#gsxr1000

In 1999, Yamaha blasted the liter-class sportbike doors wide open with the YZF-R1. It made quick work of all the competitors around it and launched the epic sportbike wars that would continue for the next decade or so. The first challenger to Yamaha's throne? Another mighty motorcycle – the 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000. By no means is the Gixxer slow, but as we look back at this review from the track intro at Road Atlanta more than 20 years ago, it's amazing that today's 1000cc sportbikes are making 50 more horses from the same displacement. But it's also these early bikes that remind us how lucky we are today to have rider aids like traction control, wheelie control, and slide control to save us from ourselves.