Suzuki Builds A Better Shredder
SUZUKI BUILDS A BETTER SHREDDER
ROUNDUP
IT’S BEEN HAPPENING since at least 2000. That year we took 10 bikes on a sporty road ride to Pahrump, Nevada, where we spent two days testing at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park. Nine of the bikes were there for a trio of three-bike comparison tests, and the Suzuki GSX-R750 was brought along basically because we had it and it meant one more person could live the dream of four intense riding days.
A funny thing happened. As each rider at the end of the day weighed in on which lOOOcc Four, Twin or 600 he liked the best and for what reasons, this comment was always added with unbridled enthusiasm: “But the GSXR750 was awesome!”
Six years later, it still is.
Suzuki took us to Phillip Island, Australia, to ride both the new 600 and 750 earlier this year. Contributing Editor John Bums characterized the track for me: “Fast and flowing, like your large intestine.” Ah, okay, Johnny, step away from the solvent tank... Anyway, it is a fast track located in one of the most beautiful settings of any road course in the world, what with the rolling green hills and ocean views.
The most remarkable thing brought out in testing was how much like the 600 the bigger bike was in every respect except for, of course, power. The GSX-R750 actually handled slightly better with its upgraded suspension components, offering improved stability and more confidence-inspiring turn-in. The latter took slightly more effort (likely culprit: greater rotating mass/inertia of engine internals), but it was a worthwhile tradeoff for the awesome corner-exit drive.
Back home, we rode the 750 at the Streets of Willow Springs while testing for the “Middleweight Greats” comparison test (see page 40). Same conclusion as at PI. Further, the 750’s torque made it easier to ride lazily at the end of a long day of testing.
The engine, of course, is the key. On the dyno, this now-longer-stroke mill spins to 14,250 rpm (never mind the 15,000rpm redline on the tach!), 500 rpm higher than our 2004 testbike.
Peak output is up about 1 horsepower at 126.6, while the new engine lost 2 footpounds of maximum torque with its 55.0-ft.-lb. peak. The engine is a lot softer in the midrange than previously, but those figures are, naturally, still way up on the middleweights. That makes a big difference in street riding, where the extra torque is sweet indeed, yet the 750 doesn’t have the almost overwhelming lunge of the latest literbikes. As ever, the 750 splits perfectly the characteristics of 600s and 1000s. In some respects, though,
I think we take credit away
from Suzuki when we imply that it’s the engine size that is “perfect.” This is, no doubt, a big part of the bike’s appeal and performance ability, but there have been plenty of mediocre 750s over the years. No, the true balance of the GSX-R750 comes from Suzuki’s cohesive design, conscious choices such as making the bore smaller to make the engine narrower to in turn allow the bike to be narrower overall, or stacking the transmission shafts to make the engine shorter, or moving the rider lower and closer to the bars, or stuffing the heavy muffler parts under the engine.
It adds up to a powerful, light-steering, easy-to-ride motorcycle that is comfortable and fun to use on the street, which also shreds with uncanny ease at tracks from smooth-and-fast Phillip Island to bumpy-and-scrappy Streets of Willow. All this while being accessible to more riders of all skill levels. Even 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantzon hand in Australia for the launch-likes the 750 best. “The 1000 is great,” he told me in the paddock, “but the 750 is a bike I feel like I can really ride and use everything its got.”
As an all-around sportbike, there is nothing better.
Mark Hoy er
