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/127546
rough. I sti ll longed for so me low -end power, though. . So is th e pain worth the pleasure? To those wh o want th e racer ima ge, . the simple answer is yes. For th ose who live close to and spe nd th e maj ority of th eir time o n twisty roa ds, ' the answer is yes. But for commuting or arou nd -to wn ridi ng, I' ll take th e Katana. Chris Agajanian Presents ( DOLL~T~.: ) Ya/vo//ne. EXECUTIVE LODGE Nate R aub a ••••• The GS XR600 is well wo rth the wait, I expected a lot of the bike and I'm not disappointed. It's fast, handles extreme ly well, the suspension is good and, perhaps best of all, it looks t-ri-c-kl The blac k and blue color scheme o n o ur test un it loo ks super sano. As far as comfort , well , th ere's no sense ill beating a dead horse, but it is un comfortabl e for da y-to-day us e. About 40 miles is about all I could sta nd at a tim e. But things could be worse - the GSXR is significantly bigger than any 600cc spo rt bike I'v e ridden . The GSXR does all the little " stu ff" excep tio na lly well, too. It shifts as good as any thing I'v e ever ridden , the clutch has a light pull, the brakes are su per strong, th e in struments are easy to read at a glance, it' s quiet, it doesn 't vibrate and it appears to be built extre mely wel l. Other than comfo rt, the GSXR600 and I get alo ng just fine, but o n ly o n the weekends. Monda y through Fri day I'd ra ther be pe rched o n top of the GSXR600's bro th er, the "spacio us" GSX600 Kata na . Bu t fo r now, Pau l, Nate and I are go ing to flip a coin to see who gets the GSXR this weekend. Does anybody have a two-headed coin I can borrow for a while? Kit Palmer Wh ile Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reuietuer only and should not be relied upon in determining the perjormance O T safet y of th e 'vehicle. T he reader should make h is O T her own investigation . .... _- .... ....... cellular ... ~. _ - ~ .:::::: One" Gl'ME:'{. CH AL LE NGE H" lIt, D~,oson D UI~ \ ot NO' I ~ " A SS(l(,oI"O " C.IoIO'n,... Inc CAL-EXPO Specifications Suzu ki GSXR600N Engine lYP< •.. • • Liquid-cooled, DOHC. TSCC . 4·stroke. in -line, four Bore x stroke • .• • •• • •••• . . 65x45.2mm Displacement ...• • • . • •. • • • •. . . •6OOcc Compression ratio . . . . ..•....... 11.8: I Carburetor • . . . . . .• •• BST36 Mi kuni (4) Starting system ••• •• • •• • • • •••• Electric Ignition .. .... • .. • • • • • •... .• • Digi tal Lubrication Wet sump Primary drive •.• • •.• •• Straigh t-cu t gea r Final drive •. . . . • .••. .• . 50VA 7 Chain Fra me • . . • Double-do wntube, dual-cradle a lum in um perimeter £rame; box -sect ion a lu mi num swingann Rake ••••.. . . .. • . .. .• .•.. . . . .. 25.3° Trail 3.9 in. Fro n t suspension Telescopic. oilda mped inverted Showa for k. fully a djustable Fork tube diameter ••••••••••• . •41mm Front wheel travel ..• •..• ..• • •• 4.7 in. Rear suspension •• •.. • •.• Sing le Sh owa shoc k, full y adjustable Rear wheel travel .• ••• .. . ..• .• • . 5.7 in . Fro nt brak e ..•.. • • Dual hydra ulic discs Rear brake •• •• • • . •Single hydraulic di sc Fro n t tire 120170-ZRI7 Rear tire 170/60-ZRI7 Oaimed dry weight .. •• • . . . . . . 459 Ibs. Overall length ...•. . . . . .•.. . . 81.5 in . O verall width 28.9 in. Overall heigh t . ••• .• . . ... . . . . 44.9 in . Wheelbase • • • • • . . • • . • . . . . . . . . 56.5 in. Fuel capacity • • •• 5.5 gal. (4.9 CA model ). Ground clearance • •• • •. • • . • ••.. 5. 1 in . Seat height _. 30.7 in . Colors . • . . . • • . . • Black/blue; whit e/red Reta il price $6199 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT : Cal Expo Box Office (916) 924-2090 ~~. Gates Open 5:00 pm Time Trials 5:30 pm THE WHEREHOUSE. TOWER & WEINSTOCK'S 916/923-BASS CALL·FOR·nX Donate to THECLAYTON FOUNDATION 4621 Windsor Blvd. Cambria, CA 93428 105/927-1325 ' Wewantto be yourfavorite charity' 31