Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

•••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••• • • • kink and into a second-gear, slightlybanked right that leads down a short straight to the chicane. If the Suzuki lost any of its braking power by getting rid of two pistons, you don't notice it. Clamping hard on the brakes provided not only good stopping power, but also solid stability. The back end didn't dance around under braking, and you never felt like you were going to lose the front, even with a bit of cautious trail braking. The exit of the slow right was where the improvement in torque came to the forefront. Hammering it on the exit of the tight right and firing it down towards the chicane, the bike builds revs quickly until you're bouncing it off the rev-limiter in third gear on the approach to the right-left flick. All the little computer parts were simply doing a wonderful job of telling those little butterfly valves to open and close in perfect fashion - a well-choreographed ballet within the throttle bodies ... As in most cases, to accurately compare this year's model to last year's, you'd really need to have both so that you could ride them back-toback. Still, there's no doubting the fact that this year's GSX-R is lighter, faster and has more torque than last year's. There's also no doubting that it should remain the undisputed king of the 750cc Supersport class in 2000 - with or without the defending class champion, Tom Kipp. CN All of the above figure into the increased torque of the new GSX-R and also into its increased horsepower figures. • WEIGHING IN UP FRONT One of the complaints 50cc Supersport had last year wi h the GSX- R was the fact that it didn't change direction very well in the middle of the corner. Although it would go from side to side well, once you were committed mid-corner and you wanted to pull it down closer to the ape , the job got difficult. In an effort to imp~ ve that and other things, Suzuki has changed the geometry of this year"s chassis. In addition to being more..compact and weighing a total of 1 • pounds less (4 pounds from th frame, 800 grams from the sWi~garm, 700 grams from the bcakes coupled with lighter whe.l~ 'in~ bodywork). the bike's height has been reduced by 30mm, while it has also slimmed down 5mm side to side. To change the handling characteristics a bit, Suzuki moved the weight forward, putting 51.4 percent of the weight on the front wheel compared to the 50/50 weight distribution on last year's GSX-R. While the frame itself - steering head to swingarm pivot - is shorter, the swingarm has grown 20mm, and so has the wheelbase, going from 1395mm to 1410mm. The Tokiko brakes have changed in a move to save weight, going from six pistons up front down to four, with the calipers now being constructed of aluminum alloy rather than steel. The total weight loss of the calipers is 640 grams. The front discs have also gone on a diet, with a groove on each cutting 14 grams from the front end. The rear brake has also been lightened up by 90 grams due to the same changes in materials. Although the front tire size is unchanged from last year at 120j70ZR 17, the rear has been reduced to a 180/55ZR 17 from last year's 190. This was done to improve handling, according to Suzuki. The wheels on which those tires are mounted have changed a little, mainly in an effort to further shred weight - a 550-gram loss, in total. • HOW'S IT LOOK? Although the change in appearance from the 1998 model to the 2000 model (the '99 didn't change in appearance) is less dramatic than the change from 1992 to 1998, the new GSX-R still looks remarkably different from its forefathers. Like the rest of the new generation sportbikes, the GSX-R is sharper for 2000, with a pointy nose and tail. Gone is the humpback seat that was first introduced in 1996, replaced by a • (Top) The GS)C::R's instrument panel: digital speedo s analog tach. • • fA6"oYel Welsjht has been shaved from the front end with lighter brakes and wheels. fleft) The new GSX-R weighs In at 365 pounds with a new chassis and revised powerplant. flatter, shar»er package. The seat not only looks different - it is different. Comfort-wise, there's no comparison between this year's and last year's model. The fairing also takes on the sharper image, with the graphics following suit. Everything is now aimed downward, from the striping on the fairing to the words "Suzuki" on the tank and lowers. YOU CAN CALL ME FRANKIE... Although we were never presented the opportunity to ride the new GSX-R750 on the street, we were given the chance to run around Misano for two straight days on the new bike - a fitting venue considering the fact that this really is a race bike made street legal, rather than a glorified streetbike. The GSX-R750 has a long history on racetracks around the world, so why not the racetrack ... Misano was also a fitting venue because it has a little bit of everything - from medium- and low-speed rights, to flat-out lefts, and everything in between, including a right/left chic~ne and two big hairpins - the Curva Tramonto and Curva Del 'Filo. The fast rights are easily the most important part of Misano - the key to a quick lap time. The section starts slowly, then continues to build speed as you upshift throughout the section until you're flat out in fourth gear. It was here that I nearly slammed into Burns, and it was here that the Suzuki strutted its stuff when it came to the stability of the motorcycle. Even dur- ing my moment of rapid heart rate, the bike behaved the way you'd want it to. I was able to pick it up, run off line and then bring the bike back to where I needed it to be - all without ever running onto the grass (a crash waiting to happen). I was more unnerved by the fact that Burns had gotten away than I was by the fact that I'd very nearly gone grass-tracking at 90 mph. Followin'g the run through the fast lefts, a fairly long straight takes you to the first of two left-hand, 180-degree hairpins. It was there that you really felt the improvements made in how the bike feels mid-corner. I'm no Tom Kipp, so there weren't any front-end slides, pushes or tucks, but I was able to run it in too deep and still get it back on line with a bit more tugging on the bars and some more lean angle - and it never felt sketchy while doing so. The hero tabs on the footpegs would drag, but the bike would stay perfectly planted, giving you the feel that you could really go anywhere on the racetrack that your little heart desired. The only unnerving thing was the fact that by the end of each 30-minute session we were at the point where there was far more bike than there was tire, making you wonder why manufacturers continue to insist on using street-compound tires when they take you to a racetrack for a press introduction. If you're going to the beach, wear a bathing suit - not pants. Put it this way, the tires ended up being the limiting factor on how fast you could go - not the GSX-R. Following the first of the tricky lefts, Misano takes you through a fast right eye I e SUZUKI GSX·R750 SPECIFICATIONS Four-cylinder. in-line, four·stroke DOHC Engine displacement 749cc Engine cooling system Uquid Comp ion ratio 12.0:1 Combustion chamber Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber Bore " stroke 72 x 46mm Fuel delivery system Fuel Injection lubrication system Wet sump Fuel capacity 4.76 gal. Final drive -gearing 42/17 Frame Twin-spar aluminum Rake/trail. . . . . . . . 24"/96mm Wheelbase. . . 55.5 in. Seat height _. . . . 32.7 in. Overall length. . . .... 80.3 in. Overall height. . . ....•.... 44.7 in. Overall width . . . 28.1 in. Ground clearance. . 5.1 In. Fo.... . . Inverted 43mm Showa. Inner cartndge Rear suspension. . . Swingarm. progressive linkage Front travel. . 4.9 in. Rear travel. 5.1 In. Front brake . (2) Four·piston calipers. 320mm discs Rear brake. . .. (1) Twin·piston caliper. 220mm disc 120/70-17 Front tire. ... 180/55·17 Rear tire . . .365Ibs. Claimed dry weight . .. TK Suggested retail price . . Engine type n e _ s • MARCH 15,2000 13

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