At the end of my road test, I was disappointed with this feature. It may be useful on a couple of occasions, but since I'm a fairly experienced rider, I was seriously distracted when trying to shift from one mode to another at over 175 km/h; I spent too much time looking at the instruments to know what was going on.

The Sanair race track enabled me to push it to the limit.

On the road
I had the opportunity to explore the true nature of the GSX-R1000 in the gorgeous region of Quebec City and Orleans Island. Carrying a featherweight passenger, I must say that this Suzuki is as delicate and aggressive as always. During a pleasant ride under the hot sun, I averaged a reasonable fuel economy of 5.5 L/100 km without going too much into higher revs.

Wind protection is good for the rider, but the fact that the passenger sits considerably higher leads to a slightly sore neck. On the flip side, Suzuki designed the footpegs with great care. I was surprised to find three different positions to suit the rider's preferences. You can either lower the footpegs by 14 mm (for comfort) or slide them back by 14 mm (for aggressive racing). In the comfort position, my knees never hurt, which I greatly appreciated considering their weak condition. Thank you, Suzuki!

In city traffic, the lightness of the steering and the easiness of the parking maneuvers really struck me, even with a passenger sitting behind me. The smoothness of the hydraulic clutch combined with the low-end torque make the GSX-R1000 remarkably easy to manipulate. One little thing, though: the seat is hard for the rider and slightly angled toward the front. You often feel like you're sliding toward the fuel tank and that you have to reposition yourself. And since the handlebars are fairly low, the elbows have a harder time than they should. True, we're talking about a superbike and not a touring motorcycle, but the road is where GSX-R riders will spend most of their time.

Curiously, I found another shortcoming on the highway. Handling is good and stability at high speeds and in long curves is exemplary, but from 4,500 to 6,000 rpm, you start to feel vibrations in the footpegs, which can become rapidly annoying depending on the thickness of your boots. Other than that, I have nothing negative to say. The comfortable riding position makes long rides seem far too short.

Its great maneuverability makes it pleasant to ride on the track.