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The word “middle” has quite a few negative connotations: average, mediocre, lacking in any outstanding characteristics. However, the Suzuki GSX-R 750, being the middle child in the Big S sport bike family, turns this concept on its head.
It is precisely the fact that it is smack-dab in the middle of the range that makes the three-quarter litre Gixer such a competent machine.
The GSX-R 750 has always been an excellent bike and its current iteration benefits from steady evolution: while the previous-generation bike was already extremely good, the new version does everything just that little bit better.
BETTER MID-RANGE PERFORMANCE
There's very little revolutionary about the improvements; Suzuki took a good bike and fine-tuned it into something almost sublime.
Like the 600, the 750 benefits from an extensive structural overhaul. The new model has a completely new chassis design based on a more compact, lighter twin-spar aluminium frame. It also comes with monoblock Brembo brakes, Showa big-piston forks, a wheelbase shortened by 15mm and an electronically-controlled steering damper - to list a few.
Changes in the engine room are less extensive, mainly (says Suzuki) involvilng improving mid-range performance. Although the power and torque figures are all but identical to the previous model, Suzuki has managed to shave a whopping 8kg off the bike’s weight to bring the kerb mass down to a feathery 190kg.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. With the GSX-R 750 it means taking it out on the road to check if all the paper specifications translate into real-world performance. Sitting astride the bike, you are presented with the usual analogue/digital instrument panel that has become standard on modern bikes.
It has its idiosyncrasies: for example, it's not possible to display the odometer and the dashboard clock at the same time. This notwithstanding, the Gixer’s panel gives you most of the information you need, including a stopwatch and a large, easy-to-read, gear position indicator – something I feel ought to be standard on all bikes.
As you feed it some throttle, the Suzuki starts delivering its surprises. The first is that (on the review bike at least) there is no indication of throttle snatch at low speed. A good portion of this review included commuting at a crawling pace on the N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria and I'm happy to report that none of the low-speed stuttering that plagues so many fuel-injected bikes was evident.
The next surprise was the ease with which the bike pulls in top gear from as little as 2000rpm. This, combined with strong roll-on acceleration in the middle of the rev range, makes it a flexible bike that is as much as ease in everyday traffic as it is on a track.
A characteristic that helps this Suzuki a lot in the multi-use department is its ergonomics: while the riding position is not as radically forward-canted as I've encountered on some of the bikes of its ilk, adjustable foot pegs also contribute to keeping even taller riders reasonably comfortable (in sport-bike terms, at least).
YOU WON'T BE LEFT BEHIND
My initial impression was that claims that the GSX-R 750 was close to litre-class bikes in performance were greatly exaggerated. This lasted only for as long as it took to spin the engine up to above 8000; that's when the Gixer really comes to life with about as much power as one could sanely wish for.
To be sure, it doesn’t quite match a 1000cc’s performance, but I am convinced that on public roads a reasonably experienced rider will not easily be left behind by the litre-class crowd.
I could not detect any major flaws in the handling department. As its low kerb mass predicts, the 750 is as nimble as a 600. The reduction in the length of the wheelbase emphasises this without any loss in stability. In fact it's been a while since a bike has given me so much confidence in tackling the twisties as this one, which says a lot for a bike that lacks any form of traction control.
IT'S WORTH A CLOSE LOOK
What little inherent instability may be caused by the rake of the fork was ably dealt with by the steering damper, while the suspension – even in its default settings – smoothed out any undulations in the road surface.
In short, the GSX-R 750 combines the flickability of its smaller sibling with power that is remarkably close to its litre-class big brother. At a recommended price of R129 900, the 750 is somewhat closer to the price of the GSX-R 1000 than to the 600.
Even so, coming in at nigh on R20 000 less than the 1000, the GSX-R is well worth a close look by anyone in the market for a sport bike.
It is precisely the fact that it is smack-dab in the middle of the range that makes the three-quarter litre Gixer such a competent machine.
The GSX-R 750 has always been an excellent bike and its current iteration benefits from steady evolution: while the previous-generation bike was already extremely good, the new version does everything just that little bit better.
BETTER MID-RANGE PERFORMANCE
There's very little revolutionary about the improvements; Suzuki took a good bike and fine-tuned it into something almost sublime.
Like the 600, the 750 benefits from an extensive structural overhaul. The new model has a completely new chassis design based on a more compact, lighter twin-spar aluminium frame. It also comes with monoblock Brembo brakes, Showa big-piston forks, a wheelbase shortened by 15mm and an electronically-controlled steering damper - to list a few.
Changes in the engine room are less extensive, mainly (says Suzuki) involvilng improving mid-range performance. Although the power and torque figures are all but identical to the previous model, Suzuki has managed to shave a whopping 8kg off the bike’s weight to bring the kerb mass down to a feathery 190kg.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. With the GSX-R 750 it means taking it out on the road to check if all the paper specifications translate into real-world performance. Sitting astride the bike, you are presented with the usual analogue/digital instrument panel that has become standard on modern bikes.
INSTANT IDENTITY: The tail-light cluster on the Suzuki GSX R 750 is just as much a brand marker as some other machines' 'faces'.
As you feed it some throttle, the Suzuki starts delivering its surprises. The first is that (on the review bike at least) there is no indication of throttle snatch at low speed. A good portion of this review included commuting at a crawling pace on the N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria and I'm happy to report that none of the low-speed stuttering that plagues so many fuel-injected bikes was evident.
The next surprise was the ease with which the bike pulls in top gear from as little as 2000rpm. This, combined with strong roll-on acceleration in the middle of the rev range, makes it a flexible bike that is as much as ease in everyday traffic as it is on a track.
A characteristic that helps this Suzuki a lot in the multi-use department is its ergonomics: while the riding position is not as radically forward-canted as I've encountered on some of the bikes of its ilk, adjustable foot pegs also contribute to keeping even taller riders reasonably comfortable (in sport-bike terms, at least).
YOU WON'T BE LEFT BEHIND
My initial impression was that claims that the GSX-R 750 was close to litre-class bikes in performance were greatly exaggerated. This lasted only for as long as it took to spin the engine up to above 8000; that's when the Gixer really comes to life with about as much power as one could sanely wish for.
To be sure, it doesn’t quite match a 1000cc’s performance, but I am convinced that on public roads a reasonably experienced rider will not easily be left behind by the litre-class crowd.
I could not detect any major flaws in the handling department. As its low kerb mass predicts, the 750 is as nimble as a 600. The reduction in the length of the wheelbase emphasises this without any loss in stability. In fact it's been a while since a bike has given me so much confidence in tackling the twisties as this one, which says a lot for a bike that lacks any form of traction control.
IT'S WORTH A CLOSE LOOK
What little inherent instability may be caused by the rake of the fork was ably dealt with by the steering damper, while the suspension – even in its default settings – smoothed out any undulations in the road surface.
In short, the GSX-R 750 combines the flickability of its smaller sibling with power that is remarkably close to its litre-class big brother. At a recommended price of R129 900, the 750 is somewhat closer to the price of the GSX-R 1000 than to the 600.
Even so, coming in at nigh on R20 000 less than the 1000, the GSX-R is well worth a close look by anyone in the market for a sport bike.
