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/127963
The 1999 Suzuki street bikes E ver since Suzuki introduced the first of the bunch in 1986, the GSX-R range has been synonymous with fast, state-o fthe-art sportbik es . Th ink back to those early years of th e GSX-R an d yo u'll likely conj ure u p images of Kevi n Schw:tn tz bull-ridi ng his w ay around Any Track, USA, on a GSX-R, the paIr perfectly su ited for each other - wild and fast. ยท . . Ima gine if we could takes Suz u ki's new est GSX-R, put 11 l.n a ti m e 'm a ch in e . a n d d eli v e r i t to a yo u ng , s w as h b u ck li n g Schwan tz. Pictu re this: Kevin Schwantz o n a GSX-R1300 at, say, Road Atla nta. That's right - a GSX-R1300. Cod e-nam ed Ha yabusa after a small Jap ane se falco n tha t just happens to be one of the fas tes t bi rd s in the world , the GS X-R 1300 is u nofficially the larges t-d isplacement regular-p roduction spo rtbike ~ n the world . And there are also reports of the Hayabusa produang some 175 horsepo w er, with top spe ed in the neighborhood of 185 mph. Whil e th e w orld has become accustom ed to life w ith GSXR600s, 750s and l 100s, it'll hav e to ge t used to a GSX-R130d - the "most pow erful four-cylinder every built by Suzu ki." And it wi ll rep lace the lon g-in-t he-too th GSX-R1100 in th e lineup. The bik e features a 16-valve, in-line, four-cyli nder powerplant and sleek, wind-tunnel-tested fairing for low -d rag aerodynamics. The bik e also gets fuel injection and wi ll be fed via Suzu ki Ram Air Direct. Co mpression is 11.0:1, w ith a bore an d stroke of 81 x 63 m m produ ci ng a d ispla cemen t of 1298cc. T he DOHC ~ ~ 00 0\ 0\ ,..... 1:'-. ' l-< (1) .c o ...... u o 22 I I ~=== eng ine features a narrow, 1 4-de~r~ i nclud ~d v~lv~ ?ngle, electronic fue l injection wit h a ram-air Intak e, d irect IgnitIOn, a gea rd riven co u n te rba la ncer to red u ce vib ra tion, and a six-speed tran sm ission (the GSX-Rll O fea tured a five-sp eed u nit) wit h a O lar ge-cap acity clut ch . To kee p th: engi~e as compa ct ~s p,?ssible, the cam cha in is driven off the righ t sid e of a sho rt, five-jou rna l cra nks haft. The eng ine sits in an alu minum-a lloy twin-spar frame featu ring a 58.5-inc h w he elbase, th e sa m: figure f,?u nd o n th.e GSXRll O The sea t height will measure In a t 31.7 Inches, again a tad O. lower than the GSX-R1100 that it replaces. The to tal package carries a claimed dry weig ht of 474 pound s - 17 po und s lighter than the GSX-R1100. Wi th a ra ke of jus t 24.2 d egrees and a 97mm trail, the bi ke promises to be nimble. Up fro nt, the new est Su zu ki will use a 43mm inverted fork to get 4.8 inches of travel w hile the rea r WIll (Above) TIme to rec alibrate the radar gun? The 1999 GSX-R1300's spec sh eet suggests it is : With some 175 hp on tap and the lowest drag coefficient of any Suzuki ever, there may be a new production top-speed king. (Below) The all-new SV650 joins the TL1O DDS and TL-R in Suz~ki 's 9O-degree V-tw in-powered lineup. As the numbers suggest, thi s one 's a 650 and billed by Suzuk i as a fun com muter bike.