VOLUME ISSUE AUGUST , P143
mance machines, so why not the
Suzuki?
The CN crew certainly gave
the GT 750 many chances to
fail this test, as they logged a
rather staggering 2800 miles on
the odometer. They found the
two-stroke, three-cylinder engine
to be torquey, with "ample low
end." At 6000 rpm, the big Suzy
"gushes forth with a slight rush."
The staff felt the GT had enough
power and mentioned that the
bike "doesn't need much down
-
shifting to pass."
Performance has a price, of
course, and in this case, the GT-
750 (metallic blue and white in
its sophomore season) sent out
its not-so-good vibrations to both
itself and its pilot. By the end of
the test, the motorcycle shook
loose and pitched off both of
its rear turn signals. Cycle News
noted that "there is a little bit of
vibration transmitted through
the comfortable, swept-back
handlebars" but suggested that
the rider who was smart enough
to wear "heavier gloves" would
make "the problem disappear."
The test bike was deemed
mostly reliable by the staff,
though it blew out a gasket in the
crossover section of the exhaust,
where three cylinders spread out
into four pipes. This happened
early in the test and made the
bike "quite a bit nosier" for the
next couple of thousand miles.
The Suzuki featured a couple
of "firsts" in the motorcycling
world, with its liquid-cooling and
dual disc brakes up front; both
were making their first appear
-
ances in the world of mass-pro-
duction motorcycles. The latter
feature would leave the staff a bit
perplexed, with some feeling that
the brakes now worked "too well."
The notion of locking up the front
wheel was disconcerting to some
of the riders, but they added that
"the Suzuki now stops," indicat
-
ing that the '72 model was not so
adept in this area.
Puzzlingly, the writers weren't
satisfied with the GT-750's
straight-line skills, good (50 mpg)
fuel mileage and strong pulling
power. They wanted a canyon
carver as well, and the '72 model
had let them down. They wanted
"stuff it cornering" skills; Suzuki
obliged by stiffening up the sus
-
pension on the '73 model. Still,
a lack of ground clearance and
subpar rubber kept the staffer
from scratching around the bends
with this motorcycle.
It is truly hard to please every
-
one and so the CN review ends
with something of a backhanded
compliment to the "Water Buf
-
falo," a pudgy and plodding nick-
name with which the bike would
eventually be branded. The staff
generally liked the Suzuki but add-
ed that "a sports version of the
GT-750 would be very exciting."
Motorcycle manufacturers
don't take all of their cues from
moto-journalists, however, and
no such bike ever appeared.
Four-stroke engines would soon
reclaim the market for street
bikes, and new touring motor
-
cycles, like the aforementioned
Gold Wing, set the benchmark
for long-distance riders. The
Water Buffalo roamed in Suzuki's
lineup for a few more good years
before becoming extinct in
1977.
CN
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The Suzuki GT 750,
affectionately nicknamed
"Water Buffalo," was the
first production water-
cooled street bike.
