The Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5, Love it or Hate it

Love it or hate it, everybody knows what the Suzuki GSX-R1000 is. And the third generation (2005) of balls-out Suzuki superbike is still more than just a very fast motorcycle. It's the other motorcycle in any heroic trackday saga. It's the motorcycle that your friend did pass you on at 290km/h. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 is just an amazing machine.

Amazingly enough, all those fantastic things that Suzuki did to create a lightweight high-power package don't seem to have blunted the experience on the road or over distance. Where the Suzuki's rival superstock machines, just pick one, will cause spasms and tears before each fuel stop, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 is small and well formed.

It's hard without being harsh. It'll haul you to the upper North of Thailand while still being the best motorcycle to thrash around on when you get there. Sure, some other 1000cc's are a more comfortable road going motorcycles – but that's obviously been designed in from the start. And we talk here about the balance between a track and road motorcycle. We think the Suzuki GSX-R1000 was merely a happy accident.

Not just the faultlessly smooth engine or the torque curve that set a new industry standard. Not the ridiculous 13,000rpm redline and certainly not the effortless, slick gearbox – each cog is positively clicked into place with the minimum of fuss. The thing you really fall in love with isn't any single one of these, it's all of them, together. There isn't another motorcycle around that had it so right from the start – all the way from the twistgrip to the wheels touching the road.