VOL. 50 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 27, 2013
2013 Suzuki GSX-R600
band at all times on the street,"
says Adey.
"Probably the smoothest powerband out of all of them," confirms Nathon. "Coming into the
corner and keeping the throttle
on halfway and then powering
out, it didn't lurch or hiccup at
all."
While it lacks the panache of
the triples and twin, the Suzuki's
Four sports a fearsome intake
howl. It's the most distinctive engine signature of the Japanese
offerings, which all sound sporty
and fun – but quite similar as well.
"I like that Suzuki stays true to
its roots and the bike actually has
some character," says Adam, who
cut his teeth on Gixxers back in
his formative riding years. "When
you have the throttle pinned the
engine makes all the right noises
and the intake howl for the motor
is downright addictive."
A well-sorted six-speed transmission features a cush slipper
clutch – not as seamless as the
Yamaha's but close. Our testers
praise the gearing, which mate
well with the Zook's power delivery. It is the least demanding
of the drivetrain packages, and
when shifts are required the Suzuki is snick-snick smooth.
"No hiccups in the drivetrain
department," confirms Adey.
"Gearing was ideal for street riding providing a meaty sauce of
torque when needed."
Smooth launches allowed
Adam to fire off a 3.51-second
0-60 time, just 0.03 from scoring
the top rank in this performance
category. However, our Road
Test Editor was unable to translate that quick jump into a corresponding quarter-mile result
down the Chuckwalla airstrip,
with the little Suzuki bringing up
the rear at 12.34 seconds.
4
P89
TH
PLACE
The Suzuki receives middling
marks in the handling department, not because it does anything wrong, but a few of the
other bikes are a hair's breadth
more refined. Track surfaces
are pristine more often than
not, road surfaces less so, and
the Showa BPF delivers. The
fork smooths out road imperfections without sacrificing tire
feel, making for a stable, planted impression up front.
"The Gix Six steering is fast
and precise," says Adey. "I had
no worries putting the front tire
on my desired course. The BPF
Showa fork was a plus, providing ample feedback over minor
bumps in the middle of turns
and keeping the bike in line."
The Suzuki is a sporty handler, but doesn't feel as highstrung as the Yamaha and
Ducati. It is a bike that riders
can hop on and ride fast, immediately. Yet, the same can be
said of the Honda and Kawasaki, which also source the BPF
Showa front (Honda upgrading
for 2013).
Showa's Big Piston Fork delivers a stable and planted front
end, with the Gixxer an intuitive,
easy-to-ride mount.
The addition of Brembo
monoblocs was a headlining
change for the Suzuki in 2011.
But the Brembo monos are on
the Ducati and Triumph too,
