Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

angle of 29 degrees on the 750. Combustion chamber volume has also been decreased dramatically from 17.2 to 13.6cc. Like the 750, the 600 has a sidemounted cam chain to help keep the engine narrow and a three-piece crankcase design that keeps the engine short. Those cases are the same as the 750 except for the finish, with the 600 getting a surface treatment while the 750's cases are covered in just paint. The 600 also gets tapered-stem case bolts in an effort to further reduce engine weight. Weight savings also come via the use of silicon-carbide-plated cylinders and a lighter #525 chain and sprockets. The sixspeed transmission has closer fifth and sixth gear ratios than the 750 and a lower final drive ratio to fit the 600's power curve. More weight is removed by the use of two fewer clutch plates (17 vs. the 19 used on the 750), and the primary gear which is located on the back of the clutch basket is one rnm smaller than the 750's primary gear (l1rnm vs. 12 rnm). The ram-air induction system is the same as the 750, with the air intake in the nose of the fairing feeding pressurized air to 36mm Mikunis in an effort to increase high-rpm power. Those 36rnm downdraft Mikunis don't come with electronic throttle slide assisters, though there is a throttle-position sensor. Suzuki claims that the smaller-sized carburetors on the 600 don't present a velocity problem, thus they were able to get away without the slide assist. The valve sensor used on the GSXR600 is also tied to the ignition to change maps with multiple ignition curves available. One feature that is truly unique to the GSXR600 is the use of a digital direct ignition system, a package that puts the ignition coil for each cylinder in each spark plug cap. The NO system, which is often used on high-end Japanese sports cars, is designed to prevent heat buildup and offer higher peak voltage and it may be used on future GSXR750s as well, according to Suzuki. Although the starter motor on the 600 draws less current than the 750, the bike still gets an eightampere-hour battery. The engine is hooked up to a fourinto-two-into-one exhaust system with stainless-steel head pipes and an aluminum muffler. The pipe, Suzuki says, is tuned for midrange without sacrificing high-rpm power by using 20mm shorter headpipes and a 1.7= narrower collector pipe than what's found on the 750. In all, the 6OO's engine and accompanying components - cylinder assembly, smaller pistons, smaller crankshaft, fewer clutch plates, thinner crankcase bolts, smaller carbs, shorter exhaust and smaller drive chain and sprockets - provide a weight savings of 7.5 pounds over the 750. ON TRACK With Las Vegas Motor Speedway'S location in the middle of the desert, and the fact that it's still in the midst of major construction, it's no wonder the track >starts each day a little on the dirty side. And it was no different for our day with the GSXR600. It's amazing what you can learn about a motorcycle while learning a race track that happens to be a bit dirty. For one, you find out just how forgiving the bike is to ride, first at low speeds and later at full tilt. The GSXR600 handled both with relative ease. Not knowing where you're going usually causes you to run off-Line a few times, but it was never a problem with the natural and easy-handling 600. Point and shoot is somewhat overused when it comes to deScribing the handling characteristics of (Above left) The naked GSXR600. (Above) Unique to the GSXR600 Is Its digital direct ignition system, which puts the Ignition coli for each cylinder In each spark plug cap. (Above left) The main difference between the 600's chassis and the 750's Is the use of a 10mm shorter swingarm. In an effort to save weight, Suzuki also opted not to fit the 6OO's swlngarm with . the massive brace used on the 750. (Above) The GSXR600 uses 36mm Mlkunl carbs. (Left) Those carbs utilize a throttle-position sensor that Is tied to the ignition in order to change maps. face and it takes some patienee before it builds enough revs to bring the excitement back into the package. Even when revving hard, the 600 seems to lack a little punch. But, hey, it's only a 600 and it's not fair to compare its power to a 750. Time and comparison tests against the class-leading Honda CBR600 F-3 will be the deciding factor when it comes to how the Suzuki's power matches up to the rest of the class. Haridling-wise, there's no doubt that it will compare favorably. Suzuki is betting on it. So too are Picotte and Yates. CN 1997 Suzuki GSXR600 a ne.w sportbike, but no bike fits the description better than the GSXR600. You run off line - no problem, just point it the other way and off you go. You get into the comer a little hot - no problem, you just lean it over a little farther and away you go. It is the true definition of nimble, something that comes with a 54.7-inch wheelbase and a 24-degree rake. Very confidence-inspiring. According to Dunlop's Jim Allen, the new 364 front tire that was'fitted to our bike gives a heavier feel to the steering than last year's tire, with a light feel the first to go in the compromise to build a tire with better stability. When it comes to its application on Suzuki's 600 at least, the compromise seems to work. The bike is so short that getting it turned isn't a problem, so the feel from the new front tire works only to further compliment the bike by slowing things down just a bit. During our one-day test, at least one tester opted to lower the ride height by dropping the front fork in the triple clamp 10rnm - in an effort to make the already quick-steering bike steer quicker. We left ours in the stock position as we have no idea why you'd want the GSXR600 to steer any quicker unless you were planning On donning an orange wig and riding the thing in' circles for Ringling Brothers. The only suspension modification we made to the bike was in changing the preload adjustment one mark from its standard setting, taking it down to the third mark from the fourth mark. We did this in order to make the front a tad stiffer, which in turn should have made it plant better under heavy braking. It seemed to work, though with more time we probably would have tried to make it even firmer for a race track application. Remember, our test rider weighs only 145 pounds, so stock settings are usually fairly close to being right. Bigger riders will definitely need to adjust the sag, make the suspension stiffer, and so on. With the aforementioned agility often comes a lack of stability. But that didn't come into play on the GSXR600, even though Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its two fast left-handers, plenty of tight corners and a few high-speed pavement transitions were enough to rigorously test a suspension package. Through the fast lefts, there was never any hint of a lack of stability. The bike tracked well when leaned over at high speed, was plenty rigid on the front straight banking, and handled the bumps without too much worry. There is also an abundance of ground. clearance built into the new GSXR600. We never touched down anything on the pavement, but - more impressively - neither did Yoshimura Suzuki riders Aaron Yates and Pascal Picotte, even on the box-stock GSXRs. Although it's easy to confuse the 600 with the GSXR750, that confusion goes away quickly when it comes to the power output of the motorcycle. To say that the 600's engine felt somewhat flat would be cruel, but at least on the race track it felt like it could use a little more off the bottom. If you happen to be in a gear too high, the GSXR600 falls on its Specifications Engine. . . . .. Liquid-cooled. DOHC. four·cylinder in·line four stroke Bo.. & Stroke 65.5 x 44.5mm Displacement 600cc Output 106 hp (at gearbox) Compnosslon ratio 12.0:1 Cartounotion (4 ) 36mm Mikunis Ignition T.........uulon Gear ratios COl _ 6·speed Low - 2.866 (72/41> · 2nd - 2.058 (35/17) · 3rd - 1.650 (33120> ·_ 4th - 1.428 (30121) • •..•...•...•.....5th· 1.285 (27121> · 6th - 1.181 (26/22) ........... , .Final- 2.812 (45/16) Clutch wet. multi-plate type Chassis Twin·spar aluminum frame S Front ion , .. .45mm cartridge-type fori<. preload and rebound damping adjustable ....r . . . .. fully adjustable piggyback style. gas/oil damped. call spring ...... and Trail 24 degrees/96mm WheeIba 54.7 inches Weight 383 pounds (d!)') Brakes Front 320mm twin rotors, four-piston calipers 220mm single rotor. two-piston caliper ....r WheeIs/ti Front _ . 120170 ZR 17 Dunlop radial on 3.5-Inch cast-aluminum wheel ..... . ..... 180/55 ZR 17 Dunlop radial on 5.5-Inch cast-aluminum wheel Fuel tank capacity .4.8 gallons. Including reserve Colo BluelWhlte. Black/Blue Sugge-.l retail price $7.699 \0 0\ 0\ .... ("f)~ .... !-< (l) S (l) ~ z 17

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