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/128167
The A/stare Corona Suzuki GSX-R600s model, smaller in size to reflect the more compact engine and almost five pounds lighter, with a 20mm-longer swingarm to increase stability, as well as place more weight on the front wheel, for better grip. Unable to brace or modify the frame under Superbike rules, Alstare blueprints each chassis in their workshop on a factory jig to iron out manufacturing tolerances and ensure maximum alignment and rigidity. The wheelbase is now 1400mm (it was 1385mm), and in fact the Suzuki must now be ballasted with 3.3 pounds of lead to meet the 367pound minimum weight limit for the class. The team has opted to install this in the hollow extrusions of the alloy swing arm, as evidenced by the rubber plugs which betray this - thus at the same time improving traction without detracting overly from the ideal weight bias, which is now 51/49 percent toward the front. However, like all Suzuki teams last season, the team battled in conjunc- 24 AUGUST 14, 2002' eye I e front tire, the way it holds a line better on the gas and steers into a turn on the brakes, and above all how it flicks from side to side mid-chicane much more easily, while still of course retaining the same steering geometry. The construction of the new D208 Dunlop tires has been a key factor in improving stability on the throttle and under braking, says the team. However, just as with the engine, the two Alstare riders have completely different chassis settings - and not only because Chambon has that much more compact a build than the not exactly rangy or overweight Fujiwara. Chambon actually uses the very same, tall, short seat pad that Alstare's previous star midget, Fabrizio Pirovano, used on all of his bikes, in order to push himself forward and high on the bike, which he has set up very stiff at both ends this is a man who likes to back it into a turn. Fujiwara's riding position felt more rational - as well as a lot more com- tion with suspension partners WP to find the right setup for the new bike's chassis, without ever really getting a handle on it. Last year, I found that the Suzuki steered okay, but felt rather bulky and awkward to change direction with fast, partially thanks to the identical bodywork shared with its GSX-R750 sister. This at least allows you to tuck down well behind the screen, so as to give good top-end speed - a factor which must surely have helped Yates clinch his victory at Daytona in March. This year's a different story, though, and with their WP suspension partner's technician Chris Lessing working tirelessly to optimize balance and compliance, the bike's now moved up two or three levels in terms of feedback from the The clutch uses stock plates, with Superbike springs, by the way - but of course it isn't a slipper design, so you have to watch out not to chatter the rear tire by using too much engine braking, like I did a couple of times if I held fourth gear down the straight behind the Zolder pits, then got too enthusiastic with the revs when backshifting from high rpm. Tut, tut. And although powershifters aren't allowed in Supersport racing, the FIM tech police have okayed Alstare's ingenious mechanical substitute, in the form of a kill switch on the left clip-on which you thumb as you flat-shift wide open, without backing off the throttle. After three years of grappling with this on the Alstare bikes, I've finally got the hang of doing it right - it's not as easy as it sounds to f1atshift out of a turn this way when leaned over, with your thumb busy gripping the handlebar while you're hanging off the side of the Suzuki. But for sure it's a real advantage, as I found for myself powering past the Zolder pits changing up through the gears from bottom to fourth wide open, to produce a seamless thread of power. It's no wonder several other teams have now copied this smart but simple (and low-cost) idea. The pickup from a closed throttle of either of the Corona Suzukis exiting the trio of Zolder chicanes was really impressive, but especially Fujiwara's bike, without any of the snatchy response which bedevils some other fuel-injected motorcycles. This is partly thanks to the team's refined mapping of the Marelli ECU, and partly due to Suzuki's innovative approach to the design of the four 36.5mm tapered throttle bodies, in which the single injector per cylinder is located beneath the lower of the pair of SDTV (Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve) butterflies. The main one of these is linked to the twistgrip, and thus determines the maximum throttle opening at the will of the rider, while the secondary one is controlled by the ECU and is opened progressively to maintain intake velocity and airflow for optimum fueling and a controlled response. I was impressed at how well a system which is surely aimed primarily at the street rider works on the racetrack. This is a fuel-injected bike with the controlled throttle response of a carbureted one - but as can now clearly be seen in on-track confrontations with the Ten Kate Hondas which are the speed kings of the World Supersport class, the Corona Suzukis have caught up on the Honda's vivid acceleration out of a bend, in turn alloWing them to match their former top-speed advantage down the straight which follows. The fuel-injected GSX-R600 has a different aluminum twin-spar chassis compared to the previous carbureted fortable - for me, with a lower rear ride height than Chambon's bike, quite apart from a longer seat and thinner seat pad, so you feel more a part of the bike - sitting in it rather than perched atop it, like on Chambon's. I found Fujiwara's bike easier to ride hard on, even though he uses a typically Japanese setup with a soft rear and fairly soft front damping, to encourage weight transfer under acceleration (to promote more grip from the D208 Dunlop) and to allow him to keep up turn speed via the extra tire grip delivered by front suspension that's more compressed under braking than Chambon's. It also made his bike definitely quicker steering in the Zolder chicanes, because the softer fork settings pro- n e _ s moted more radical steering geometry under heavy braking, meaning his Suzuki felt quicker steering than his teammate's, without having to hang the back wheel out, Stef-style. It's still not a particularly nimble bike, though: with a longer 1400mm wheelbase, the Suzuki is more stable than before, with none of the previous chatter from the great Dunlop rubber even over the car-induced ripples of Zolder's first turn, but with better grip exiting a turn, in spite of the increased power, thanks to improved compliance from the more sophisticated WP shock. I liked Fujiwara's setup - but then, I'm not a twowheeled trick cyclist like Chambon, reveling in getting both wheels sliding and knowing you can make the bike do what you want it to do even when it's seriously out of shape. The Alstare Corona team reverted to stock Tokico discs for a while last year, after suffering warping problems which were later resolved with the Braking made-in-Italy 'Margherita' 320mm front discs they also employed, whose petal-shaped design saves a crucial 1.9 pounds in unsprung weight while providing superb stopping power and lots of feel via the stock four-pot Tokico calipers. This year, they have the Italian brakes fitted to both bikes, whose real advantage comes in flicking from side to side in turns, when their reduced gyroscopic mass helps speed up the Suzukis' steering, and their reduced unsprung weight enhances suspension compliance. However, it seemed that this time the very distinctive 'wave' discs had a less fierce response than I remember from using them on the same bike at the same circuit a year ago, which several times had me wondering if I was going to be able to stop in time for the chicane behind the Zolder pits (hence the problem with using too much engine braking, in sheer desperation!). Twice, I didn't make it for the hairpin at the far end of the circuit, taking to the slip road in preference to the kitty litter or folding the front end - but While I love the way the lighter discs speed up the handling, this was the first time I've been less than convinced about how much bite they offer. Maybe pad choice? At least this time around, both Suzukis were much more stable under heavy braking than last year, even Chambon's bike with stiffer fork settings - a compliment to WP's good work in refining the handling in the past 12 months. It was a major surprise that the allnew Suzuki GSX-R600 didn't win a single race at World Supersport level in 2001, instead suffering the typical growing pains of an all-new design in its debut season. But now, it's all grown up, ready to win races and the world title in 2002. .eN