Cw Scrapbook
CW Scrapbook
Year of the GSX-R
For 16 years, GSX-Rs have been a big part of the Cycle World family album
December, 1985: Team CW outfits two first-year GSX-R750s and sets 12 FIM world speed records at the Uniroyal Tire Company's Laredo Proving Grounds in Laredo, Texas. "It'd be great fun, we thought," then-Editor Paul Dean's story began. "We'd get a couple of fast bikes, assemble a team of riders from the Cycle World staff, find a big, banked track somewhere, and go set a new 24-hour world speed record. It seemed like a wonderful idea." At the time, no one considered the possibility of auxiliary-gastank-induced "wobbles at more than 140 mph," a 106degree ambient temperature that "made every lap around the track feel like a highspeed tour through a blast furnace," and little white pigs "darting in front of us while we were knifing through the pitch-black night at over 200 feet per second." Great fun...
March, 1001 In "Taking It To The Nines: Three Superbikes in Quest of 9-Second Quarter-Miles," we asked the question: "What would it take to build a semi-streetable motorcycle that would run the:quarter-mile in the nine-sec ond bracket?" The answer provided by, among others, Vance & Hines, was $6157. For that wad of dough, Byron Hines and crew produce a 1080cc, wheelie-bar-equipped GSX-R1 100 that "rears back so hard on the bar that it rebounds back forward onto its front tire, which causes it to bounce back onto the bar again." E.T.? 9.84 at 138 mph.
September, 1907 Editor-at-Large Steven L. Thompson re visits the Isle of Man, enters the Fl and 750 Production TTs on a box-stock GSX-R750 and turns a 101-mph lap. But not before being schooled by TT-expert Teny Shepherd: "I came to the Island thinking that my two race attempts and three spectating visits here had bought me some knowledge of the place; but under the gentle scrutiny of Shepherd's encyclopedic grasp of the course, my snip pets of observation and recall are wilted to virtual useless ness. I am literally a newcomer."
February, iDOL GSX-R Madness!!! Suzuki's introduction of the new short-stroke, 13,000-rpm `88 GSX-R750 coincides with Kevin Schwantz's appearance on the cover of CW. Fresh from finish ing second in the `87 AMA Superbike series, Schwantz was on hand to educate Paul Dean on the Texan's 140-horsepower, Yoshimura GSX-R-based
Superbike. Schwantz told Dean, "It didn't have quite as much torque off the corners as Wayne Rainey's and Bubba Shobert's Hondas, but I could ride it just about anywhere on the track and take weird lines, so I usually was able to go faster than those guys; it also confused anyone who tried to follow me."
The same day, following his first stint on Team Lockhart's "Big Gun," the 390pound, GSX R1100-based machine that won back-to back AMA National Endurance titles in 1986 and `87, Feature Editor David Edwards noted, "Even resting on its prop stand, waiting for my next turn at its controls, the Lockhart bike looks menacing, an armor-plated GSX-R with a built-in 80-mph tailwind."
Scott Gray's Yoshimura Formula USA-winning GSX Ri 100 was next up. Wrote Managing Editor Ron Lawson of his experience on the 160-horsepower hot-rod, "It begins accelerating as hard as most big-bore streetbikes at a mere 3000 rpm, and will wheelie out of some corners at as little as 4000 rpm. And from around 8500 or 9000 rpm up to redline you'd better hang on, because the bike accelerates like the Enterprise after Captain Kirk calls down to the engine room for Warp Eight."
October, 1088: Paul Dean and Steve Thompson journey "Down Under," to compete at the 3.86-mile Mount Panorama circuit in Bathhurst, New South Wales, on the loM GSX-R750. Despite suffering a crankcase-puncturing crash midway through the Arai 500 endurance race, the duo landed on their feet, rebuilt the bike and contested the eight lap 750/1000cc Superbike sprint race and 12-lap Grand Pnx. In the former, against a tough field led by Mick Doohan (yes, that Mick Doohan), a hurting Thompson finished last. When the flag dropped for his race, Dean "rocketed from dead-last smack into the middle of the 40-bike field," and flat tracked (!) his way to 19th. Doohan won that one, too.
GSX-R Timeline
1985
Suzuki stuns sport riders with news of bIindinq~y fast GSX-R750-but doesn't bring the bike stateside yet.
Texan Kevin Schwantz and team mate Graeme Crosby place third at Suzuka 8-Hour on factory GSX-R750.
GSX-Rs finish first and second in 24 Hours of LeMans.
1986
Suzuki doles out not one, but three new GSX-Rs: GSX-R750, GSX-R1 100 and 6SX-R75OFI Limited Edition.
Paul Dean calls GSX-R11 00, "the meanest, nastiest, most uncompro mised street racer ever sold~"
Suzuki unveils GSX-R Cup Series. Total purse is $285M00, with $40,000 payoff at season-ending Race of Champions.
GSX-R1 100 is named Best Superbike in CW's annual Ten Best Bikes voting.
Shades of future stardom: At Laguna Seca, privateer Doug Polen finishes sixth in Formu'a One and seventh in Superbike on near-stock GSX-R750.
Professional privateer: Polen pockets $92,000 in winnings from GSX-R Cup Series.
1987
GSX-R750 gets more midrange power and updated shock.
On pole for the Daytona 200, Schwantz crashes trying to pass a back marker. Palen finishes third
Japan-only GSX-R250 revs to 17,000 rpm!
Schwantz crashes at Laguna Seca, losing Superbike title: 1 was on pole, got about 10 seconds out front and...brain fade."
In Transatlantic Challenge, Schwantz races factory GSX-R (wearing a $30,000 fork> to top honors. Polen is fifth overall.
1988
All-new short-stroke 750 directly hen efits from Suzuki's racing program.
Schwantz at Daytona: "I just motored away from everybody. I lapped all the way up to third place." Polen tops 750cc Supersport class, is second in 200-miler.
At Suzuka 8-Hour, Schwantz and Polen share GSX-R-based endurance racer. finish second to Yamaha's Wayne Rainey and Kevin Magee.
1989
BiDed as "a clone of the Cycle World endurance racer," GSX-R1100 mates pumped-up Katana 1100 engine with uprated `88 GSX-R750 chassis.
Yoshimura's Jamie James wins Daytona 750 Supersport race, then suf fers an ignition failure leading 200, sputters home second.
Yosh teammates Jamie James and Scott Russell take each other out on last lap at Road America. In winner's circle, privateer Rich Arnaiz asks, "Hey, where'd everybody go?"
James wins AMA Superbike title on a Yosh GSX-R750. Russell is second.
Russell wins AMA 750 Supersport title.
Polen spends season racing GSX-Rs in Japan, netting national champi onships in two classes.
1990
GSX-R750 returns to previous tong-stroke, smafi-bore configuration, posts 152-mph top speed, up 8 mph.
licember, 1988: Team CW tackles the annual Willow Springs 24-Hour with a Jim Labine-tuned GSX-Rl 100 shoehorned into a GSX-R750 chassis. After lead ing at the race's halfway point, the "7/11" is destroyed when, "barreling into Turn 1 at more than 150 mph," Australian hotshoe David Luthje "grabbed the front brake and was rewarded with a lever that came all the way into the handlebar. Another quick, futile pump was all he got before going straight off the track. Feathering the back brake, he had slowed down very little by the time a deep drainage ditch came zooming into view." Luthje broke his wrist in the incident.
OctOber, 1989: "Straight up and flat-out," is how Feature Editor Jon F. Thompson billed this issue's 10-page "Built for Speed" fea ture. Four bikes made the final cut, and the two Suzuki entries-a Kosman Racing GSX-R1254 and a Vance & Hines 1249-eclipsed the quarter-mile in 9.70 seconds at 147.78 mph, and 9.91 seconds at 147.54 mph. Out at El Mirage dry lake, the bikes posted top speeds of 158 and 173 mph.
August, 1990: Executive Editor Camron E. Bussard's profile of WERA's burgeoning Formula USA series features hard riding privateer Don Canet, who rigged his budget 1100powered GSX-R750 with nitrous oxide in an attempt to level the playing field. A few months later, Canet joined CWas Associate Editor.
November, 1990: "Smokin' Guns" pits five hot-rod streetbikes, including Fours N' More and Yoshimura GSX RilOOs, against the clock. The Suzukis turned high 9-second quarter-mile times, and posted 168and 171-mph top speeds.
November, 1091: Two routes to the fast lane? That would be Big Nasty and Mr. Mellow, Suzuki GSX-R1 100 and Kawasaki ZX-1 1 project bikes turned out by Yoshimura and Mr. Turbo. "Hide the women and children," raved Jon Thompson, "motor cycling's two baddest outlaws are in town." Yosh's 1340cc "Big Papa" cost nearly $32K, but put out 141 horsepower and topped 186 mph.
October, 1992: Associate Editor Don Canet saddles up a GSX R-styled, nitrous-armed, Holeshot Performance Pro Street Suzuki. With aid from bike-owner and racer Dale Walker, Canet tripped the lights in 8.98 seconds at 165 mph.
Fehruary, 1993: With points earned from up-front finishes at various Southwest Region Suzuki Cup races, Canet qualifies for 1992's seasonending Suzuki Cup Finals at Road Atlanta. Doing his own tuning, Canet put his personal GSX-R600 in podium con tention, but had to settle for fifth place. Not too shabby when you consider the top four positions went to Kurt Hall, Donald Jacks, Michael Martin and former Daytona 200 winner David Sadowski.
July, 1993: Primed for his first foray onto the high banks of Daytona, Canet enters the 600 Supersport race. All went well until he performed a text-book highside on his GSX-R600 while circulating in the top 10. Fortunately, Canet escaped uninjured.
GSX-R Timeline
Yosh signs teenager Tommy Lynch and Canadian Steve Crevier for AMA Superbike and 750 Supersport.
Ouch! Polen loses four toes on left foot after crashing Yosh Superbike at Willow Springs.
GSX-R1100 gets a longer swingarm, wider tires, stiffer fork springs and a new shock. Top speed is 164 mph.
Mike Smith wins the F-USA title on a GSX-R1 100. Lynch takes 750 win. Kurt Hall is 1100 champ.
1991
New upper fairings, headlights and inverted forks head changes to GSX R750 and 1100.
At Cup Finals, Kurt Hall and Britt Turkinqton split 1100 and 750cc wins, join with Michael Martin for Team Hammer's seventh endurance title.
Liquid-cooled GSX-R750 spotted in Germany. Rumors also fly about a GSX-R replacement for Kalana 600.
1992
New-generation GSX-R750 makes claimed 116 horsepower at 11,500 rpm. Again, not yet sold stateside.
And the new GSX-R600? "Overall, the motor feels excellent. How's th~ chassis? Believe it or not, even better."
Kevin Cameron on Daytona: "The Yosh pits have been the scene of long faces for the past two seasons, but David Sadowski turned the frowns to smiles with an impressive fourth-place finish on the team's beautifully prepped GSX-R Superbike."
GSX-Rs of Chuck Graves, Lee Shierts and Robert Miller finish 1 -2-3 at opening round of F-USA series at Willow Springs.
Kurt Hall wins GSX-R600. 750 and 1100 Suzuki Cup Finals at Road Atlanta. No wonder they call the area Hall County.
1993
Liquid-cooled GSX-R600, 750 and 1100 head Suzuki's U.S. lineup.
GSX-R750 "appears similar to its predecessor, but is in reality entirely new, designed to eclipse the performance marks set by the firstand second-generation GSX-Rs."
GSX-R1 100 otters, "better man ners, same bang, more bucks."
Thomas Stevens crashes out of Daytona 200. Yosh teammate Turkington tops 750 Supersport, Suzuki's first class win in almost three years.
At Suzuka, Grand Prix regulars Schwantz and Doug Chandler suffer ignition problems" on their GSX-R750 and retire after only 50 laps.
1994
Another new GSX-R750. Claimed dry weight is 439 pounds, 24 less than `93 model.
Suzuki drops GSX-R600.
Guest-testing for CW, three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer calls GSX-R750 "the most uncomfortable bike I rode all day."
On rumored 1996 GSX-R750, "Engineers have reportedly set a target weight of 400 pounds..."
At Road Atlanta Finals, Mark McDaniel and James Randolph top the Suzuki 1100 and 750 Cup races.
June, 199G: Team CWenters the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Daytona on a 381-pound Cycle Motion Suzuki GSX-R750, Doug Toland up. After buckling a frame in a prac tice crash, the hard-charging former U.S. and World Endurance Champion came home 11th, four spots ahead of Canet, who was planted on a Kinko's-backed Kawasaki ZX-7R.
September, 1997: "Cycle World issues the ultimate chal lenge: "Build us your best streetbike, then bring it on." Inaugural "Xtreme Street" showcased the GSX-R-hop-up skills of Hahn Racecraft, Graves Motor Sports and HyperCycle. Top-performing Hahn GSX-R1 117 Turbo popped an 8.88-second at 163.63-mph quarter-mile, and a stunning 233.766-mph top-speed run.
October, 1997: Canet digs his old `88 GSX-R750 racebike out of mothballs to produce "Project GSX-R880." Having carried CW's Road Test Editor to a fourth-place finish in the `89 Formula USA national series in 1100cc form, been plumbed with nitrous the following year and crashed at 165mph in Road Atlanta's famed Gravity Cavity, the bike need ed some love. In the end, Canet's "Budget Beauty" uncorked a 10.85-second quarter-mile pass at 126 mph, and was good for a 155-plus mph on top. It handled and looked pretty good, too.
GSX-R Timeline
1995
Suzuki GSX-R1100 versus Yamaha FZR1 000: "Simply too close to call."
Kevin Cameron from Daytona pits: Rumored to have much input froff the factory in Japan, the Yosh Suzukis looked great, held together. Shrewd-riding Thomas Stevens came home third."
Former LJ~S. and World Superbike Champion Fred Merkel wins Daytona 750 Supersport race: "These blue bikes are so nimble and s fast..."
1996
"Compact and lightweight" are the watchwords for the all new GSX-R750. Suzuki claims 395 pounds dry and 127 crankshaft horsepower.
As the reigning power to-weight champ," the GSX-R750 is named Best Superbike in CW's annual Ten Best balloting.
Aaron Yates wins AMA 750 Supersport titte.
1997
From our liftimate 600 Challenge" compare: "Suzukis new GSX-R600 was expected to be a performance bombshell, and it is."
With titth-p~ace finish at Suzuka 8-Hour, Doug Polen and Peter Goddard wran ian Wnrki Fndaaranre title
GSX-R600s capture top three spots in AMA 600 Supersport at season ending Las Vegas National.
1998
`98 GSX-R750: "Fuel-injected and faster than ever."
Yosh hires Mat Mtadin to campaign factory Superbike.
Steve Crevier wins AMA 600cc Supersport title on a Yosh GSX-R.
1999
Miadin calls Yosh Superbike "best ever~" but finishes second to Miguel Duhamel at Daytona.
Team Valvoline's Josh Hayes, last-minute substitute tar an injured team mate, leads every lap of the Daytona 750 Supersport race.
Miadin tops all corners in AMA Superbike, ending Yosti~s 10-year class title drought.
Ex-Superbike racer Tom Kipp wins AMA 750 Supersport title on Chaparral-backed, Kel Carruthers-tuned GSX-R750.
Frenchman Stephane Chambon wins World Supersport t;t~e on GSX-R600.
2000
Thanks in part to 29-pound weight loss, new GSX-R750 is deemed "bet ter than ever and a worthy heir to its 15-year racing heritage."
Miadin outruns young-gun Nicky Hayden to win second-closest Daytona 200 ever.
Sixteen-year~oId John Hopkins takes 750 Supersport event on Team Valvotine EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750.
GSX-R750 is voted CW~s Best Superbike: Need awesome chassis feedback at the limit? Got it. Flickability and lean angles that'll leave you dizzy? In spades. A 124-horsepower. 14.000-rpm wail equaled in frenzy only by the joy ful screams in your helmet? Waa/ihh! It's all here.'
Not-so-secret Suzuki GSX-R1 000 photographed undergoing final testing in Germany.
Mtadrn wins back-to-back AMA Superbike titles.
