Motorcycle specifications SuzukiGSX-RR 2018 Balance to compensate

Back in Motogp in 2015 after a three-year absence, Suzuki quickly got back into the swing of things with a 2016 season crowned by 3 podiums and a fine victory (Silverstone with Maverick Vinales).

2017 was a duller year, with the new duo of Andrea Iannone and rookie Alex Rins unable to do better than 4th with 100 cumulative points/team, less than in 2015 for the recovery year.

For 2018, the two men have been reappointed with the ambition of coming back to face up to the tenors of the field, and why not climb back onto the top step of the podium in a few dazzling moments. To achieve this, the Hamamatsu-based firm presented a sharpened GSX-RR at Sepang on January 27, 2018.

Aesthetically, the 2018 Suzuki GSX-RR remains one of the most beautiful MotoGP bikes, with a particularly fluid line that avoids the protruding edges of most of its rivals.

As compact as the Honda RC-213V and reputedly as homogeneous as the Yamaha thanks to an excellent chassis, the 2018 GSX-R features, like Rossi's M1, an in-line four-cylinder engine where Ducati and Honda go for V mills. Although many of the features are secret, it is rumoured that the valve timing will be pneumatic and the ignition sequence staggered. The Suzuki also features a Seamless gearbox (instantaneous gear changes, with no loss of torque).

On the chassis side, Suzuki relies on a perimeter-type frame with double aluminum beams and adjustable carbon mounts to modify rigidity.

No major changes have been announced for 2018. As Ken Kawauchi puts it: "Our bike may look very similar to last year's. But the most important thing is that it's still very easy to ride . But the most important thing is the improvement in balance."

A notch below in terms of engine performance, the GSX-RR will be able to rely on the concessions due to its lack of results in 2017 to progress. Indeed, the regulations stipulate that teams without a podium finish in one season benefit from significant advantages for the following season: An allocation of 9 engines (compared with 7 for the sheet metal workers) and, above all, the possibility of continuing to develop their engines throughout the season. All the ingredients for an optimistic start to the new year.