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/150387
VOL. 50 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 13, 2013 P81 WHAT THEY SAID: JAKE ZEMKE, 37, AMA Formula Xtreme Champ "All around on the track it is a good bike. It doesn't present any huge flaws but it doesn't stand out in any one area." BERTO WOOLDRIDGE, 38, AFM Club President and expert-level club racer "The engine really holds this bike back. Not terrible; but not exactly awesome either." JASON PRIDMORE, 43, 2x AMA Pro Champion "The chassis and all the other good things on it are great. But it lacks acceleration. It's one of those bikes where if you get stuck in a gear too short, it's too short." PAUL CARRUTHERS, 52, Long-time Test Rider and Cycle News Editor "I must admit, it is starting to feel a bit dated after riding all the other bikes." rpm snap of the R6 or the bigger displacement bikes. Still it was able to net the third-best acceleration force number when averaged, proving it can hold its own on track. Dyno testing reveals the Suzuki's mill generates the secondlowest horsepower output with 104.84 ponies cranked out at the rear Bridgestone tire at 13,500 rpm. Over-rev is pretty good, however, with another 1800 rpm remaining before the limiter shuts down the fun. Its peak torque figure also placed it second from the back with 44.69 lb-ft available at a lofty 11,700 rpm. Modest top-end power meant that the Suzuki achieved a lower top speed at the end of the straightaways placing it just in front of the CBR when averaged. Another problem was its gearbox, which felt stickier than we remember and took the most amount of effort to upshift under load. If there was one bike that could benefit from a quickshifter—the Suzuki would be it. "It still lacks that acceleration out of the corners. And that's why the lap time suffered so much on that bike," said Pridmore, who has an intimate knowledge of the Suzuki, having used them as his classroom bike. Suzuki continues to be the only Japanese bike that comes from the factory with Brembo monobloc front brake calipers. Only problem is the set-up doesn't work as sharply as the pieces fitted on the Ducati or Triumph. We encountered a small amount of brake fade during track use. However, the data shows that even with its inconsistent lever Suzuki GSX-R600 HIGHS •Great ergonomics •Easy to ride •Lightweight LOWS •Needs a power boost •Could steer sharper •Brakes fade during heavy use Suzuki GSX-R600 Settings: Fork Preload: 6.25 (Turns in) Compression: 3.5 Rebound: 3.5 Shock Preload: 1 Turn from standard Low-Speed Compression: 1.75 High-Speed Compression: 2.75 Rebound: 2.25 feel, when averaged the Gixxer-6 recorded the highest braking force figure. The Suzuki is as familiar as a worn-in glove and easy to get a feel for on the track. Handling is predictable but it lacks the pinpoint accuracy of the leaders. Engine performance was adequate but lacked the snappiness of the fast revving bikes. In the end, the Suzuki 600 is a good performing motorcycle that does many things well but nothing outstanding. Middle of the road scores, including its Superpole average, hurt it on the scorecard keeping it adrift of the Supersport crown for another year.