Riding the New Suzukis

RIDING THE NEW SUZUKIS

PREVIEW

STEVE ANDERSON

The GSX-R, the Intruder and the Cavalcade show their stuff

WIND BUFFETING MY HELmet, I watched the tach needle creep up toward 11,000 rpm. The long front straight was blurring through the fairing bubble, passing by far too quickly for its more-than-one-mile length. Despite the speed, the chin-on-the-gas-tank tuck allowed by clip-ons and aft-mounted footpegs, along with a full fairing, made the high speed comfortable, almost natural. While these kinesthetic sensations should have been coming from a For mula I racebike on the Daytona banking, that wasn’t the case. The speedometer was the giveaway: Even as it indicated 250 kph (about 155 mph, and about 10 mph optimistic), its mere presence betrayed my ride as other than a racebike. But that speedometer and a too-subdued exhaust note were the only clues that distinguished the Suzuki GSX-R750 I was riding from a circuit-only racer. And the setting wasn’t Daytona, it was a press introduction at Suzuki’s Ryuyo test track in Japan.

In persoiUhe Intruder is clearly the first V-engine Japanese custom to get the details right.

Both the GSX-R’s weight (claimed to be near 400 pounds) and its power (105 bhp for markets without horsepower restrictions) would have been reasonable for a racing 750 not too many years ago. Its appearance continues the racing association. The aluminum GSX-R frame gleams like last year’s GP racer frame, aluminum clip-on handlebars grip the fork tubes, and the white-faced instruments are surrounded by vibrationabsorbing foam, just as on a racer. The fairing is more racer stuff, its interior surfaces exposed, not molded into smoothness with part-concealing plastic vanity panels. The GSXR’s appearance shouts what the motorcycle is about: high performance as defined by roadracing.

And on a road course, the Suzuki performs like a racer. The engine pulls well throughout its range, building power smoothly at lower speeds, with best power between 8000 and 1 1,000 rpm. It’s not an exceptionally peaky engine, but neither is it one that will be noted for midrange punch. But because of the GSX-R’s exceptionally light weight, roll-on performance should still be outstanding, even without all the mid-range grunt of a 750 Interceptor.

Weight affects handling as well, with the GSX-R preferring a smooth riding style; jerky movements on the rider’s part can make it bobble slightly in corners. At slow speeds, steering is reasonably light, the motorcycle’s lightness somewhat masked by the low leverage provided by the clip-ons. At very high speeds, when a quick directional change is required, the steering is noticeably heavier, probably due to the bike’s 18-inch front wheel. That 18-inch wheel has not, however, given the GSX-R one characteristic sometimes associated with wheel sizes larger than 16 inches: excellent straightline stability.

There were 10 different GSX-Rs at Suzuki’s press preview, and at least one of these bikes, when its tires were slightly worn and after it had seen a number of fast laps, would weave noticeably at speeds above 130 mph down Ryuyo’s long front straight. Other GSX-Rs varied from rocksteady to slightly shaky at high speed, but none of them showed any tendency to misbehave in corners while ridden smoothly. The press preview left some question marks about the GSX-R’s high-speed stability, questions that can only be settled by more time and experience with the machine. But the preview confirmed that when the GSX-R arrives in the U.S. in early fall this year, it will, along with the new Yamaha FZ750, contend for the 750 performance crown.

Another motorcycle at the preview, the Suzuki VS750 Intruder, may just blow its competition away altogether. Pictures don’t do this motorcycle justice, because, in person, it’s clearly the first V-engine Japanese custom on which the details have been done properly. If it resembles any previous motorcycle, it would have to be a Sportster customized in the style preferred by famous bike builder Arlen Ness.

The Intruder’s charm is in its simplicity, in the elemental design of its components. Its V-Twin engine has contours that are smoother and more rounded than those on most contemporary engines, and it’s heavily finned despite being liquid-cooled. The chassis wrapped around this 45degree V-Twin is long, low and narrow. All of the body parts are steel, with less visible plastic than on any Japanese motorcycle since the 1960s. Simplicity is the theme for all the details—the triple-clamps appear as if they had been machined from solid blocks of aluminum, as does the speedometer housing. The chromed headlight shell mounts on a pedestal bolted to the bottom triple-clamp. Most parts not painted are chromed, and the chrome thickness is twice that used on other Suzuki motorcycles. The result is a look of quality more like you might see on a showbike rather than on a production motorcycle.

Riding the Intruder quickly reveals that not only does it look like a 1960s Harley custom, it performs like one as well, but with the rough edges removed. The 750 version I rode (a Canadian model; the U.S. model will have a tariff-beating, less-powerful 699cc engine) put out outstanding low-speed power, very similar to motorcycles with larger V-Twin engines. An Intruder will pull from 20 mph in top gear without driveline snatch, and on the long front straight at Ryuyo, the bike would indicate more than 105 mph. The engine’s twincrankpin design, which uses 45 degrees of crankpin offset, results in more vibration than is felt with any of the other Japanese V-Twins, but far less than a Harley without a rubbermounted engine. On one of the two Intruders I sampled, vibration through the seat was slightly annoying, but the other Intruder seat buzzed less.

Only 410 pounds is the claimed weight of the Intruder, and it has a low center of gravity as well. Handling is relatively effortless, but the bike is no roadracer. Suzuki claims that the cornering angle is only 38 degrees (without taking suspension compression into account), so sticking a footpeg into the pavement is easy. With only slightly more lean, the very rigid footpeg brackets ground, restricting cornering ability. After one lap around the test track, the Intruder would weave through high-speed corners more than any motorcycle in recent memory, including other customs from either the U.S. or Japan. While this weaving isn’t dangerous, it quickly dampens any enthusiasm for fast cornering.

But that isn’t what this motorcycle is about; Suzuki will sell you a GSXR if you want to straighten 90-mph corners. The Intruder was designed for urban use, for running to the store or beach, and for cruising down the open road at 60 mph. And at those tasks, the Intruder should shine.

The Cavalcade is aimed at the Aspencade market, right down to its similar-sounding name.

Yet another motorcycle shown at Suzuki’s press preview was the GV 1400GD, a touring bike aimed directly at the Gold Wing Aspencade market, right down to a similarsounding name: Cavalcade. In some ways, however, it resembles that archetypical big American touring rig, the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. The Suzuki’s huge, 1360cc, V-Four has a very Harley-like powerband, pulling incredibly hard from engine speeds just above idle, and it has a similar V-engine rumble. The Cavalcade’s engine, however, is both more and less than a Harley—more in power and torque, less in vibration and roughness. If the Cavalcade’s engine resembles a Harley V-Twin, it's a Harley engine experienced through layers of rubber and insulation.

In handling, the Cavalcade is more like its Honda competition: heavy to push around or maneuver in a driveway, but surprisingly light and surefooted at speeds above 10 mph.

The real test of any touring bike, though, is in the ability to transport its rider effortlessly down hundreds of miles of interstate highway; and a few laps of Suzuki’s test track only gave a hint of that capability. The Suzuki’s seat feels as if it should be up to the task, and the seating position is standard touring-bike upright. The fairing gives good protection to the upper body, but creates a low-pressure pocket in front of the rider. The result feels as if a giant hand is gently pushing the rider forward, the more so the faster the bike is traveling. Whether that will be a problem can only be determined with more time on the Suzuki. One other aspect of the fairing, however, which might be changed before production starts, is not on par with the Honda/Yamaha competition: The lack of fairing lowers on the Calvalcade means a steady wind-blast on the legs, and would lead to a soaking in even a light rain.

Still, the Cavalcade appears to be very competitive, and perhaps in some ways even superior, to the Gold Wing in engine and chassis performance, and all the basics may be there to make it the best big tourer.

But the main message of the Cavalcade, along with the Intruder and the GSX-R, is that Suzuki will not be content to have me-too models; every new motorcycle from Suzuki will be aimed at the top of its class. And while a brief ride can’t comfirm any bull’s-eyes, it can indicate that Suzuki isn’t far from its mark.