Despite the wishful reports that have been circulating the media sphere lately, Suzuki is seemingly not poised to bring any new GSX-R sport bikes for the 2016 model year, as Suzuki Motor America has confirmed this year’s models will return for next season.
This news is undoubtedly a blow to fans of the Suzuki brand and GSX-R line, who have been keen to see Suzuki reclaim its sport biking crown. There is however a silver lining to this news…
Many had thought/hoped for Suzuki’s return to the MotoGP World Championship to signal the revival of the GSX-R line, especially with the Suzuki GSX-RR race bike utilizing a crossplane inline-four engine.
This is because Suzuki’s re-entry into MotoGP had been seen as part of a larger plan to re-awaken the brand from its recession-induced slumber, following the steps seen by the other Japanese motorcycle brands.
That may still be the case as our sources say that Suzuki will show updated GSX-Rs at the upcoming EICMA show, though the models are expected to come out in mid-2016, which would make them “2017 model year” motorcycles.
One can only guess as to why Suzuki is bringing out new machines so late in 2016, though it may be due to the rumors that Suzuki hasn’t had the requisite funds to afford the tooling-up for new motorcycles – the “2016” lineup seems to corroborate that thought.
Source: Suzuki Motor America & Bothan Spies
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