Suzuki GSX-R1000

"It feels like last year's racebike," smiled Shawn. Let me just quantify that statement. The words belonged to Team Suzuki's Shawn Giles, and 'last year's racebike' was the 2002 GSX-R1000 Shawn notched up his third consecutive Australian Superbike Championship on. It's a big call, but he's certainly qualified to make it.

Giles was referring to the 2003 Suzuki GSX-R1000 myself and assorted journos from around the world were about to sample for the first time (it being the world launch at Phillip Island in mid-February), and to say he is impressed is an understatement.

While the original GSX-R1000 was a landmark bike in its own right - it won the International Bike of the Year award hands down in its 2001 debut year - this new GSX-R has upped the ante even further.

The old machine's weaknesses have been addressed, as few as there were, and the good bits are even better, too. Isle of Man TT legend David Jefferies said at the 2002 TT: "Anyone who contemplates tuning their GSX-R1000 needs dragging 'round the back of a building and beating with a big stick."

It's the big Yorkshireman's way of saying the 2002 engine had more than enough power and, if he's true to his word, Suzuki technicians are in for a walloping. Now there's even more torque and power than you could point a, ahem, big stick at...

KNEE KNOCKER
Sitting there at the technical presentation, listening to the Suzuki boffins tell me they'd made their flagship sportsbike even faster, my knees began trembling. More power? They've got to be kidding.

The claimed peak power output of 162ps at 10,800rpm (up from 160ps) may seem inconsequential, but when combined with the claimed torque increase (11.3kg-m at 8400rpm, up from 10.4kg-m at 8200rpm) this bike feels even faster out of a corner than last year's, as hard as that may be to believe.

But there isn't as much need for the knee-knocking as I initially feared. The torque and power increases are spread throughout the rev range, rather than dumped at the peak, and I found this model easier to ride than the last. The new chassis and suspension also has a lot to do with that.

Having ridden a 2002 GSX-R1000 at Victoria's Phillip Island circuit recently (refer Vol 52 No 15), I was in a good position to compare the two models, which feel quite different indeed. Interestingly, I lapped nearly two seconds a lap faster on the 2003 bike, despite the 2002 machine wearing more race-oriented rubber than the OEM Bridgestones of the new bike. It's the first time I've dipped into the 1:46's around the Island on any motorcycle, and the bike made it seem easy.

ON THE NOSE
My first ride session out though, it wasn't the engine that was the main focus of my attention, it was the brakes.

Suzuki has gone the trendy radial-mounted caliper route for this year, and has so much faith in the improved performance from the new stoppers, that it's deleted two pistons from each front caliper - there's now four per side, pushing one pad each. The dual rotors are also smaller, the reduction from 320mm to 300mm aimed at reducing unsprung and rotating weight, whilst leaving the radial calipers to make up for the decreased leverage. It all works.

Turn Four at the Island requires braking from well over 200kmh to around 60 or 70kmh, and my first 'proper' go at it had my heart in my mouth - impromptu 200kmh 'stoppies' tend to do that.

The front brake lever feels so strong, and has so much initial bite, that I had to adapt my braking habits to suit. Until I did, the rear Bridgestone seemed to have a mind of its own, levitating as the front forks bottomed out and levered it off the tarmac. The brakes are a big improvement over the 'wooden' feel of the old six-pot clamps.

Of course, my 90kg (Ed: my, my, we are being a tad conservative!) is a little heavier than the standard suspension settings were designed to deal with, so at session's end I voiced my concerns to the Suzuki Australia race team guru, Phil Tainton.

"I reckon we'll go one click of compression on the front forks to stop them bottoming. That should fix it," he opined. One click? What difference will that make? I went to answer back, but then I remembered who I was taking to. He turned out to be right of course...

HARD AND SLIPPERY
The fact that the bike was much more stable on brakes the following session not only let me make full use of the new system's power, but it also proved an important point about the new forks.

The fact that the bike responded so well to just one click of adjustment, and that I could feel it, is an impressive attribute for roadbike suspenders. On many other bikes, it takes a good handful of clicks before any change becomes obvious.

That first session the rear spring was squatting excessively as the throttle was wound on (that, errr, 90kg at work again), running me wide on the exits, so Phil also added half a turn of rear spring preload and a click of compression. Fixed.

The 43mm Kayaba inverted forks and Kayaba rear shock have received a large amount of attention for the new model, most of which is focused on reducing internal friction, as well as increasing damping forces and spring rates.

Suzuki claims its funky black Diamond Like Coating (DLC) on the fork inners is harder and more slippery than the Titanium Nitride coating it used last year, which is one reason the rebound damping on the front fork is around 70 percent more efficient.

This all translates to a better controlled fork that soaks up bumps as well as it accommodates weight transfer and cornering loads. It really is impressive.

The improved damping is especially noticeable around the fourth gear Turn One, where an array of small bumps are poking their heads out just enough to induce front wheel patter from anything not set up just right.

The good news is, aboard the '03 GSX-R I hardly noticed them.

INNER FRICTION
Suzuki reckons the rear shock's internal friction has been reduced by about 60 percent thanks to much work being done on the inner components.

Once again, the rebound damping capacity has been bumped up substantially - around 60 percent - as well as the compression damping, so it too is capable of controlling some awesome forces.

The new black-painted chassis has been designed with those forces in mind and is now manufactured from reinforced alloy extrusion. The wall thickness alone shouts 'rigid' - running at 3.5-4.5mm thick, compared to the 2.5mm of the old pressed and welded alloy frame.

Where the old bike would get flustered holding a tight line or changing direction with the throttle wide open, the new bike is much more composed - like I said earlier, it's easier to ride.

You can get on the gas much earlier than the old bike, and feel from the excellent rear Bridgestone BT012RF (specially designed for the GSX-R1000) is superb. The bike holds a tighter line than before, and for people like Shawn Giles that's the biggest improvement on the bike.

"The frame is really rigid," he enthused. "It can hold a line much better, and copes with the power easier as well. The suspension is really good for a road bike. Really good."

The feel from the rear is damped somewhat by the too-soft seat. It's narrower than before, which combines well with the reduced girth of the 18-litre fuel tank to allow much easier movement around the bike, but the padding moved around under my butt as I was hanging off the side of the thing. Not the most confidence-inspiring feeling.

BOOST ME UP
That's the only fault with the ergonomics in my opinion. I can get my 178cm frame out of the 275kmh breeze easier than before, because of the sharper nose and screen angle, and the bike feels physically smaller with the revised tank.

Physical size is where the GSX-R's competition bettered it, and the new ergonomics have gone some way to dealing with that.

The Honda FireBlade ($17,690) and Yamaha R1 ($18,699) still feel a little smaller and more compact, but the gap has been closed.

Another area where the competition still wins out is in styling, in my opinion. The '03 GSX-R looks better, but is still conservative. This is one of the fastest bikes in the world, and it should look it. I don't mind the shape, but it should be more aggressive. Still, when you crack the throttle on the new GSX-R, you won't care less what it looks like, and to anybody observing, it'll just be a blue and white, copper or silver blur, depending which colour option you choose. All colours will be coming to Oz when the bike arrives on our shores in May.

The torque boost is what really makes the difference when it comes to blurring the scenery. Throttle response is as crisp as ever, the new multi-hole fuel injectors doing the business, but the delivery feels smoother and more linear than before, even though there's more of it. The extra fuel injection maps help too. Firing out of the slower corners at Phillip Island is an exercise in weight distribution - that new instrument panel will rear up and whack you in the face if you're not careful!

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
Useable drive is available from six to seven thousand revs at the track, should you get lazy, but firing out of a corner with anything from 9500rpm and above is what will really lay your hairs on your neck back.

The bike has a pretty useful over-rev capability as well, with the rev-limiter not interrupting the fun until the tacho hits 12,500rpm - 1700rpm after peak power is made.

The exhaust is now titanium all the way through, with only the muffler wrapped in aluminium, and is part of the reason the bike sounds so good from trackside. It has an aggressive growl all the way through the rev range, but by 10,000rpm it hardens to a sharp howl, just like a racebike.

STERROID RAGE
As a package, the 2003 GSX-R1000 is like a 600 on steroids. That internationally acclaimed powerplant is even better - more tractable and responsive than before - but is also now bolted into a chassis even more suited to the task.

While it is still slightly larger physically than the 'Blade and R1, the GSX-R's poise and balance makes it feel even lighter than the 168kg (dry) Suzuki claims for it - that's two kilos less than last year.

The connection between the throttle and rear wheel feels more direct than ever, and with a bike this powerful, that's a big plus. I was confident enough to leave a corner hard on the gas, rather than worry about the rear tyre disappearing in a cloud of tyre smoke, shortly before swapping ends with the front hoop.

The chassis is almost faultless in roadbike terms, and the new brakes are a big improvement over last year's.

How the bike will fare on public roads after its May arrival I can only speculate - we were confined to the racetrack, but I reckon it will lend itself to road use very well with the compliant suspenders and torquey engine.

What I can say is this. Racers using GSX-R1000 equipment this year should be very excited (I've talked to two so far that are), and so should prospective road-going GSX-R owners. The bike is a big improvement all 'round over last year's model, which wasn't too shabby to begin with, and it carries on Suzuki's GSX-R tradition in fine style. It's going to take some beating...