Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127180
; provide little more than a blurry view of th e rider's elbo ws. And speaki ng of beh ind, th e abso lutely gigantic tail isht is highly visi ble to following traffi c and loo ks good, too . . . 't~TES Gil ~ SAt 4~.o ~,,~~ LAGUNA SECA j)~ The fine print Suzuki has ' proven a point with bo th o f these mac hines - that compromises in design don't necessarily result in compromised products. Both of these bi kes are leaders in their respe ctive cla sses. _ The GSX R II 00 is one of th e mostcapable, uncompromising big-bore sport bikes ever made. Yes, the Yamaha FZRIOOO that we tested recently was better; but only margina lly so. And the $1000 price difference favors the Suzuki. Whether you're a street rider or road racer, a grand bu ys a lot of aftermarket eq ui p ment. . , The Ka tana 750 is, we ad mi t, a surp rise. Its looks bely its performance. H ell, its performance belies its performance! The Katana is fast, sure-footed, and co m fortable eno ugh . for a long ride, a nd as such is a better bet th an a GSXR750 for th e vast majorit y of riders . If you're' honest with yourself, you'll agree. O ur only wish is th at there was a bi gger gap than the $500 between the Katana and th e GSXR. Mon ey is the great persuader, and if the Kat were a bit cheaper, you 'd probably be seeing a lo t more of them on th e streets. But whe n all is said and done we're left with one burn ing q uestio n : where's the GSXR600? • I Engine type Oil/air-cooled. four-stroke. DOHC. in-line four Bore x stroke ••• 73 x 44.7 mm Displacement • • • • • • • • • 748cc Compression ratio .•• •• 10.9:1 Carburetor • • . • • Mikuni 36mm BST36SS x 4 Horsepower ••• • •••• ••• N/A Torque : . 7 .5 Kgm @ 9500 rpm Valves per cylinder ••••••• Four Starting system ..••••• Electric Ignition .. Transistorized/digital Lubrication ••••• Oil. wet sump Redline ••• •••••• 12.500 rpm Primary drive ••••• Straight-cut gear (spur) Final drive ••••• • ••• ••• Chain Primary drive ratio •• •• • • 1 .681 Final drive ratio •••• •..• 3.133 Chassis •••• Double cradle. steel Rake •... ••••• ••• 25 degrees Trail. ••••• • • • •• • • . '•• 4 .0 in. Front suspension ••• •• • Showa telescopic forks Fork tube diameter •••• 41 mm Front wheel travel. ••••• 4 .9 in. Rear suspension • • • Full Floater w /single Showa unit Rear wheel travel • ••••• 5.4 in . Front brakes •• •• Dual hydraulic discs Rear brakes ••• Single hydraulic disc Front wheel • • • • Hollow. threespoke. aluminum. MT 3.00 x 17 Rear wheel ••••• Hollow. threespoke. aluminum. MT 3 .50 x 17 Front tire ••• • • • Metteler ME33 Laser. 110/80 V17 Rear tire • • • • • Metteler ME55A Metronic.150/70 VB17 Claimed dry weight ••• 461 Ibs. (CA modeI467Ibs.) Overall length •••• • ••• 83.9 in. Overall width ·••• •• ••• 28.7 in . Overall height •• '••• : •• 46.5 in. Wheelbase •••••• •• •• 57.9 in. Seat height ••• • ••••• 31 .7 in. Ground clearance • • • ••• 5.5 in . Fuel capacity •••••••• 5.3 gal . (CA model 4.8 gal.l Colors •••••••••• Silver. blue. Retail price •••••• •• •• $5299 ~ Reserve your tickets for all the fun and excitement of World Class Roadracing. ~ ~I See your participating California Honda Dealer for advance discount ticketing and Special Commemorative Grand Prix T-Shirt offer. Race Tickets Available: I SATURDAY, April 15 -- $30.00 SAT & SUN, April 15 - 16 -- $40.00 . QUANTITY UMITED ACT TODAY! HONDA. SEE YOU ON THE HONDA ISLAND Come ride with us. Sell your old motorcycle with a Cycle News Want Ad! TICKETS: presented by: $15 Reserved , $10 Gen. Adm. Advance SAVE - SAVE - SAVE tbcid $2 . Mo re at Gate send Check or . Money Order to: OHIO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SAT. P. O. Box 6935 Toledo , Ohio 436 12 JUNE 24 Phone: 8:00 PM 419-478-1836 ORDER YOUR TICKETS EARLY AND SAVE From 10 am - 5 pm - Mon . • Fri. .50 C: Service Charge on Phone Orders VISa I MasterCard Accepted on Phone Orders ~~ What's happeni ng? Cvcle News Calendar. GOOD/i'EAR EACLE RACINC TIRES .DRAG-WIderfOr Increased TractIOn EAGLE DTII-NEWShort and Long Track compounds CDMPETITIDN TIRE ~ IIIIST P.e. Box 301 ReadIng . PA196113 1215)375-6191 P.O. Box 666 P.O Box 279 . BrooIcIyn, Ml49230 . St. DaIIkls, ontario lOS·1PO 15171592-E6l11 1416l684-7418 CANADA send For catalog. Shipped Daily 65