The past few months have been nothing but disappointing for Suzuki fans, thanks to the shocking MotoGP exit and budget issue rumors. Things, however, are about to get worse as it looks like Suzuki will be pulling the plug on its liter-class superbike, the GSX-R1000, later this year.

Why Will Suzuki Discontinue The GSX-R1000?

Sadly, this is all Suzuki’s own doing because ever since the launch of the L7 GSX-R1000, the bikemaker hasn’t introduced any substantial updates for the motorcycle. Sure, we saw several special editions, liveries, and small nips and tucks, but none of these were enough to future-proof the bike.

Consequently, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 now stands on the brink of getting discontinued from most markets (wherever Euro-5 norms comply). This will leave only three Japanese motorcycles in the said markets, the Yamaha YZF-R1, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, and the Honda CBR1000RR.

What About A 2023 Suzuki GSX-R1000?

This is where things get even disheartening. You see, the Suzuki GSX-R1000, even after being on the market for five years, still continues to be up-to-date in terms of tech and it was one of the first liter-bikes to adopt variable valve timing. In theory, this should’ve made the switch from Euro-4 to Euro-5 norms fairly easy for the Gixxer, but there’s been no word from the Japanese giant on this. In fact, the bikemaker had even filed applications for a reworked variable valve timing system in 2019, but again, there was nothing in the flesh.

Coming to the present, it’s highly unlikely Suzuki will take the world by surprise and introduce an all-new GSX-R1000 by the end of 2022. Instead, chances are Suzuki will take its fair share of time and re-launch a heavily revised Gixxer, possibly in 2024 alongside the new emission norms. We say this because Suzuki did the same after discontinuing the Hayabusa during the Euro-4 emissions and re-launched the updated model in 2021.

Luckily, the liter-class GSX-R will continue to sell in the States till that happens, just like the GSX-R600 and the GSX-R750 because Euro-5 norms aren’t mandatory here. For your reference, the GSX-R1000 retails between $15,849 and $17,999, depending on the variant you opt for.

Final Thoughts

*UK model shown

In our opinion, since Suzuki is leaving MotoGP, it should now focus on utilizing the teachings from the GSX-RR for the future road-going model. This will not only help the bike stay up-to-date even in 2024, but also give it an advantage over its already MotoGP-derived rivals like the Ducati Panigale V4 and the Aprilia RSV4 1100.

There’s also a slim but hope-worthy chance that Suzuki is already working day and night on an updated GSX-R1000, and will somehow meet the December 31, 2022 deadline to introduce the 2023 model. If so, we can expect an update from the Japanese giant around the 2022 EICMA.