Suzuki's Concept GSX

SOME concept bikes are wonderful flights of fancy that give a clear insight into the way designers are thinking about the future. Others are lightly-disguised production models aimed at whetting our appetites before they’re ready for showrooms.

And some are just rubbish.

Suzuki has been rumoured to be bringing something exciting to next month’s Tokyo Motor Show, but the evidence released today is less than compelling. This, apparently, isn’t Honda’s 2008 Concept V4 with a thick coat of stucco applied. Oh no, it’s 'a concept object that encapsulates the potential of the GSX series.'

Because of course it is.

Suzuki’s limited press release about the bike explains (and we’re using the loosest definition of the word):

Suzuki’s powerful, rider-friendly inline-four engines deliver an outstanding combination of fuel economy and endurance. Their technologies are reflected in numerous GSX-series models including the GSX-R1000, the Hayabusa, and the GSX-S1000.

The concept GSX symbolizes the high-performance bikes that bear the GSX name. It gives form to Suzuki’s inline-four sportbike-making spirit and evokes a cocoon from which the company’s future sportbike models will be born.

So, underneath there’s a new Hayabusa. Or maybe it’s a GSX-R1000. Or not. After all it’s just an evocation of a cocoon with the form of a spirit.

Hey, Suzuki, can’t we just have something that looks like the GSX-RR MotoGP bike instead?

The firm is also going to show the ‘Hustler Scoot’ concept, which at least has things you might associate with a motorcycle, like wheels. Unfortunately, it’s just a 50cc scooter with a suitcase mounted in the step-thru section. Or, in Suzuki’s words, ‘luggage space for diverse purposes’ (as opposed to that inconvenient single-purpose luggage space).

A further quote from the Suzuki press release explains just how diverse it can be, saying: With the luggage case removed, the HUSTLER SCOOT can carry longer luggage items such as a tennis racket.

Well, that’s just established a new level for niche marketing…

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