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/127966
RACER TEST "Suzuki GSX·R750 World Superbike • • • ••••••••••• By Alan Cathca rt Photos by Kel Edge and Guus van Goethem . .. ~ ~ ~ M 00 0\ 0\ ,--< CIS N l-< Q) .o o ..... u . ne of the most rewarding things about thi s job is bein g able to keep track, from the hot sea t on d evelopment, of the world' s top race b ik e s, a n d of t he o fte n p ainfu l a n d al wa ys tim e- consum ing proce ss b y w hich a company hauls itself up the finishing order, with the latest and grea test from its factory race shop. Bein g honored w ith th e chance to track-test all the works su perbikes and most of the factory GP racers every year me a n s I get t o make a ha nd s -o n a pp rais al of how effective eac h team 's top-level R&D has been in the preceding 12 months - wa rts an d all. Someti mes it goes ba ck w ard , as well as forw ard Ducati' s superbi ke in 1997 and Ho nda's NSR250 in 1998 being two of the most recen t h igh -p rofil e examples of how easy it is to win a World title one yea r and blow it the next. Of course, getting there in the first place doesn' t ha ppen overnig ht: Such is th e leve l of wo r ld-class co m pe tition today that a new kid on the block almost always has to struggle to make a mark , so metimes end uring severa l seaso ns of frustration before the countless hou rs of work an d bill ion s of lire or yen fina lly achieve their just rew ard and the coul dbe contende r gets cro wned a cha m pio n. Just ask Honda (wi th the RC45) or Suz uki (with the RGV500) - or eve n Aprilia, which is now su preme in both 125cc and 250cc GP classes after years of struggling to get on the pace . So meti mes, of co u rse, p ayoff time never ever comes : But somehow I don 't th in k th is will b e th e p robl em co nfro nting the bike that everyone involved in World Superbike has spe nt the past three ye ars -ex pecting to start hu stlin g for top honors, despi te the fact that the all-new Suzuki GSX-R750 hasn't d elivered those honors - yet. Here is a mot orcycle that - on paper - should ru le the world , developed as it is according to ultramodern design precepts, with the single-minded intention of winning superbike races and championships. However, at the World level, so far it hasn't. But Suzuki is getting there - at last. While the Japanese company continues to merely make up the num bers in 500cc and 250cc Gra nd Prix racing, and its onetime M X sup re macy is a thing of the past, on the four-stroke road racing front, the Hamamatsu firm 's success in win ning the hotly contested 1998 600cc Superspor t Wo rld Se ries title o 8 A season of development has improved the GSX-R750 's chassis immensely.