<<< The Biker Zone - Road Tests - Suzuki GSX-R750: Power to scream at bends >>>

Custom Search

The Suzuki GSX-R750 is virtually a race bike . . . on the streets

SUZUKI GSX-R750: It's a road-going hooligan's version of a thoroughbred race bike and only the necessary compromises have been made.

Suzuki GSX-R750: Power to scream at bends

December 16, 2005

By Tim Luckhurst

Specifications:
Price: £7649.
Engine: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder displacing 749cc.
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox, chain final drive.
Max power: 104kW at 10 500rpm.
Brakes: Front dual 300mm discs with Tokico radial-mount callipers, rear single 220mm disc.
Weight: 166kg.

The Suzuki GSX-R750 is the little brother of the legendary GSX-R1000, better known to motorcycle speed freaks everywhere as the "Gixer Thou". So awesome is the Gixer Thou's reputation that the 750 tends to be dismissed as a pale imitation of the mighty beast.

The macho sub-text is that real men need the bigger bike's ability to spin its rear wheel out of corners at 200km/h and cannot decently be expected to get by with less.

The flaw in this infantile pretence is that few riders can achieve such feats and even fewer do. The result is too many people riding bikes that scare the living daylights out of them when they could be having fun.

I have always had a soft spot for 750's. They were the superbikes of my teenage years and the original 1985 GSX-R750 was an object of passionate desire. Recently the trend towards larger capacity sports bikes has fuelled the perception that a 750 is a middleweight compromise.

My advice to anyone fooled by this prejudice is to ride the GSX-R750 and discover how wrong they are.

She retaliated by passing him on the inside through a tight right-hander and repeating the trick on the hairpin

I saw what the bike can do at a track day this summer. A female friend, who finds the 750cc Suzuki perfect for her size, was sneered at by a macho idiot on a more powerful bike.

She retaliated by passing him on the inside through a tight right-hander and then slowing down on the straight to repeat the trick on the hairpin. He mumbled something about having worn tyres and departed.

I made a mental note that she would have passed me, too.

The smaller Suzuki's balance of power and agility appeared to inspire confidence and bring out the best in an already excellent rider.

So, 20 years after I first coveted its ancestor, I rode the current version of the GSX-R750 for two sunny days in November.

The Suzuki's compact, light design achieves an impressive blend of handling and performance. It whips into bends, never deviating from the line, going precisely where the rider looks with each nudge of the bars.

From the moment you start that liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine - the most efficient 750 Suzuki has made - this bike declares its purpose. It bellows even when trundling at low revs in high gear.

Smooth like a slingshot

Power delivery is smooth but, above 8000rpm, this is the smoothness of a slingshot. Snap the throttle open in second, third or fourth but remember to hold on tight. Yet the engine is torquey enough to pull cleanly from about 70km/h in sixth.

The Suzuki stops, too. Tokico four-piston, radial-mount front brake callipers and 300mm discs provide stopping power so immense that at low speeds in traffic, sensitivity is required to avoid being shunted from behind.

Screaming towards tight bends with the four-into-one exhaust system bellowing through its titanium-cored and aluminium-sleeved muffler, I got the point. The brakes gave me the confidence to belt past a coach just yards before a tight bend.

This machine accelerates and decelerates with equal and devastating aplomb.

Hooligan tool

Of course, there are caveats. This is a road-going hooligan's version of a thoroughbred race bike and only the necessary compromises have been made. The ride is firm to the point of bruising and the combination of instantly available power and snake-like agility encourage mad speeds (it peaks at about 270km/h).

Even if you can restrain the desire to explore the outer fringes of madness, comfort, load carrying and weather protection leave much to be desired.

But that is churlish. The GSX-R750 is lightning quick, a joy to play with and just about practical on short motorway journeys. The narrow, vertically stacked headlights, distinctive fairing and compact LED tail light make it hard to miss.

It has the practical road characteristics to get to the nearest race track or mountain switchback. The big, bold, digital LCD speedo does a good job of reminding you how far over the speed limit you are riding in time to brake to smile for the camera.

The GSX-R1000 is more powerful. The minnow of the family, the GSX-R600, is lighter. But for me, the GSX-R750 is a superlative blend of power and agility. If that is not enough then an updated version coming in mid-2006.

Apparently it's even quicker. – The Independent, London

COMPACT DESIGN: The bike whips into bends, never deviating from the line, going precisely where the rider looks.

TRUNCATED TAILPIPE: The exhaust system is tucked away under the bike - with only a short oval tail section showing - rather than leading it up under the seat.

BAD IN BLACK: The GSX-R750 is also available in this plain but effective colour scheme.