Suzuki Fights Back!

SUZUKI FIGHTS BACK!

WHERE GOES THE GSX-R1000, so follows the GSX R600 and 750? Not exactly.

Just as we were going to press, Suzuki revealed sparse specifications of the 2006 GSX-R600 and 750. While parallels to the big-bore racerreplica certainly exist, especially in terms of styling, the smaller-displacement machines are, according to a company spokesman, "different."

Mass centralization is the theme here. Although their 55.1-inch wheelbases are the same as before, both bikes have shorter tailsections and sit lower. Their exhaust sys tems, too, are compacted. Whereas other manufacturers have positioned the muffler up high under the seat, Suzuki (along with Yamaha on the new YZF-R6) has opted for a radical, mostly under-engine

design that is capped by a stubby can protruding from beneath the fairing on the right side of the machine.

Aside from displacement and throttle-body size, the fuelinjected inline-Fours appear to be identical. Is this engine an all-new design? Bore and stroke for the 600 is the same as on the current bike-and identical to the 17,500-rpm ’06 R6. Has Suzuki boosted its rev ceiling, as well? No comment was the answer.

When the GSX-R750 was the Superbike racing platform, the 600, downsized from the larger machine, was a compromise, often making less power and weighing more than its competition.

With 1000s now the top class and 600cc Supersport elevated in importance, does that make the 750 the derivative model? Perhaps, but with its smaller 70.0mm bore and longer 48.7mm stroke, the engine will most likely have a broader, more user-friendly torque curve than the previous version and perform better than ever. No longer obliged to meet the demands of racing’s sanctioning bodies, the GSX-R750 can be aimed at simply being the best sportbike in the world.

Matthew Miles