Even in its Native Japan The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is Now Extinct
After 40 years of making some of the most iconic sports motorcycles The GSX-R brand is losing its halo model
Japan looks set to lose one of Suzuki’s most famous models, as the GSX-R1000 shows as ‘discontinued’ on the Suzuki Motorcycles Japan website.
The news of the model’s discontinuation shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, the UK and Europe lost the ability to buy new GSX-R1000s in 2023, and the only bikes available were those lying dormant in dealerships. It is still a sad day, though, as the famous ‘Gixxer’ joins the likes of the Yamaha R1 on the ever-mounting list of sports bikes we’ve loved, and sadly now lost.
Suzuki’s withdrawal from the litre-plus sports bike market was effectively sealed when it pulled out of top-flight two-wheeled motorcycle racing. The Hamamatsu brand announced it was pulling out of the MotoGP championship mid-way through 2022, and it left motorcycle sport’s elite championship at the end of that very same year. Two late-season wins, one coming in at Phillip Island and another at the season-ending (and curtain-closing) round at Valencia thanks to Alex Rins raised the mood and the hopes of fans. The mind of Suzuki’s board was made up, though, and Suzuki officially cited a need to move to a more ‘sustainable society’ as its reasoning.
Where the story of the GSX-R started
There were hopes that Suzuki could switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK, a move that would have almost certainly saved the fate of the GSX-R1000. Sadly that also wasn't to be and as of now, the only international competition Suzuki is still officially involved in is the Endurance World Championship, where its Yoshimura SERT team (run by Suzuki France) is leading the standings by one point (over YART Yamaha) after two of four rounds.
The Suzuki Japan website does still list some sporty faired models, namely the big-bore Hayabusa, The GSX-S1000GT, the recently released GSX-8R, the GSX250R, the Gixxer SF250, and the GSX-R125. So Japanese Suzuki sports bike fans do have some bikes to choose from, just not the one that people actually want.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
