SHOOTOUT
P88
4 TH
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT PART II
L
ast updated in 2011, the
Suzuki GSX-R600 offered
careful refinements aimed
at increasing performance without taking away from the GSX-R's
excellent street pedigree. And
the 2013 version is no different with it continuing to impress
with its street-friendly ergonomics, peppy powerband, and topshelf components. But this time
around the two-year-old Suzuki
faces a revitalized field.
The GSX-R600's inline four
sports an identical configuration as the Honda and Yamaha
– 599cc with 67mm bore and
42.5mm stroke. Since its redesign it clearly had the best bottom and mid-range of the 600s.
This year the revised Honda has
made up ground on the mid-
range. The Suzuki still sports a
better bottom and mid than the
top-end biased Yamaha, though
its peak 104.84 hp on the dyno
bests only the Honda. That said,
the Suzuki 600 produces one of
the more useful powerbands for
the street.
"The Gixxer had a linear,
punchy little motor that allowed
you to be in the desired power-
