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/1542345
FIBST PLAC 138 P Measured 44 1 tb. I Pea horsepower: 1 37 hp Peak torque: 76.1O ft.-lb. Weight-to-power ratio: 2. 91 lb./hp Fastest lap time: 1:27.OP (Sorensen) Ouarter-mile time: 9.71 @ 146.58 mph Price: $1O,999 k €NGIN€ XEY FEATUSES 0ne-piece uppsr crankcass and cylinder SoTV f uel-injection systom Titan;um valve6 Slipper clutch 1... he modern sportbike cateqory is a bru- i tal environment not unlike the ultimare Fiqhtinq Championship: Hanging onto a shootout titte once you've won I is virtua lly impossible. The constant overlap of new model cycles and the one- upmanship between the tour ultrdcompetilive Japanese companres means that one of lhem is always going to have the lates! greatest tech- nologies and design at any given time. Last year the Suzuki GSX-R1000 romped to victory in our Cycle News "0pen Class Shootout," but we really didn't expect it to hang on to the title fDr long, as new bikes from Honda aad Kawasaki were released for 2006. The Suzuki GSX-Rt000 was a brand-new bike last yeat and not much was changed for this yeat We entered this years shootout knowing thatthe Su/uki would be hard to beat, but also knowing that the competition had stepped it up a notch. The one thing that hasn't changed is the character of the GSX-R engine. The bike still has the nicest power delrvery o{ any of lhe bikes in the test, and one look at the dyno graph backs this up. The power delivery is sm0oth and linear at any rpm. The bike has no hidden surprises ' the power iust builds in an easy-to-control man- ner. lt may not have quite as much peak power as the Kawasaki, bLI it delivers il :n a more desir- able manner, At Willow Springs the enqine made riding the bike fast really €asv. Managinq the grip from the rear tiro was a piece ofcake, as the power deliv- ery is considsrably more predictable thsn the ZX-l0R and Yamaha, both ol whrch h€ve holes rn thoir midrange power delivery, and then spike whon the power hits a96in. "The Suzuki engine is badass." Montano said. " lthas plentyof bottom end, andthen ithas power all the way up through the revs to red- lane." Puetz said: "Class-leading power. great torque - it makes power throuqhout the curve and hEs an awesome slipper clutch." There is more to the engin€ than iust the power delivery however. The fact that ths biko has a slipper clutch was w€lcomed by all who rods it and the transmission received perfect scores on the rating sheets. The fuel-iniection system o0 the Suzukr rs excellent both on the track and on the street. 0pen the throtde midcorner, and the fuel delivery is smooth and stutter free - combined with the linear powerband, and you have perfect control. The keytothis isthe use ol a tvvin-injector setup (like the Honda), which allows the fuel delivery to be crisp and perfectly metered down low but allows a lot more luel to be delivered when ths second set of injectors kicks i0 at high-rpm wide-open throttle positions. Watching a maestro like Larry Laye at tho draq strip is impressive in its own right, but there is a lot to be learned about an engine's character through observation. Track condi- tions at LACfi werenl exactly perfect and deteriorated as he made more passes. The prob- lemwasthatthetrackwas a bitonthe slick side and traction was an issue. what was amazing to watch with the Suzukiwas that lrom the side of the track I could watch and hear how the Suzukis engine reacted as he laLrnched from the line. Even if he let the revs dip a bit while feeding out the clutch, the Suzuki would iusl torque riqht through it while scraping for traction. Tho tone of the motorand the attitude ofthe chassiswere all loeeded to see and hearto knowthat he clicked off the quickest run of the day on the GSX-R ' and itwas even quickerthan lastyear Enough said. It doesn't matter where you ride the Suzuki GSX-R10r,0, it iust feels right. It may not have the perfect riding position on the racetrack or street, but somehow it ,ust feels familia r and comfortable. Like we mentionod above, Willow Springs was a bit of a challenqe durinq our timed ses- sions, as the wind was howlinq out of the west and tryin0 to blowthe bikes otf the track in turns eiqht and nins. The Suzuki handled it with ease how€vor and never missed a beat.ltwasthe one Japanese bike that all of the testers felt comfort- able on in the fast corners. 0ur one complaint about the GSX-R in terms of ergonomics is that the cockpit feels cramped. Jhe handlebars seem pulled back too much rn the stock position and make your arms and hands feeltoo close together and cramped. This forces you into a single position and won't allow you shift around too much. HoweveL another attribute of the GSX-R that was liked by most of the testers was the fact that you sit -down in' the Suzuki and don't feel perched up on top of it At Willow Springs, like Buttonwillow last year, the suspension worked v8ry wsll. The Suzuki is easy to set up and fslt plush with lots of feedback from th€ fort and shock. The fork may not have b€en on par with the 6hlins fork on the Ducati, but was by far the most communicative of the Japanose bikss on the track. The Suzuki wasths onlyJapanose bike that didntfeelover- wholmsd in turns eight and nine in the wind, allowing the bike to turn the second-fastest lap time for S0rensen and Montano and third fastest for Conner The rear shock was a touch sott and Sorensen wishsd for more rear ride height, but it did ths iob iustfine and stillreceived solid marks tor compliance.overallthe Suzuki had the best suspension package ofthe Japanese bikes. From a handling standpoint the GSx-R works very well. The bike turns in very easily and flicks from side to side in an instant - quick without being twitchy. The one thing holding the GSX-R back at Willow was {like the other Japanese bikes) midcorner stability. lvlidway through turns eight and nine the Suzuki just didn't have the composure ot the i/V Agusta or D!cati. but for" tunately it was more stable than the rest. The main issue was that the from end didn't feel as glued to the track as the ltalian bikes. The GSX-f,t radial-mount calipers and nice master cylinder qive it some ofthe best brakes in the test. "Awosome," Sorensen said. "The bike feels like it is stuck to the racetrack under hard brak- ing." Feel from the brakes is excellent, the power is completely linear and predictable, and com' bined with a great front tork, it makes gettinq it hauled down lrom speed easy. The controls and dash assembly were praised by everyone 10r their simplicity and func. tionality, and everyone liked the gear-position indicator on the dash. From a styling standpoint the GSX-R still received high marks although not the highest. As a streetbike the GSX-B is as qood as they come,linishing iust two points bghind ths Honda, and that could probably bs attributsd to the cramped handlebar position. The engine is excellont on the sfset. as is the gearing. and the suspension is porfsctly suited for every type of riding situation from streetto track. 35 MARCH r 5, 2006 CYCLE NEWS =: 151.37 -= iorfr,- Mai Poraier iliii td(,i; Suzurr GSX-RIOEE El. {, 3 o r J q! o Engine Speed (BPM xl000) 0 4 120 160 140 100 80 bU 40 20 I$EffiB Best power delivery Greal brakes Excellent suspension rrG*ffiw$-.iffi Cramped cockpit We still can't think ot any more 2006 Open-Closs Sfiootout w{t SUzUKI EiEiX-R I tr Tt n 1 I \ t^l \ ) I t CHASSIS/HANDLING XEY TEATURES Compact chassis Radial-mount front calipers l405mm wheelbase