The 1980s and 90s was a boom time for motorcycle development . Manufacturers played around with every component in an attempt to find the next big leap in performance . Wheel sizes , engine configuration , frame material and shape ; literally everything was given a go , swapped and tried . 18-inch wheels gave way to 17-inch , aircooling gave way to liquid . A format was starting to take shape . Suzuki was at the forefront of this crazy-speed development . Just one year after shocking the world with the GSX-R750 Hypersport in 1985 , Suzuki lifted the covers from its burly big brother ... the GSX-R1100 . For a couple of years the 18-inch GSX-R1100 ‘ slab-side ’ was the bad-boy bike to have . Yamaha wasn ’ t taking this lying down , and hit back with the 1987 FZR1000 Genesis and 1989 EXUP , forcing Suzuki to completely revamp the GSX-R for 1989 . The ‘ Slingshot ’ had 17-inch wheels , a new frame , more power and completely new geometry ... but , unfortunately , the GSX-R1100K was a brute
ahead of its time , which I ’ ll come to later . Wayward and needing serious suspension fettling , the ‘ K ’ was a handful . So much so that the 1990 model had a longer swingarm , state of the art upside-down forks and a wider rear wheel / rubber in an attempt to get it under control . And that ’ s the model we have here . A 1990 GSX-R1100L ; the model that ’ s the most sought after of the Slingshot GSX-R models . And it ’ s the one that ’ s not all that different from today in the geometry numbers .
RIDING A GSX-R1100 TODAY This bike belongs to Geoff Stowe , a friend of ours from Rotorua . He saw it while browsing TradeMe , looking for a ‘ classic ’ bike to add to his stable of Italian machines . We went out for a ride on a sunny day , taking in the twisties to the south of Rotorua . Taking it easy through the first set of corners , I can ’ t help but think this is a “ man ’ s ” bike . It ’ s got serious mass – and there ’ s that reputation for them getting a bit unwieldy through fast , bumpy corners . So I ’ m expecting bad
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