03:05There definitely is a little bit of vibration, especially at mid-to-upper RPM.
03:10But here at just north of 3,000 RPM, the engine purrs nice and smoothly.
03:16Now this motorcycle, with a full tank of fuel, weighs in at 511 pounds.
03:22It drinks from a 5-gallon capacity fuel tank, and we have netted 36.2 MPG average.
03:31Right now it's on instant average mode, but we get right around 36 miles per gallon, which isn't the best fuel economy, but it's also not the worst.
03:40This engine's really fun, so we like to ride at high RPM.
03:45Now, this particular motorcycle is equipped with all the latest bells and whistles from Suzuki Motor.
03:52We have ride-by-wire throttle with adjustable combined engine power and throttle maps.
03:59We have adjustable non-IMU-powered traction control.
04:04We have the aforementioned electronic up-and-down quickshifter.
04:08We have motion track ABS, which is IMU-powered ABS with cornering ABS function, even though Suzuki doesn't call it cornering ABS function.
04:18And we have the star of the show, Suzuki's semi-active suspension from Showa.
04:24The semi-active suspension from Showa automatically modifies compression and rebound damping of the fork and the shock in real time based on road conditions and rider input via the brake and throttle.
04:40Right now we have it in the sport setting, which is signified right here.
04:47Now, the cool thing about this suspension, too, is it allows electronic preload adjustment.
04:53So the rear end of the bike will automatically go up or down based on a setting that you can enter here in the switchgear.
05:02Right now we're riding as a solo one-person, but you can set the bike up for two-person riding or two-person riding with cargo.
05:11There's a good range of adjustment.
05:12So if you're someone who really likes the rear of the motorcycle riding high, having a lot of ground clearance and riding high, you can ride with the two people and the cargo.
05:23Conversely, if you want the rear end to sit a little lower and just have really nice comfort, put it in the single setting.
05:30That works really well.
05:32We also have cruise control.
05:34Yes, I love cruise control, which we can use with this dedicated switchgear right here.
05:40You turn the button on with this right thumb-actuated button, and then you set the speed right here.
05:46There, we've set the speed.
05:48Now we have cruise control activated.
05:51But Suzuki, where is the heated grips?
05:53Yes, unfortunately heated grips don't come as a standard feature on this bike.
05:57It's a $455 accessory that you can purchase from Suzuki Motor of America.
06:02Still, it's nice to have cruise control.
06:04This cruise control really is awesome.
06:06It allows you to keep your speed constant when you're riding on residential roads with a more limited speed limit like we are now.
06:15I really like the comfort factor of this bike.
06:18This windshield does a nice job of blocking the elements, and you can adjust it.
06:22Unfortunately, it's manually adjusted with tools, so you have to literally remove the 5mm bolts to move the windscreen up or down.
06:33Right now, it's in the middle of three positions, so we can go a little bit higher and a little bit lower.
06:38This mid-position is just fine for what we are doing right now.
06:42We also have this handy USB port here, so we can charge our gadgets.
06:47It's just worth mentioning that it's USB and not USB-C, like some ports are on more modern vehicles.
06:55Keeping tabs on everything is this 6.5-inch color TFT display.
06:59It features Suzuki's fonts.
07:00So, a lot of motorcycle manufacturers like to have synergy in the fonts on the display.
07:07BMW Motorrad really does a good job of that.
07:10Their motorcycles always have the same font display as their automotive products.
07:14Well, Suzuki's jumping on that bandwagon and now has the same font setup as their automobiles.
07:20Obviously, they're not manufactured or sold in America anymore, but if you jumped in a Suzuki vehicle in a different part of the world,
07:27you'd see that the fonts are the same.
07:28That's a nice touch.
07:30This display is really nice, sharp, easy to read.
07:33You can change the color profile to have a white background with black numbers, but we always like dark mode engaged.
07:40Black background, white numbers.
07:42That's what we like, so that's the way we run it.
07:45Everything's really easy and legible day or night, even in bright sunlight.
07:49It's a really nice display.
07:50This display is also really cool, too, because you can pair this vehicle with Suzuki's iOS and Android-powered MySpin app
07:59that allows you to get turn-by-turn direction right on the screen.
08:03Really handy feature.
08:05Super easy to pair your iOS or Android-powered smartphone with this vehicle.
08:10I really like the comfort of this motorcycle.
08:11This bike is just really comfortable, especially at these low speeds.
08:16You know, the engine is just purring.
08:17It goes over the bumps really nice.
08:19Because the sport handling of this bike is definitely decent.
08:23It definitely has a decent level of sport handling, especially in the more aggressive suspension mode.
08:29But there's definitely other adventure sport bikes out there that are a little bit sharper in terms of raw sport handling.
08:35This bike does a great job of gliding over the road.
08:39Let's up the speed a little bit.
08:40Of course, we have to stay in the confines of the speed limit.
08:44Now, the rear-view mirrors on this bike are real nice.
08:46Nice, big surface area.
08:48The engine does vibrate a little bit, which vibrates the mirrors a little bit.
08:53But I wouldn't say it's terrible.
08:55Now, another cool feature about this bike is the standard plastic handguards.
09:00In lieu of heated grips, these plastic handguards help keep some of the wind off your mitts.
09:06Just keep things a little bit more comfortable.
09:08They also look really cool, too.
09:09We also really like the removable hard case luggage.
09:15This luggage is awesome.
09:16It swallows seven gallons of gear, including a full-face motorcycle helmet like this motorcycle helmet we're wearing today with Karo Systems.
09:27Pac-Talk Pro Bluetooth communicator.
09:29You can actually put the helmet in with the Pac-Talk Pro communicator.
09:33It depends which helmet you have, but I know with the Arai Corsair X and Contour X helmets, you can put the helmet in the side bag with the Bluetooth communicator and actually close it.
09:45And that's so cool.
09:46You can ride to your destination, put your helmet in the case, and it's secure.
09:50And you don't have to worry about anyone messing with your helmet or trying to steal it or anything like that.
09:55Really nice.
09:56It's also cool how easy these two hard case pieces of luggage go on and off the bike.
10:02They go on and off the bike in a very similar fashion to what Kawasaki used on its, I believe, its Z1000 touring bike, which it had many years ago.
10:14I think it's got a different model name now, but very similar latching mechanism.
10:18Super easy to use.
10:19No fumbling.
10:21Another cool thing is the locks.
10:23The locks, it's lockable, and it's matched to the ignition of the vehicle.
10:27Very nice.
10:29Gosh, I love that quick shifter.
10:31I love this engine.
10:33Suzuki SDMS combined engine power and throttle maps allow you to tailor the power band of this engine.
10:40Right now we're riding it in the highest power setting.
10:44But if you're new to riding or wanted a lower power setting just to get a feel for the bike or maybe you're riding in inclement weather,
10:50you can adjust that and go into B or C setting with this switch gear here on the left.
10:58The switch gear is nice.
10:59I wish the tactile functionality was a little bit better.
11:02It's not terrible, but it's not totally awesome either.
11:05It would be also nice if Suzuki would add some backlighting to this switch gear here.
11:10More and more manufacturers are adding backlighting to the switch gear, and that's a nice touch.
11:15It would be cool if Suzuki would do that as well.
11:18Now we talked about the braking triple disc hydraulic brakes.
11:22We have Brembo radio mount four piston calipers up front and a single disc brake out back with rubber brake hoses connecting the system.
11:31This motorcycle doesn't employ a radio mount front master cylinder.
11:37That's one area where the brakes on this motorcycle are perfectly capable of shedding speed of this 511-pound bike.
11:45But we'd be lying if we didn't say that the brake feel, especially from the front brakes, is a little bit muted.
11:52The initial brake bite is certainly muted, and you have to use a little bit of lever input to get this thing slowed down in a hurry.
12:01Conversely, the back, the rear brake is nice and firm.
12:04It has a really good response.
12:05If you want the rear end to squat a little bit, just tap on that rear brake, and that back end comes down right away.
12:11Really like this motorcycle for a 511-pound bike.
12:14This thing is crazy agile.
12:17Handles really well for a bike of its size.
12:21It also comes equipped with a center stand, which is really nice for easing maintenance chores when you have to adjust the tension of the chain final drive,
12:33or check the tire pressure, or just to have a little bit more efficient storage in your garage.
12:39It's nice putting the bike straight up and down rather than curved, leaned.
12:43In some situations, it can take up a little bit less space.
12:47Now, we talked about the electronic suspension control and the electronic rear preload adjustment.
12:54Fork preload has to be made the old-fashioned way with a 6-millimeter Allen head tool, which you adjust the preload at the bottom of the fork leg.
13:05So that's how you adjust the ride height of the fork.
13:08But the standard setting works really well for us.
13:12I really like this motorcycle.
13:14It's comfortable.
13:16It looks pretty cool, especially in this matte green British Triumph Racing green color.
13:21I really like this green.
13:22It has Suzuki's legendary K5 Jixter engine, which feels a little old, but still, it's functional.
13:30It has good torque, good horsepower, not a ton of vibration.
13:34Really nice character.
13:35Handling's nice, very agile-feeling bike for 511 pounds.
13:40It's cool that Suzuki incorporates some form of semi-active suspension with this bike.
13:45Let's it go from mild to medium-wild with a push of a button.
13:51Whether you ride on bumpy surface streets or you're riding in the canyons, this bike gets it done.
13:58Which brings us to the price of this bike, $18,499 for this particular vehicle.
14:04Whoa, that price is a little bit high.
14:06Yeah, it's nice that it has the lockable and removable OE hard cases.
14:13Yeah, it's nice it has semi-active suspension, but still, $18,500 is just too much for this bike.
14:20If you're looking for a really comfortable, easy-riding, adventure sport bike, you should check out this $18,500.
14:27The Suzuki GSX-S 1000 GX Plus.
14:32Well, everyone, that's a wrap from our ride today.
14:35As always, make sure to give this video a thumbs up.
14:37Sound off in the comments section.
14:39What do you think of Suzuki's GSX-S 1000 GX Plus adventure sport bike?
14:43And we'll see you in the next episode.
14:45Thanks for riding with us today.
Recommended
10:24
|
Up next
10:37
36:23
15:16
2:55
7:21
8:45
15:12
1:38