Well it is, isn’t it? Take an established GSX-R based platform and dress it in touring clothing and what you get is one of the best motorcycles to emerge from the Suzuki stable in years. Quite simply it’s terrific but when you peel back the posh clothing you’ll discover there’s so much more to the new GT sports-tourer.
Is there any place for these monstrous luxury-touring motorcycles anymore in today’s world full of adventure bikes? Well BMW seem to think so with bikes like this gargantuan R18 Transcontinental. Oh, and of course, Harley-Davison have a wealth of these types of bikes and not forgetting Honda, with their Goldwing. However, sales of these machines, especially this particular one, have fallen short in recent times. I believe, here in SA, riders would rather have an adventure bike fitted with panniers that can easily carry a pillion and then venture off-road once the destination is achieved, or maybe I’m wrong?
A few years ago, riders around the World were rewarded with the arrival of the new Katana. It was one of the most desirable models that Suzuki had released for a while. They flocked to the stores eagerly to collect their new bikes in the iconic silver paint scheme with the bright red Katana name arrogantly pasted on the sides of the tank. Oh, some were in black as well, but silver was predictably the correct choice.
It’s been over a year or so since I last rode KTM’s 890 Adventure, their ‘soft-road’ version of the 890s, when their R option is aimed more towards hard-core off-road excursions into the wild and beyond.
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