Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

2001 Open Bike Shootout ." mm 0rn~rn[hu ®0~uill ~ ftill @ [JjJJmUJ ~ m@ (] , UJ m of torque - and remember, that's at the rear wheel. If you read my story on the GSX-R in an earlier issue, I pointed out that the GSX-R] 000 actually has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Hayabusa, which weighs around] 00 pounds more. That's just sick, isn't it? So how much is too much horsepower? We don't know yet - we'll tell you when we get through installing the Yoshimura exhaust system and ignition module that are on the way. Horsepower is great but, if that's all a bike has to offer, what good is it? In order to have an outstanding bike, balance has to be found between power, handling, traction, and stability. Suzuki has found the best balance in this group of bikes. As far as handling goes, it does it all - so does the Yamaha. The Suzuki and the Yamaha are both great bikes on the track and on the street. They do things a little differently, but they are both very effective. The Suzuki : ~he 200] GSX-R]OOO was one of the most eagerly anticipated new bikes of the year, and it may end up with a title such as "Bike of the Year" in any number of publications. It's really that good and, to prove that we aren't biased toward Suzuki, just remember that it spit two of us off, and we still love it. Kind of like some sort of weird S&M relationship, full of pleasure and pain. Suzuki decided that, if it was going to compete against the likes of Yamaha's R] and company, it needed to have muscle - lots of muscle. Grunt alone doesn't make a great bike, and Suzuki knows this, so they looked to their own GSX-R750 for inspiration. It was a great place to look. The 750 had already been out for a year. and had taken the scene by storm. It is fully capable of running with bigger bikes like the R], so why not stick a bigger motor into that excellent chassis? That's essentially what Suzuki did. Its engineers came up with a chassis design that they felt would work for the entire GSX-R line. The 600, 750, and ] 000 are all very similar machines, in both the chassis and engine departments. U When they designed the new GSXR]OOO, they weren't fooling around. The bike just destroys the others in the horsepower department. It has 13 more horsepower than does its closest rival the Yamaha - and] 6.5 more than the Kawasaki, which has the least. The GSX-R made 147.5 hp and 78.0 Ibs-ft. FEATURES M.IDllJ] ~om'OCOOXD Engine 988cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four with four valves per cylinder Three-piece crankcase design, features integrated upper crankcase and cylinders Forged-aluminum pistons Composite electrochemical coating in the cylinders Fuel injection with 42mm throttle bodies, and servo-controlled secondary throttle butterflies 4-into-2-into-] Exhaust features SET (Suzuki Exhaust Tuning) valve to enhance midrange power Chassis Twin-spar aluminum frame Braced aluminum swingarm Fully adjustable 43mm gold-nitride-coated inverted cartridge forks Fully adjustable aluminum-bodied shock Dual 320mm front discs with new six-piston calipers Single 220mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper What's hot? Ridiculous amounts of power Great handling It's actually comfortable to ride It can scare even experienced riders What's not? Steers a little slow around town It can scare even experienced riders Bottom Line How do you not love a bike this capable? First-time bike owners need not apply. 30 APRIL 18, 2001 • cue ... n .. _ s The six-piston brakes do a great job of slowing this land rocket clown. just edged the Yamaha out at the track, due to its power advantage, but the two bikes ended up tying in our street evaluation. And so to the tiebreaker: Remember that extra 13 ponies lurking under the GSX-R's fairing? We couldn't resist them. That's the heart of the GSX-R, the motor. It's essentially a bored-andstroked version of the 750's engine. The 988cc inline-four has the same compact three-piece crankcase design as the 600 and 750. The biggest difference between the ] OOO's motor and its smaller siblings is the addition of a secondary balance shaft, to eliminate any unwanted vibrations. The fuel-injection system on the GSX-R features 42mm throttle bodies that are fitted with secondary throttle butterflies. The additional butterflies are designed to help maintain optimal intake velocity - the rider's wrist controls the primary butterfly, but the computer controls the secondary unit to optimize the fuel/air mixture. We were very impressed with the GSX-R's injection system. If it had failed to impress us, the Rl would have walked away with this shootout, regardless of the Suzuki's power. It did impress us, though - it's so much better than the injection on their first-generation GSXR750 a few years back. It isn't quite as good as perfectly set up carbs (like the R] 's) would be, but it performs very well. There is a very faint transition from off-throttle, but it is barely perceptible and, once you ride the bike for a little while, you forget that it's injected at all. The inertia from the large motor may help hide any lurching, but we don't care what it is - it just works. The GSX-R has a wonderful chassis as well. It is very different than it's closest competitor, the R1, which relies on a shorter wheelbase and steeper geometry. The Suzuki is all about stability. It still turns very well, don't get us wrong, but it requires a bit more effort than the R1. Once the bike is leaned over, it is unflappable - the longer wheelbase makes it feel planted in the super-fast stuff at Willow Springs. The Suzuki features 43mm inverted, gold-nitride-coated forks. Most of us liked the feel from the front end on the street or the track except for Haney, who didn't like the feel as he trail-braked the bike into the apex of a couple of Willow's tighter tums. After we didn't agree with his observations, we came to the conclusion that the rest of us tended to brake really hard while upright, and then got off the brakes to tum it in. Two different riding styles that made the bike react totally differently. Haney said he would prefer different springs in the forks, so that he could trust the front end more, which would allow him to go faster. He also felt that it lacked the mid-corner bite of the R1. . The six-piston calipers squeezing the dual 320mm discs up front are great. They offer good feel and excellent power. We failed to make them fade at Willow Springs, and they performed flawlessly on the street as well. The GSX-R's power is just so intoxicating that you can't ignore it. It would take a lap or two to adjust to the bike after getting off another at the track, because the brake markers you were just using became useless. Entering tum one at Willow, the GSX-R was traveling at least] Omph faster than the other bikes. As a matter of fact, almost everywhere on the track, we found that we were recalibrating our brains to adjust for the additional speed of the Suzuki. Around town, you have to force yourself to use restraint, because it is so fun to turn that throttle that sometimes you can't hold back. The only complaint about the styling of the GSX-R is that it looks exactly like all of the other GSX-R's in the family. Not that it's a bad thing, it just doesn't have a personality of its own. The big GSX-R is surprisingly comfortable, and that isn't a term that usually gets used in the same sentence as "GSX-R." It has a comfy seat and riding position. The gauges are well thought out and easy to read. CN

• Cover