Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ing the rider from the elements, it does not. Yamaha 's YZF750 is better in this regard. "Doctor, could you please rem ove my femu rs..." It was a question many were driven to ask after a short ride on the old GSXR. The footpegs were a bit on the high side. Things are be tter this year, while still allowing for all the gro und clearance one wo uld ever need on the street. Long stints in the sad dle will sti ll have you st anding up on the pegs or sticking your legs out straight in hopes of re viving yo u r numb fee t or loosening th e leg cra mps; it just takes longer before this becomes a necessity . Rest easy, you can keep your femurs. Top -end po wer is a mazin g, and above 10,000 rpm there isn't a fault. Did that high-rpm hit come at the expense of low-rp m tractability? Well, yes, but only a little. Just spin things a little 'faster yo u' ll hardly not ice . Th e new 72 x 46mm in -li ne f our virtuall y doesn 't vibrate - anywhere. If you don't kee p the revs up you' ll notice power is pr etty flat on the bottom end, and w ith those big, d owndraft 39m m ca rbs it wasn' t u nusual for the m otor to stu mble at aroun d 6000 rpm (despite the influence of an engine-management system). Once above roughl y 8000 rpm, though, throttle response was quick, and acceleration increased geometrically with engin e speed. For that immediate blast of power that makes a bike like this so much fun, click d own at least two ge ars firs t. A process tha t is aided conside rably by a tra diti onally excellent Suzuk i gear box . The lever takes a firm push, but you are rewarded with quick, positive shifts tha t don't m iss. Top gear p uts th e engine right around 4500 rpm at 60 mph. Mane uvering at low speeds was easy in m ost r es pec ts. While the engin e doesn't im p ress a t low revs, it offe rs useful level of predictable power, and the sm allness of th e GSXR makes Uturns and qu ick , sa ve-y ou r-ass lanesplitting evasions just a thought awa y. Clu tch take-up is rather immediate, like all the controls, b ut once you are accustome d to this other mo torcycles seem somehow deficient - the brakes, in particular. All but the most eyeball-popping haul-downs can be easily handled b y a firm , one-f inger pu ll on the adjustable brake lever. In the wet, however, the story is a ltogether di fferent. We a ll know water a in ' t so good for braking performance, bu t most times all you need do is drag the binders a brief moment an d friction returns. Not here. Per haps it is peculiar to the pad compound, but the 60 miles spent riding in the ra in were sp ent w ith vi rtu ally no front brak es. The rea r remained useful in that time, no doubt because it is more protected from the elements. Overall, the 1996 GSXR750 is pretty highly strung. After a time, though, you grow accustomed to the immediacy of everything on the GSXR, and it makes other street bikes, even other sportbikes feel p ositively sluggish. Followin g a week rid ing nothing but the Suzuki, I took a spin on a '95 Honda VFR750 and it felt so... upright, even vague. Which if you know the VFR at all, you know isn't true. But should you bu y this motorcycle? If yo u lived , say, somewhere around Morro Bay, California, and just had to commute up the scenic and twisty Highwa y 1 to Ca rmel to go to work (and you're a late sleeper), there isn' t a better bike - especially not for the $8999 asking price. Do my wris ts, my neck and my back ache after a ride on the new GSXR750? Ask me after the Daytona 200. a $11.95 FREE SHIPPING What makes a perfect gift f O th e person who has everything? T a ([lill ~ gift subscription! Call (310) 427·7433 to order today. REGIONAL& NATIONAL SANCTlON5-UCENSE IN ORMATION f (31 0) ~11 2 (909) 657-6782 P.O. Box 46 NORWALK. CA 90650 National Mo t osport Association Want Ad information - (310) 427 -7433 Get your new ~a6YZF today at ., YAMAHA Full Stock of YZF Parts! W Ship Anywhere! e (805) 497-3765 2388 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd• • Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 37

• Cover