2011 Suzuki GSX-R600/750: launch

Finally they're here, the 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and GSX-R750. Both bikes are all-new, with Suzuki engineers devoting their energies into those vital pieces of the sports bike puzzle: chassis, brakes and the engine.

Suzuki certainly isn’t lacking for ‘marketing’ material to spread the good word about the new bikes, with the 600 and 750 nine and 8kg lighter respectively, and a fair portion of that by lopping unsprung weight – always a real value-added proposition in the sports bike stakes.

Combined with more refined engines, newly designed aluminium-alloy twin-spare frames, the Showa Big Piston Fork, titanium mufflers and Brembo brakes – a first for Suzuki – no stone has been left unturned into giving the machines their best shot at dominating their respective classes.

Which for the GSX-R750 is a relatively simple exercise, as it’s the only bona-fide 750cc sports bike still in existence, a legacy of a period when international and domestic superbike classes were set at a 750cc capacity limit – at least for four-cylinder machinery.

But to Suzuki’s credit, it hasn’t taken that market ‘domination’ for granted, and the GSX-R750 still holds a deep-seated place in its sports bike line-up as the compromise between the power-packed GSX-R1000 and the smaller GSX-R600.

A quick scan through sub 1000cc sports bike sales in Australia over the last few years confirms that, which is why the GSX-R750 has received just as much attention in the latest update as the GSX-R600.

And it’s certainly not a poor cousin by any stretch of the argument.

But really, we should have been having this conversation a year ago. Suzuki ultimately decided to hold back on the release of the new bikes to allow the GFC a little extra time to lose some steam – but there’s no doubt it still holds the upperhand in a number of markets. It’s the same approach Kawasaki adopted with the release of its all-new Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Suzuki didn’t use that extra period twiddling its thumbs and, as Aussie Suzuki boss Perry Morison, pointed out at the launch, this three-year model turnaround (at least for wholesale changes) could become the norm in the future – although one could argue it’s already taken a foothold with the Japanese manufacturers.

But GFC or no GFC, both bikes have now been on sale in Australia for a couple of months at $15,690 (GSX-R600) and $16,990 (GSX-R750) respectively, complete with two-year unlimited-kilometre warranties. Colours are blue/white, black/white or matte black for the 600, and blue/white or black (with red decals) for the 750.

The 600’s core target audience is males 18-25 years who may be embarking on their first sports bike experience, and the 750 skewed more towards the 25-plus demographic.

Aussie journalists got to sample the bikes a few weeks after they went on sale, a day after the third round of the Australian Superbike Championship was held at Hidden Valley. The choice of venue was excellent, particularly to showcase the snappy handling characteristics of both bikes through the circuit’s tighter and technical sections – and also to reaffirm that the 750 is certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to top speed.

So what treasure trove of technology do the new bikes have? Plenty, but let’s start by saying the 600 and 750 are parallel models, which from an economies of scale and R&D perspective is a no brainer in such a tough market.

But even for one platform alone, plenty of cash has been poured into the exercise, which is especially important for the GSX-R600 with Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda all set to update their own 600s in the not-too-distant future.

We have already touched on the successful weight loss programs of both bikes, with the biggest gains coming from leaner exterior parts (bracketing, etc), the titanium muffler, frame, Showa Big Piston Ford (BPF), swingarm and front brake calipers.

The 41mm BPF fork is 1040 grams lighter than the old fork, so Suzuki has torn strips off unsprung weight in one fell swoop.

The Brembo monobloc aluminium-alloy calipers are a first for Suzuki, with the company making the switch from Tokico. This one’s as much about Brembo being de riguer as anything else, as the Tokico set-up certainly wasn’t lame duck by any stretch of the imagination. And Suzuki will be milking the Brembo collaboration for all its worth.

However, I must say I preferred the look of the black Tokico calipers to the silver Brembos.

The engines on both Gixxers have been rotated rearward by three degrees around the crankshaft, which has allowed Suzuki to reduce the wheelbase by 15mm on both accounts -- but maintaining the same swingarm length.

The wheelbase of the 600 is 1385mm, and 1390mm for the 750, putting the rider closer to the bars – but without making the rider feel too stifled.

Key features of both engines include Suzuki’s well-proven nickel-phosphorus-silicon-carbide cylinder coating technology; the Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve; the back-torque limiting clutch; and the drive model selector, which offers a choice of two engine maps. The switch for the drive mode is located on the left handlebar and features an intuitive toggle switch.

On the 600, five of the six gears now have new ratios – and most of them are shorter to allow more quick-fire acceleration out of corners. And that was certainly evident through the punchy parts of Hidden Valley. Only first gear is taller on the 600 compared to the 2010 model, but then the ratios really tighten up.

As for the 750, five of its six ratios are the same as the 2010 model 600, which makes sense with its extra grunt.

Speaking of which, Suzuki claims 147.9hp (110.3kW) at 13,200rpm for the 750, and 86.3Nm of torque at 11,200rpm. Do those figures look familiar? Well, nothing has changed from the 2010 model, but the way the pepper is delivered is now far more amenable – including a much flatter torque curve.

Meanwhile, the 600 has just a little more muscle – up to 124hp (92.5kW) at 13,500rpm and 69.6Nm at 11,500rpm – with mid-range again the biggest focus for Suzuki engineers.

The power gain is only marginal, but when the weight loss is factored in the power and torque-to-weight ratios make for far more pleasant reading. And that also holds for the 750.

The updated four-into-one exhaust system is now a combination of stainless-steel exhaust pipes and a titanium muffler. The whole set-up is now 900 grams lighter.

Wet weight for the GSX-R600 is 187kg, and the GSX-R750 is 190kg.

Styling has also been overhauled, and includes the reshaped 17-litre fuel tank and less fairing overhang on both the front (down by 55mm) and back (down 35mm) . And it’s amazing how different colours can ‘alter’ the look of a motorcycle – even down to how big or small it looks. I really like the svelte bums on the GSX-Rs, and the LED taillight is a real eye-opener.

Seat height is 810mm for both bikes – for the 600 making it the lowest (and potentially most approachable) in class.

With our timing spot-on – the wet season had seemingly come to an end – we were greeted with warm, but precipitation-free conditions at Hidden Valley in the Northern Territory for the launch.

And Suzuki also had its battery of factory riders (Josh Waters, Troy Herfoss and Brodie Waters) and former champion Shawn Giles on location to offer some wise counsel and guidance. And for some lunch time entertainment, the quartet hit the track to show us how it was really done.

Let’s start by saying that Suzuki already has plenty of credit points in the back for its two GSX-Rs, and only last year Troy Herfoss was the Australian supersport champion against an array of strong opposition. And championships are not won on a whim.

So with the foundations in place, has Suzuki made a quantum leap forward in 2011? The author says yes, based on more rider-friendly powerplants and the massive drop in bulk. It’s like history repeating itself – and then some more. Could the extra year that Suzuki took to release the new GSX-Rs turn out to be a boon?  

Anyway, back to the launch. By midday, I had already reeled off a couple of sessions on both the 600 and 750 and, to use a football analogy, I reckon the 600 would be the ideal machine to weave in and out of packs to get into some clear space, before passing onto the more powerful 750 to finish off the job.

That’s not to say the 750 isn’t as disciplined as the 600 in the tight stuff, as the difference in handling between the two bikes is so marginal that only a top-shelf campaigner could spot the discrepancy.

I really can’t pinpoint why I felt a little more comfortable on the 600 – maybe the little extra weight of the 750 or the subtle difference in the gear ratios? Either way, that’s heading into micro territory which is really only applicable on a race track and – I’ll say it again – it means nothing in a real world situation.

The Showa BPF is a gem, and it was certainly put through the wringer at Hidden Valley through some really hard braking – especially at the end of the super long straight – and tight turns.

In those situations, stability and control is paramount, and that’s where I couldn’t fault the BPF – on either bike.

I could do exactly as I pleased, and for me that equates to a variety of weird lines and peculiar scenarios – all in a day’s work...

The rear suspension is also rock solid, and the only resistance I got from the rear end was when the Bridgestone BT-016 tyre started to cry enough in the searing heat, especially when it came down to the more powerful 750.

Interestingly, Suzuki has bucked the recent trend by releasing the new GSX-Rs without ABS and/or traction control, but it’s something that market forces will decide is a judicious or lax decision.

Seat of the pants, I reckon the mid-range power delivery of both bikes is very similar and – as you’d expect – the 750 has a more invigorating top end, which was good enough for me to reach 268km/h down the main chute.

The power of the 750 is certainly imposing, but manageable at the same time, and it handles beautifully too -- the ideal compromise. And that’s what we also said in 1985 when the machine made its winning debut in a three-hour production race at Adelaide International Raceway.

A race track is certainly not the ideal environment for a full scale ergonomics report card, as only so much can be gleaned from a hunkered down riding position. We’ll be taking the bikes out on the road soon for a full-scale report, but Suzuki has previously made a habit of keeping both camps happy – the race track set as well as the road riding set.

The gearbox and brakes are superb – especially the chunky Brembo brakes, which seemingly offer the ultimate in stoping performance. In a word, brilliant.

The 600 and 750 share the same instrument cluster as the GSX-R1000, which is a little cleaner and the LCD inset is much bigger – but it certainly doesn’t look out of place.

The instruments offer the full service, including gear position and a lap timer – all very easy to use.

In the past, it’s fair to say many sports bike updates have been measured in small increments rather than big hits, but Suzuki may have just blown that theory to smithereens. The 2011 GSX-R600 and GSX-R750 have made giant strides, and Suzuki has pulled a rabbit out of the hat on pricing, and that makes for a fairly appealing situation.

GEAR WORN ON TEST

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, 16-valve in-line four-cylinder
Capacity: 599cc (750cc)
Bore x stroke: 67.0mm x 42.5mm (70.0 x 48.7mm)
Compression ratio: 12.9:1 (12.5:1)
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection
Emissions: Euro 3

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed constant mesh
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Twin-spar aluminium-alloy
Front suspension: 41mm upside-down Showa BPF with rebound, compression and preload adjustment, 120mm travel
Rear suspension: Showa monoshock with rebound, compression and preload adjustment, 130mm travel
Front brakes: Dual 310mm discs with Brembo monobloc four-piston calipers
Rear brake: 220mm disc petal with Nissin single-piston caliper
Tyres: Bridgestone BT-016, front 120/70-17, rear 180/55-17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 23.45 degrees
Trail: 97mm
Claimed wet weight: 187kg (190kg)
Seat height: 810mm
Wheelbase: 1385mm
Ground clearance: 130mm
Fuel capacity: 17 litres

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 124hp (92.5kW) at 13,500rpm (147.9hp at 13,200rpm)
Claimed maximum torque: 69.6Nm at 11,500rpm (86.3Nm at 11,200rpm)

OTHER STUFF
Price: $15,690 ($16,990)
Colours: Blue/white, black/white or matte black (Blue/white or black (with red decals)
Bike supplied by: Suzuki Australia, www.suzuki.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres