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/146698
simple with the 750 require a bit more -work on the 1100. Still, to venture to work each and every morning we'd opt for the 1100. , It's comfortable enough that you won't be in pain by the time you arrive at the office. The engine is easy to manage while moving in and out of traffic, but you have to concentrate a little bit when the red light turns green at intersections. The 1100 is geared quite tall and requires significant clutch slippage to prevent the engine from stalling. But if our work were to be ·done at Road Atlanta or any other race track across the country, then the 750 would be 'an ideal choice. It's definitely a race bike, or weekend canyon bike, not a commuter. Either way, the 750 and 1100 do their eN respective jobs to a "T". While Cycle News belierzes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the per~ formance or safety of the vehicle. The reader should. make his or her own investigation. Suzuki dealers have already taken delivery of the 750~ while the GSXR1100 will not be on dealer floors until January. The GSXR1100 will carry a suggested retail price of $8199 while the 750 sells for $7299. On the track, and road Simply put, the GSXR750 is a serious sportbike/ racebike. Liquid-cooling came to the 750 for one reason and one reason only - to increase horsepower and to make it a competitive base on which to build a top-level Superbike for road racing around the globe. The changes were enough to make Thomas Stevens jump ship from Kawasaki to Suzuki - now he's hoping the move pays off. Though Suzuki doesn't want to discuss horsepower figures, you wouldn't be going ou.t on a limb if you said the increase was substantial. That fact is noticeable on your first rut:\ down the near mile-long back straight at Road (Above) The front brakes on the 1100 have changed, with the bike now using six-piston Tokicos. (Right) The GSXR750 retains the four-piston Nissin brakes from last year's model. Atlanta - the GSXR750 gets from turn seven to the esses leading up to ,the Nissan Bridge in next to no time at all. And it arrives there. without sending more than the normal amount of fear through its operator, thanks to a wellmatched and complete chassis and suspension. Just a tad of headshake is all you get en route to those high speed esses as the. bike's front gets a tad light due to the' elevation changes combined with the rough surface at Road Atlanta. The riding position on this year's GSXRs is somewhat lower than in previous models. For our 5-foot-eight-inch test rider this wasn't a problem, but our second tester at 6-foot-one-inch is still moaning about the lack of leg room. GSXRs have featured ultra-compact seat/footpeg arrangements in the .past, now it's even worse for taller riders. And the two bikes do feel much different in 'their seating configurations. While the GSXR750 has its metal footpegs sitting up high and rearward, the 1100's pegs are rubber-coated and sit much lower on the frame. In addition, the handlebars on the 750 sit lower than those on the 1100. Consequently, the 750 feels racier and 'more at home on the track, while .the 1100 is inarguably more comfortable for any street riding application. There were some moans and groans from the contingent of press when the subject of the two bikes increased'" weight came up in our technical briefing. On the race track, though, we didn't find the weight increase to be an issue, most likely because of the increase in horsepower that both bikes received in 1993. The 750 is still easy to flick around, and side to side transitions between left and right corners and vice versa created no problems. The noo, though, feels a tad heavy, especially when dealing with the bike on a daily basis while commuting back and forth to work. Still, Suzuki says the additional weight came mainly through the strengthening of the chassis which , was needed to make the frame cope with the extra horses the 1100 puts out. Unfortunately, the Suzuki will be weighed up against the Honda CBR900 which is substantially lighter (but also less horsepowered) than the GSXR1100. The side-to-side transitions which are so~ '. (Above) The GSXR750's controls are situated much lower than those on the GSXR1100 (left). The handlebars on the 750 are mouhted below the triple , clamp while the 1100's bars are above the clamp.