FEATURE
30 YEARS OF SUZUKI GSX-R750
P62
GSX-R750 T 'SRAD'
It took Suzuki 11 years, but a totally all-
new machine hit the world's roads and
racetracks for 1996. The GSX-R750T
was closely linked to the RGV500
that Kevin Schwantz rode in his final
season of GP racing during 1995.
Suzuki reverted back to the short-
stroke engine, now with 72 x 46mm
dimensions fed by 30mm carbs, and
it also got ram-air induction, a feature
the company had immortalized on the
side of the seat unit with the letters
"SRAD," meaning Suzuki Ram Air
Direct. Suzuki claimed 130 horspower
for their new weapon, shooting it back
to the front of the horsepower pile.
The 1996 GSX-R was graced with
an all-new twin-spar chassis, doing
away with the ancient double-cradle
design it had featured since the
model's inception. It also got new
fully adjustable forks and shock, with
weight dropped back to a claimed 394
pounds, the same as the 1985 original.
The new machine put Suzuki back
on the racing map. While it struggled
in World Superbike, the machine
took out the Australian Superbike
Championship, and a couple of years
later, Mat Mladin took the first of three-
straight AMA Superbike titles on the
1999 GSX-R.
For 1998, the GSX-R got fuel
injection and large 46mm throttle
bodies, as well as updates the ram-air
system, gearbox, suspension and
brakes, but stopped short of calling it
an all-new model. That came in 2000.
Suzuki hit back
and hit back
hard with the
GSX-R750 T.
This was a truly
brilliant bike.
1996
