Suzuki is keeping itself a lot busy lately. Just a week after the news of an updated GSX-R1000 being in works surfaced, leaked type-approval documents have now confirmed that the 2021 Suzuki GSX-S1000T is due for a global debut soon. Yes, the Japanese manufacturer has dropped the ‘F’ for its sports tourer in favour of a more apt suffix.
So, will Suzuki build its new sports tourer from the ground up? The short answer to that is no. The new GSX-S1000T is heavily based on the recently-updated GSX-S1000. It shares the same GSX-R1000 k5 derived inline-four screamer that now delivers 152PS at 11,000rpm and 108Nm at 9,250rpm. While the power is the same as the naked sibling, the torque has gone up by 2Nm.
The underpinnings too are common between the two bikes. So, the 2021 Suzuki GSX-S1000T’s twin-spar frame is the same as the naked bike, however, the 26mm increase in overall length hints that the bike could have a different subframe for better pillion comfort. The chassis sits on fully adjustable KYB forks and a preload and rebound-adjustable monoshock from the same brand. In fact, the Brembo Monoblocs too have been carried over.
The 1460.5mm wheelbase on the GSX-S1000T is also the same as the naked, which should ideally make this sports tourer agile. However, the tour-friendly fairing has made the bike almost 12kg heavier than the current GSX-S1000.
The 2021 Suzuki GSX-S1000T will follow the same design language as the new GSX-S1000. So, the long, flowy lines and curvy silhouette of the sports tourer will be replaced by more aggressive lines. Like with the naked bike, we expect Suzuki to give the touring model a modern and compact LED headlight setup.