INTERVIEW
SUZUKI GSX-R1000 PROJECT LEADER SHINICHI SAHARA
P68
What other projects have
you worked on within Suzuki?
I was project leader and tech-
nical manager for the MotoGP
team, mainly the V4 but also
the beginning of the inline-four
project.
Last year the GSX-R1000
was shown as a prototype,
now it is the final production
version. What has changed?
Basically it is the same, but
almost every part has been
upgraded or optimized. The main
work has been within the engine
to meet performance expecta-
tions, but also the electronics.
Last year Suzuki said the
bike had no Bosch IMU; this
year it does. Why the change
in the level of electronic as-
sists?
Last year the plan was for the
IMU to only be on the R model,
not the standard bike, so we
were being truthful… After the
show we decided to put the IMU
on both models, as it was easier
to develop the two versions to-
gether rather than have very
different specifications.
How long has the new GSX-
R1000 been in development?
This is a very difficult ques-
tion to answer, as the actual
start point is hard to say. Many
years ago we started discus-
sions about the bike to build up a
base philosophy on the bike and
we knew we needed to make a
fundamental change to the bike's
engineering. We spent a long
time discussing with the engine,
chassis and electrical teams to
decide on a direction. Once we
had agreed to a philosophy the
bike only took around two or
three years to develop.
Were there a lot of people
asking you for a new GSX-R?
Yes! I still have many friends
in the world superbike paddock
and they were always saying
to me "we want a new GSX-R,
when will it arrive?!"
Considering your MotoGP
background, did you ever
consider a V4 or uneven firing
order inline-four engine for the
GSX-R1000?
Sahara-san claims the GSX-R now has the most power out
of any current 1000cc production superbike.
