Suzuki best-seller makes it look so easy

One statistic sums up the dominance of the Suzuki GSXR1000. It's the best-selling bike over 125cc sold in the UK outselling sensible middleweights, workaday commuter bikes and trendy big scooters, despite the fact that it's one of the fastest point-to-point motorcycles around.

Superbike superiority tends to wax and wane. In the early 90s, the Honda Fireblade was dominant, followed by a few years when the Yamaha YZF-R1 held sway. For a while, it looked as if Kawasaki might depose Yamaha but it was Suzuki that played a blinder with their Gixxer, a bike that moved the game forward by several degrees.

Not only is the Suzuki the best of the big bikes, but at the moment it's also one of the cheapest at £9,800. The GSX-R is in gloss and matt black or in Suzuki's traditional racing colours of blue and white.

Reshaped dual headlights, revised bodywork and wheels are the key features that differentiate this bike from its predecessor. Expect to pay a hefty NU17 rating for cover. Suzuki's new Gixxer has razor-sharp handling. The machine now has a lower centre of gravity and an improved riding position while twin exhaust pipes assist in providing great balance. The bike feels small and neutral, eager to tip into a corner, while the slipper clutch will allow you to leave your braking good and late. Just about the only criticism it is possible to level is that it is so good it makes everything feel easy. It's only when you look at how hard riders on rival bikes are working to try to keep pace that the Suzuki's talents become manifest.

The great thing about the GSX-R's 185bhp engine is that although you expect it to be a peaky screamer, it in fact has a decent slug of torque available across a broad rev range.

While that may not be the number one selling point for a supersports bike, it makes the Suzuki a whole lot more versatile than expected. Through the gears the thing is absolutely ballistic, getting to 60mph in under 3.34 seconds with a talented rider on board and will keep up the assault until it peaks at 183.58mph.

Here's the definitive supersports bike. It's been that way for some years now and the reign looks set to continue.