Suzuki

SUZUKI

NEW FOR '91

TWO GSX-Rs FOR GETTIN' DOWN TO BUSINESS

WHEN THE HISTORY OF SPORT-bikes is written, the largest chapter will be devoted to Suzuki’s GSX-Rs. The 1986 GSX-R750 forever changed the way we looked at high-performance motorcycles. Before it, sport-bikes were streetbikes that had been adapted for the rigors of hard riding and racing. But Suzuki made the GSX-R a racebike first, then altered it to be street-legal. Now, with the 1991 versions of the 750 and 1100, Suzuki, using technology developed on the racetrack, has advanced the machines one step farther.

Information about the new GSXRs is still a bit sketchy; even Suzuki has yet to receive the final details about the new bikes. But we are sure of the major changes to the bikes. Most obvious are the new upper fairings on the 750 and 1100. The redesigned section is flatter—more like that of the new domestic-market GSX-R400, which mimics the Suzuki factory 750 racebikes campaigned in Japan. The headlight is now an enclosed dual-lamp with a running light located just above the twin beams.

Other bodywork changes include a new rear section. The taillight has been changed from a single rectangle to twin, rectangular lights. Also, the seat has been made wider for both the passenger and the rider.

Last year, Canada, Australia and Europe received GSX-Rs with an upside-down fork, but that fork didn’t come to America for cost reasons. This year, the U.S. bikes come with the fork, made by Kayaba. The fork has compressionand rebounddamping adjustments—with both adjustment screws located at the top of the fork—and spring-preload adjustments good over a 7.5mm range. The fork allows 4.72 inches of travel. There is no change to the shock or its linkage.

Early rumors suggested that Suzuki was going to make the 750 and 1100 engines liquid-cooled, like the 400 Japanese version, but that is not the case. Both engines retain the combination air-and-oil-cooling system that has been in place since the original engines. That system has worked great on the street, but there have been occasional problems with the engine losing power and boiling its oil in racing situations.

Nonetheless, the engines have been revised somewhat and each produces a claimed 2 to 3 more horsepower. All of the changes are in the top ends. Instead of using forked rocker arms to actuate their valves, the engines now have single rocker arms for each valve, each with its > own lobe on the camshaft. The combustion chamber shapes were revised, and the valve seats have been smoothed out a bit, as have the intake and exhaust ports.

That’s about it, though the choke control has been changed from a pull knob located on the carburetor to a handlebar-mounted lever. And the best.news is that the price of each of the bikes is only going to go up a couple of hundred dollars. The final price has yet to be set, but the 750 should come in around $6500, with the 1 100 heading for $7300.

So far, there has been little information concerning the rest of the Suzuki streetbike line. The muchhoped-for GSX-R600 probably will not make it to production for ’91 — rumors point to engine problems. That means the Katana 600 should be back minimally changed. And though last year’s introduction of the VX800 causes us not to expect a new inline-Four 750 standard to do battle against the new standards from Honda and Kawasaki, there is the chance that Suzuki will have a 400 or 600 Bandit in the States. The Bandit, (Cvc/e World, January, 1990), is a standard bike based on the GSX-R engine, wrapped by a steel-tubed frame. A 600 Bandit would give Suzuki something new in the 600 class while work on the GSX-R600 continues.

For now, however, that’s just so much conjecture, and we won't know until later just what the rest of the Suzuki lineup will be like. So we’ll have to be content with the new GSX-Rs. If they turn out to be as good as they look on paper, the chances are they will add a few more pages to the GSX-R chapter in the history books. E3