Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

• be considerably smaller than the usual sprockets, thus decreasing the overall bulk of the cylinder heads. Camshaft removal is also made easier since the chain remains in place.' The 98mm bore allows the use of relatively large valves in the eight-valve heads; the intakes measure 40mm and the exhausts 33mm. The camshafts work on bucket"tappets with shim adjustment (15,DOO-mile intervals) and the included angle for the valves is 29 degrees, making for a compact combUstion chamber. Compression ratio is 11.3:1 and there is an automatic decompression system that eases the load on the (smaller) starter and allows the use of a smaller, lighter battery. To keep external hoses to a minimum, coolant was routed through passages in the castings between cylinders. Cooling is handled by an aluminum radiator and an oil cooler. Inside the cases, the shafts for the six-speed transmission were staggered to shorten the engine package front to rear, and an "exceptionally short" crankshaft was used to keep the engine narrow. There are two main bearings on the single-pin crank. The cable-actuated clutch has ramped engagement cams to increase pressure on the plates under acceleration and decrease it under deceleration. Intakes on either side of the fairing feed a ram-air pressurized airbox and fuel-injection throttle bodies. Programmed to work in two stages, the fuel-injectioh control also controls the ignition. Not unusual for a motorcycle in this category is the front suspension. The fork is a 43mm inverted cartridge-type unit that is fully adjustable and offers 4.7 inches of travel. The rear suspension, however, features a very unusual rotary damping unit. It's basically a fully adjustable lever shock, like on old British cars! The preload adjustable spring is mounted to the right of the swingarm to make room for the rear cylinder. Frame geometry on the unique aluminum truss frame is a fairly aggressive 24 degrees of rake and 92.6mm of trail. Couple that with a wheelbase of 55.7 inches and a dry weight of only 411 pounds and Suzuki has what should be a very capably handling motorcycle. Will it be used as a racing platform (officially, at least)? Not in 1997, Suzuki said. As to the future, Suzuki representatives were coy, simply saying that the company was looking into such a possibility and that the bike was designed to be legal in superbike racing. It certainly wouldn't show well for the GSXR750 introduced only la t year if the V-twin came out and gave it a spanking in the Superbike class. And while all this technology and new stuff is really cool, the best part of all is that the bike is going to retail for under $8,999. The TL should be in dealerships by March. GSXR600 Look at the tum the 750cc Supersport class took with the introduction of the 1996 GSXR750. If Suzuki's success this season has been any indication (so dominant was the GSXR750 both Yamaha and Kawasaki ultimately chose not to compete) the 600cc Supers port class looks like it might be in for a major shakeup too. The bike that's going to do it is the all-new GSXR600. Suzuki used the same basic design parameters for the 600 that it used in making the supersport-conquering GSXR750. Starting with the RGV500 as (Right) The big Bandit comes to America. Powered bya GSXR-based air-cooled 1157cc Inline four, Suzuki debuts a new all-rounder for 1997. The Bandit will also be available with anti-lock brakes. (Left) Tile Marauder Is Suzuki's entry In the performancecruiser genre and so Is fitted with an inverted fork and fat tire, as well as a fivespeed transmission.. the ultimate goal of racing performance, the company has designed another light and fast race-ready package for the road. How light? Try a claimed 383 pounds dry. And although there are no horsepower numbers claimed, Suzuki went as far as to say that the machine has 3.5 pounds for each horsepower. Do the math and you end up with just over 109 of those little ponies. The liquid-cooled in-line four has 16 valves per cylinder (26.5mm intake, 22mm exhaust) held in place with aluminum retainers and working in dual springs. The compression ratio is 12.0:1. Like its larger stablemate, the 600 has the Suzuki Ram Air Direct induction system. The carb~retors are 36.5mm downdraft CV units feeding 65.5 x 44.5mm cylinders. Like the 750, the little GSXR's engine has an engine case split horizontally in two places that allows the removal of the crankshaft without disturbing the transmission. The other result of this double split is that the engine / transmission package is shorter front to rear. Every effort was made to keep the bike as light as possible, all the way down to the use of waisted crankcase bolts and a smaller, light 525 drive chain. While the little GSXR's frame has the same geometry as the 750 (24-degree rake and 96mm trail) the wheelbase is O.4-inch shorter, endowing the 600 with a truly stubby 54.7 inches. Suspension is fully adjustable front and rear'and the 45mm inverted cartridge fork is actually 2mm larger in diameter than last year's 750. Available colors include the blue and white racing livery as well as a red/black combination and dark blue / purple. Retail price is $7,699 and the bike should be available in late January. Honda has been beating up on the AMA 600 Supersport class for a while now. With the introduction of the GSXR600 and the new Yamaha YZF600, things might not be so easy for Miguel DuHamel in the coming season. BANDIT 1200 "Look rna! A handlebar made outta a bent tube. What is this, some kinda weii'd dirt bike?" ope, it's the Bandit 1200, Suzuki's entry into the big-bore standard market. Foreign markets have had the big Bandit for a year now and overseas magazines have been all raves. The big-bore road-burner has a GSXR-based, air-cooled in-line four fed by a quartet of 36mm BST Mikuni carburetors. Published dyno figures for the Australian model put rear-wheel horsepower at just under 100 and torque in the low 90s. Unlike other recent attempts at building a new standard, the big Bandit gets a single rear shock with a rising-rate linkage. There is seven-way adjustable spring preload and four-way adjustable rebound damping. A conventional 43mm cartridge fork with adjust preload graces the front of the double-cradle steel frame. The Bandit 1200 will be available in red or green for $7,099. Suzuki will offer a limited number of Bandits with antilock brakes for $8,599. MARAUDER The 805cc Marauder is billed as a performance cruiser with "an engine tuned for acceleration." As a cruiser it naturally gets its due when it comes to chrome. The rear shocks (pre-load adjustable), twin staggered exhausts and engine side covers all get the treatment, and although the 45-degree liquid-cooled V-twin is fed by a pair of 36mm carbs, the right-side view of the machine features a big, chrome aircleaner housing between the cylinders. To further suggest a performanceoriented nature, the bike is fitted with an inverted fork, has machined aluminum wheels with fat tires - 130/90-16 at the front, 150/90-15 at the rear - as well as a five-speed transmission and chain final drive. With a long 64.8-inch wheelbase and 35 degrees of rake, the double-cradle steel frame give the machine a long and low look, which is confirmed by the 27.6-inch seat height. A vailable in four different color combinations (orange/ silver; orange / green; black/ gray; black/ green) the price for the VZ800 is set at a wallet-friendly $5,999. f"N \0 0\ 0\ rl ~ 1-4 OJ .g ..... o 19

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