When will suzuki be bringing out new bikes?

[ANTBROWN]

I've been patiently waiting for Suzuki to announce new, exciting bikes for for some time. It seems as if every other manufacturer especially the Europeans are announcing new machines monthly and we Suzuki fans get the Gladius in black. It's the same bike that they stopped selling two years ago.  
Where's the new Gixxer 1000 with traction control, speed shifter, ABS etc? What about a new DL1000/1200 with some electronic gizmos and more power? The Busa looks ancient. Their cruiser lineup hasn't changed in years. The Bandit/GSX1250 needs more of everything to compete against the other sport tourers of the world. Why are they continuing to ignore the touring market?
They seem like they're in real trouble to me. Their market share keeps slipping and they don't seem capable of stopping it. There is absolutely no buzz regarding Suzuki. Does anyone have idea what's going on at Suzuki?

[Cablebandit]

Beats me.  I'm sure you'll see anything new in the frozen north before we see anything in the States.

[Carbonero]

What are you looking for and will you buy it?

[ANTBROWN]

Well I'm in the market for a sport touring bike. The closest that Suzuki offers is the 1250FA. A nice bike but lacking in many features that almost all the other major manufacturers offer.
I have no problem with the basic bike but if I want a real mile muncher that's still sporty then I would need to look to Yamaha, Kawi, BMW, Triumph etc. and I don't want a Kawi, Yammy, Honda. I want a Suzuki that has most of the features that the other manufacturers have available.
For starters the 1250 has a great motor but why not let it breath up top? Look at what Dale Walker can do for that engine with fairly minor modifications. Why can't Suzuki do this right up front? As long as they can keep the things about the engine that everyone seems to like and add some oomph to it then bring it on. I'm thinking 124Hp and 86 plus lbs. of torque at the wheel. Let's face it, 94HP and 73lbs. of torque from a modern 1250 isn't anything to write home about. Make sure it has a nice slick gearbox with light clutch pull and a slipper clutch wouldn't hurt. Why doesn't any Suzuki have traction control? On the 1250 it would be nice to have rain/touring/sport modes.
When are they going to start adding up-to-date suspension components to these bikes? I'm not asking for electronically adjustable suspension. Just give us fully adjustable, decent suspension with remote preload on the shock. That's the one you're going to change the most often. No tools needed to change the preload. Just an easily accessible knob which clicks into place as I increase or decrease the settings.
Here in Canada they market it mostly as a sport touring machine and yet we can't get heated grips, no 12 volt plug, no hand guards. It has no lockable storage in the fairing. No storage at all.
The windscreen looks like it's from a sport bike with a blade stuck to it. As an option. Why can't they make one that's taller and wider and easily adjustable without tools like the Madstad system. Again I'm not asking for electrically adjustable windscreen just something easily accomplished without tools on the side of the highway that's bigger than on a MotoGP bike.
How about stiffening the frame a bit more to go with the upgraded suspension and a 22L gas tank. I want to put in miles here.
The passenger footpegs are too high. Hard to fix that. The power supply is only 400 watts. Why not make it 540 watts so we can run more accessories.
From what I've read the seat isn't very good especially for long distances and it's hard to adjust the height. Too complicated.
The Gixxer 1000 has adjustable footpegs. Can you think of a bike that could benefit more from having adjustable footpegs than the 1250?
A good headlight is essential for night riding in the mountains. The moose you see is a lot better than the one you don't see standing on the side of the road. Put a better headlight on it.
The latest in ABS like on the DL650 would be nice as well along with a dash like on the DL. In fact every bike in Suzuki's street lineup should have the feature where you toggle thru screens with a push button on the handlebar. And can Suzuki please make their speedos and gas gauges close to accurate. Why do I need to purchase a Speedo Healer just to know my actual speed? Suzuki is one of the worst in this area. It's a problem across the board.
And lastly Suzuki's fit and finish leaves a lot to be desired. I think they are the worst of the Japanese manufacturers. Loose wires everywhere, jiggly throttles, thin paint. Bring it up a notch.
In short, I want a more capable bike from Suzuki. I know these things would add to the cost but I still believe that the factory could do most if not all of these changes and still come in under the price of the other sport touring machines. Some of the features I'm asking for are already in their lineup. I just want them to put them on the 1250. They must be able to do these things for cheaper and better than I can purchase the parts aftermarket and then have them installed.

[Cablebandit]

$$$$

[ANTBROWN]

Agreed but they need to do something. They can't continue to sell bikes with '90s components forever. Pretty soon Hoysung and CFmoto will be producing higher tech bikes than Suzuki if they're not careful.

[gritsngravy]

I agree Suzuki's quality is perhaps not as good as it could be in some areas but overall I have found them to be decent reliable machines.    I picked up a new leftover 2008 B-King in January '11 and have not had any issues with the bike except for the nice looking but incredibly cheap multi-piece mirrors that constantly loosen and fold back at speed.    Rather than just a nice solid mirror stalk the thing is made in 3 pieces and bolted together, constant tightening has stripped the threads so now one mirror is pretty much useless.   The base of the mirror that screws into the clutch/brake mount is fine, its all the 'joints' in the mirror that suck.   Even loctite can't hold that crap.  

Considering the issues Suzuki had a few years ago ( no bikes in the U.S. for 2010, only a few dirt models) I don't see them coming out with anything earth-shattering for the U.S. market any time soon.    It's a shame really because the B-King has a very good motor/chassis  that would make an excellent basis for a standard bike like the old GS1000/1100 series.   Restyle the bike into something more mainstream and keep a lid on the price, instant do it all bike.  

The OP would probably be better served shopping other brands to find a bike that's acceptable.    Too many nice bikes on the market to fixate on one manufacturer.  And yes, the Chinese may well bring out better bikes than ANYBODY one day.   The Japanese motorcycle and auto industry slammed the U.S. manufacturers so hard they are STILL playing catch up.  Anything is possible.  

[garry]

I don't care what name is on the tank, buy the bike that gives you wood. You have many options for what you want, just not Suzuki.

[ANTBROWN]

I know you're right. My friends give me a hard time about my loyalty to Suzuki. My first bike was a Suzuki, I've always owned a Suzuki and I'd like to continue owning a Suzuki but they don't seem to want to build anything that has technology from the last 10 years on it. I may have to look outside the brand.
I'm frustrated by their lack of new and exciting motorcycles. It's the same bikes over and over with different paint colors. What kind of strategy is that? And this from the world's third largest motorcycle company?
I was at one of the local Suzuki dealers recently and I was looking at the TU250. What a joke. How many of those do they think they'll sell when Honda has the CBR250 and Kawi has their new 300. Which bikes do you think most new riders will buy? They're losing the next generation by the day. Somebody at Suzuki HQ has to be shown the door and get some new aggressive blood in there. Every quarter BMW, Triumph, Ducati seem to be setting record sales with new bikes coming out with tech fit for a stealth fighter and we get non adjustable, conventional front forks and non-radial brakes. We can't even get a 12 volt plug as stock on any bike as far as I know. Sad times I'll tell you.

[Cablebandit]

Suzuki sucks, Suzuki sucks, Suzuki sucks, but I only want a Suzuki.  

It doesn't make sense to me.  I used to own nothing but Suzuki's until I bought my current Kawasaki. Who cares who makes the bike that YOU want.  Unless you own part of the company I don't see the point of brand loyalty.  Vote with your wallet.

[ANTBROWN]

You're all right. Loyatly to a company doesn't make sense and there are plenty of sweet looking rides out there. The new FJ1300 looks good and I'm liking the look of the new Triumph sport touring rig...
Maybe Suzuki will surprise us all and announce something new...

[Cablebandit]

I don't care what name is on the tank, buy the bike that gives you wood.

One of the first things I did to the new bike was de-badge it.  Gotta save weight wherever you can.  

[ANTBROWN]

Well just as I'm ranting about Suzuki's lack of commitment they go and release this:

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/2014-suzuki-v-strom-1000-concept/#more-35729

Not a bike for this year but it shows some promise. Ilike the looks.

[Carbonero]

I don't care what name is on the tank, buy the bike that gives you wood. You have many options for what you want, just not Suzuki.

 

[Carbonero]

Well just as I'm ranting about Suzuki's lack of commitment they go and release this:

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/2014-suzuki-v-strom-1000-concept/#more-35729

Not a bike for this year but it shows some promise. Ilike the looks.

There's absolutely no need for a concept. There's no need to tease it. There's no need for any of this.

Just build and release the god damned bike. There's a market, Suzuki routinely delivers a nice package at a lower price, and all they have to do... ALL THEY HAVE TO DO... based on V-Strom name legacy alone, is show up to the party. That's it. That's all.

Instead, they tease with a concept that's two years out when they could have built it 2 years ago. It's not like EVERY OTHER manufacturer didn't see this coming and put things out... Even Honda.  

Concepts:  

[garry]

RE: New Strom

Freshen up the styling a bit, put good quality, fully adjustable suspension on it and switchable ABS. Offer decent factory luggage and accessories (crash bars, skid plate, etc) and you're good to go. Tubeless spoke 19" front/ 17" rear would be the icing on the cake. Keep the weight and the price down. You don't need a "concept" bike for that.

That concept announcement is just an attempt to stall people in the market from buying one of the new/updated adventure bikes are available.

I had a Wee Strom and liked it. I would buy a new Wee or Vee with the changes I noted above as it would probably be thousands less expensive than the Euro options.

[Rincewind]

Well just as I'm ranting about Suzuki's lack of commitment they go and release this:

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/2014-suzuki-v-strom-1000-concept/#more-35729

Not a bike for this year but it shows some promise. Ilike the looks.

It looks like they broke a few ugly sticks while beating that thing into shape.    

I don't like the 17" wheels on this new 2014 model concept.  

[ANTBROWN]

I agree with you Garry and Carbonero. Get the thing on the market now and make sure that it has a few of the must haves to compete with the newer ADT bikes. At least switchable ABS, optional hand guards, 12 volt plug, heated grips, decent fully adjustable suspension, good quality brakes and a 540+ watt power supply plus accessories. I can't understand the need to wait. Suzuki desperately needs something new for buyers to be excited about.

[UFO]

Holy shit.

It looks like they broke a few ugly sticks while beating that thing into shape.    

I don't like the 17" wheels on this new 2014 model concept.  

[ANTBROWN]

Look at this, Suzuki is releasing another new bike. I'm shocked. Looks pretty nice too if you're into cruisers.

http://blog.motorcycle.com/2012/10/02/motorcycle-news/intermot-2012-2013-suzuki-boulevard-intruder-c1500t-unveiled/