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/128352
The XRE2 version of the Suzuk i GSV· R MotoGP machine is the third iteration of the 990cc V4 to come out of the Suzuk i sk unkwork s in as many season s. Each version ha s been improved. tral during my cou ple of laps pretending to be KR,which I put down to general incom petence at an alien culture - until I heard Akiyoshi-san doi ng exactly t he same thing, befo re returning to the pits w ith a big smile and a bow of apology. So courteous, these Japanese testers. Think ing of t he Ducati su perbike reminds me how flat the GSV-R's torq ue D curve is now. It st ill peaks at aroun d I I ,SO rpm, as befo re , but instead of that big hit of grunt at lower rpm , it's now more progressive and gradual, without being exactly wimpy. At my speeds, the Bridgesto ne tire seemed to hook up really well - but then Akiyoshi-san had just spent two days figuring out the best tire for the co ndit ions, so I guess that was to be expected. But t he thing tha t really impressed me, same as more t han a decade ago when I was Bridgesto ne 's first-ever European ride r contracted directly to Japan, was the great grip fro m the Suzuki's fro nt tire . Back in my Ducati supermoto racing days - when co rner speed was everything and you'd risk adversarial contact rather than put up w ith anyone on a faste r bike who parked up in turns , making you back off the throttle - the succession of greatgripping Bridgesto ne front slicks the company kept sending me was a key factor in the success I was fortunate to have with my re latively underpowered but goo dhandling Ducat i and Gilera singles. Well, one decade on , and at a much more exalted (Left) The GSV-R uses either 320mm or 305mm ca rbo n brakes, depending on the circuit, gripped by rad iallymounted, four:pot, fou r-pad Brembo calipers, with Ohlins 42mm upside ' down forks. This is as close a s you can get to actually seeing the GSV·R engine, wh ich, like the Yamaha M l . and the Honda RC211V before them both - ha s benefited from less, and not more , complex electronic engine management systems. always uses shrouds on the brakes at Valencia to aid in heat retention, and in fact , later in the day fo r his race-distance test, Akiyoshi sw itched to the smaller 305 mm discs the team also uses and reported improved response. Ca n I have another go, please , Arase -san - just to check? No? Well, can't blame me fo r try ing! Yet if you're a barely reformed ringdinger, two-stroke refugee like KR, the Suzuki will also never allow you to use the clutch at any time once you've got it off the grid. I tried riding it like this for a couple of laps with my left hand 's fingers clamped to the handle bar, shifting up and down without t he clutch - but also without any of the sense of mechanical unfriendliness that I en countered when I did this two years ago. If that's what does it fo r you, then hey, the GSV-R's your friend , ready to go up and down pretty seamlessly t hrough t he box without t he trace of a blip or any work on the left leve r, no matter how many revs you decide to use o n the overrun. You st ill get engine braking , though - the re's a limit to how much of this two -stroke stuff the GSV-R is pre pared to tolerate - but it's prepared to deliver option B just as smoothly as the right way. (I know, I'm letting my bias show!) The only time you absolutely must use the clutch is fo r changing into bottom gear, which you have to do twice per lap on t he GSV at Valencia. I twice got a false neu -R 26 DECEMBER 1, 2004 • CYC LE N EWS 40th Anniversary (Below) The GSV-R's massively braced sw ingarm is a work of art, consisting of various pressedaluminum sections welded together to help deliver controlled flex. One inch longer than before, it creates a 57.6-inch wheelbase and puts more weight on the front wheel to prevent wheelies under hard accelerotion .