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Suzuki GSX 1300 B-King
Being
a brand new model, the B-King has virtually no history but we
can track down Hayabusa’s evolution in order to see how the
concept of B-King appeared and than the actual production
motorcycle that astonished us.
The difference between the two
motorcycles is styling, B-King having a very aggressive look which probably
says a lot about the rider too. Its imposing engine is out there to be seen
as well as the exhaust pipes which let you know that it has the power to
reward you with a one-of-a-kind sport riding experience. The first thing that strikes you when approaching the B-King is the imposing dimensions which rapidly make you change your mind about riding the bike if you lack in experience but if you have ridden a reasonable number of street bikes and you really pulled it through with that ones, it should be a easy and enjoyable task the ride with the B-King (mine sure was).
Once on the bike you feel like you’ve
reached the highest level of power, comfort, and engineering available for
street motorcycles but the fun hasn’t even begin yet. Start the engine, have
a little fun with the throttle while enjoying the instruments in front of
you, engage first and get moving. You will immediately feel the bike’s
weight disappear underneath you and the beast becomes a model in terms of
handling and maneuverability. As soon as I realized that I encounter a
better product that I was expecting I was tempted to go through all six
speeds and see the awesome acceleration that makes this motorcycle a beast
and guess what? I did just that and I realized that Suzuki tuned the B-King
for great amounts of power and torque at high rpm, the bike being created
for pure acceleration. By that level my arms became a little longer but I
pushed it a little bit more to see if the bike will satisfy even a
supersports rider who is eager to get the same thrill in a more comfortable
position. The bike succeeds to be a true opponent for 600cc supersport
motorcycles like the GSX600R or CBR600 and it does it big time! The aluminum chassis does its job
perfectly, as we expected, allowing very tight and fast corners without the
fear of falling or getting out of the road. If the fear appears, you should
put the B-King to a quick test and lean the bike even more in order to exit
the corner safely and more decided to try another one.
Review
It's big,
it's intimidating and it turns about as many heads as an NBA
player at Grandma's Bingo night. Now, we're not talking about an
oversized jewelry-clad basketball player; we're talking about
Suzuki's B-King. Originally debuted seven years ago at the Tokyo
Motor Show, the B-King
is one ultra-cool streetfighter prototype that actually made it
into production.
Once in the saddle, there's no hiding its
578-lb mass (fully fueled, ready to ride). Due to the
substantial width of the gas tank your legs are spread far
apart, so riders with minimal dexterity better bring their
A-game when riding the
B-King. But things get better as soon as you reach out to
the widely-spaced tubular handlebars. The relaxed, upright
riding position and tallish bars make it a very comfortable
machine. However, the high mounted foot pegs force the rider's
legs into a more aggressive bend than seems necessary.
Yet the B-King is as obedient or as wild
as your right wrist commands. Feel like stunting in front of
your friends? Just hammer the throttle in the first two gears
and you'll look like your neighborhood's most-wanted villain.
Feel like keeping the peace? Keep the revs low and ride the
B-King's smooth wave of 70-plus lb-ft of twist from just 3000
rpm. Power delivery is flawless throughout the 11,000 rpm rev
range and is complemented by the precise throttle response
afforded by Suzuki's Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) fuel-injection
system. The B-King is also outfitted with Suzuki's proprietary
drive mode selector (S-DMS) which allows the rider to modify
power output by choosing from one of two modes. By default the
bike is in full-power 'A' mode, but all it takes is a simple
push of a button mounted on top of the gas tank, (while the bike
is at a stand-still, in neutral) and the rider can select 'B'
mode which dramatically mellows its power delivery. The system
works well and can allow a rider of less experience to have a
more controllable ride. For those of us thrill junkies though,
'A' mode is all you'll ever use.
With just shy of 160 horsepower at your
disposal, you'd hope that the engineers would have endowed the
B-King with a chassis stout enough to handle all that muscle.
And we're pleased to report that they have. A clean looking
twin-spar cast aluminum frame and matching three-piece cast
aluminum swingarm is paired to a fully adjustable (preload,
compression, and rebound) KYB 43mm inverted fork and equally
adjustable rear shock. Suzuki claims that suspension damping
characteristics are similar to that of their GSX-R sportbike
line and after repeated "cloverleaf exploring" on the seemingly
infinite freeway interchanges Southern California has, we're
believers. Stopping is achieved via a pair of radial-mount Nissin front
brake calipers that grab onto 310mm diameter rotors. A
radial-pump brake master cylinder pushes brake fluid through
rubber lines and there isn't a hint of fade, even during extra
aggressive, repeated use. Considering that the brakes are
stopping almost 600 lbs, there is a good amount of power and
plenty of feel at the end of the adjustable brake lever. Out
back a 260mm disc and single piston caliper helps keep control
while you're riding around on the fat back tire. ABS is also
available for $600 to help ensure stability during braking
regardless of road or weather conditions. Source Motorcycle USA
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Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |