Performance and Design - Motorcyclist Magazine

The 2011 GSX-R750 is similar but different in many key ways. The aluminum frame is now a twin-spar design, not a cradle. Wheels are now 17s, not 18s. The engine is now liquid-cooled, not oil-cooled. But the R still stands for race-bred.

The 2011 GSX-R750 is similar but different in many key ways. The aluminum frame is now a t

Superlight engine internals and magnesium outer covers meant the short-stroke, 749cc engine weighed a whopping 29 lbs. less than the air-cooled GS750 engine, and produced a claimed 106 horsepower and 53.8 lb.-ft. of torque—roughly a 25 percent increase. That exotic alloy frame weighed just 18 lbs., or less than half as much as the GS’s steel affair. Actual curb weight for the complete bike was 464 lbs. on the Motorcyclist scales—featherweight compared to the 550-lb. Honda VF750F, 525-lb. Yamaha FZ750 and 530-lb. Kawasaki GPz750. This gave the first GSX-R an unbeatable power-to-weight ratio, putting Yokouchi’s trio of performance targets well within reach.

Karr’s riding impression wasn’t without criticism, however, as the radical GSX-R was far from perfect. Our tester noted how sensitive the bike was to rider inputs, especially at high speed, where he described the bike as “borderline twitchy.” Karr also critiqued the tendency to pitch excessively fore and aft, causing headshake under acceleration and weaving under heavy braking. The GSX-R took skill and a subtle touch to ride fast—but a capable rider could exploit the lightweight, hyper-responsive superbike like nothing else on the market.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: Though the vintage Suzuki GSX-R750 looks almost prehistoric beside the modern version, the design commitment to light weight, agile handling and superior acceleration remain intact.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: Though the vintage Suzuki GSX-R750 lo

Compliance with stricter emissions regulations, along with a stiff, 24.4 percent tariff on bikes over 750cc, delayed the GSX-R’s American introduction until ’86. The addition of a steering damper and a 1-inch-longer swing-arm calmed the handling enough to suitably impress the rest of the Motorcyclist staff in a March ’86 comparison. Testers effused over the Gixxer’s “ride on water” handling, even if they found the less-demanding Yamaha FZ750 ultimately the more agreeable bike.

Testers were less impressed with the GSX-R’s engine, especially compared side-by-side with Yamaha’s 20-valve torque pump. While in every other market the GSX-R was equipped with a rack of 29mm Mikuni flat-slide carburetors, the U.S.-spec engines used 31mm CV carbs, and suffered from a massive midrange flat spot that torpedoed rideability on the street. The peaky, top end-biased powerband demanded more frequent use of the close-ratio six-speed gearbox. Outright performance for the U.S.-spec machine suffered somewhat, too. Our example achieved only a 144-mph top speed—well short of the promised 150—and an impressive (but not definitive) 11.22-second, 120.5-mph quarter-mile.

Just as Karr predicted, however, the GSX-R set a new standard for sportbike performance and design. Soon all the competition—including Yamaha’s FZ, as well as Kawasaki’s ZX and Honda’s CB models—added an R suffix and adopted similarly uncompromising, racing-focused design strategies that persist to this day. For better or worse, the GSX-R brand has led the way for the last 25 years, pushing the performance envelope at every opportunity. A big-bore GSX-R1100 was introduced in ’86, followed by a baby brother GSX-R600 in ’92. The new millennium brought us the GSX-R1000—another iconic Suzuki that has had almost as great an impact on the sportbike world as the original GSX-R750. But even as the GSX-R lineup expands, contracts and changes over the years, the GSX-R750 remains the one constant. After rule changes favoring bigger bikes phased 750s out of racing, and every other manufacturer abandoned the three-quarter-liter displacement category, Suzuki’s GSX-R750 still soldiers on—filling an important niche for enthusiasts who demand a uniquely capable, all-around sportbike.

1986
The O.G.: Original Gixxer. Known to some as the “Slabbie” (a reference to its flat-sided tailsection), this is the bike that set the pattern for all sportbikes to come, with its lightweight aluminum frame, radical racetrack riding position and full-coverage bodywork. From the low clip-on handlebars to the sophisticated suspension with the PDF anti-dive capsules attached to each fork leg, this was cutting-edge competition technology. The oil-cooled, 106-horse, 749cc inline-four made the 464-lb. wet bike essentially untouchable on the street or track. At $4399, Suzuki sold as many as it could import.
1986 The O.G.: Original Gixxer. Known to some as the “Slabbie” (a reference to its flat-
1988
The second-generation GSX-R was dubbed the “Slingshot,” not for its distinctively shaped frame or impressive acceleration, but for the Y-shaped air channels molded into its Mikuni carburetor slides. A higher-revving, short-stroke 748cc engine promised more power but failed to deliver, producing a disappointing 90 bhp. Even if it was still the lightest 750 you could buy, at 493 lbs. wet it outweighed the ’87 model by 27.5 lbs. A new frame and larger, 43mm cartridge fork were partially to blame, though smaller 17-inch wheels improved handling. Suzuki reverted to the long-stroke 749cc engine two years later.
1988 The second-generation GSX-R was dubbed the “Slingshot,” not for its distinctively s
1992
Suzuki said sayonara to the oil-cooled engine, replacing it with an all-new, liquid-cooled, 118-horse inline-four that was more powerful and more durable (the U.S. market didn’t get the liquid-cooled version until ’93). More aerodynamic bodywork, with the twin headlights hidden behind a Plexiglas lens, actually appeared a year earlier, in ’91. This version remained through ’95, eventually incorporating upgrades such as 40mm carbs, a close-ratio gearbox, magnesium engine covers, six-piston brake calipers and a braced swingarm. Neon-pink graphics were a sign of the times.
1992 Suzuki said sayonara to the oil-cooled engine, replacing it with an all-new, liquid

1996
And then came SRAD. Though best remembered for the Suzuki Ram-Air Direct emblems emblazoned on its rear flanks, the all-new twin-spar aluminum frame was a much bigger deal. With geometry and dimensions allegedly lifted straight from the RGV500 Grand Prix racer, the fourth-generation Gixxer handled better than ever before. Underneath the round bodywork was a more compact 750cc motor that, along with the lighter frame, finally addressed the liquid-cooled Gixxer’s persistent porkage. The 44-lb. weight loss made the ’96 GSX-R750 almost as lightweight as the original, but with 20 percent more power.
1996 And then came SRAD. Though best remembered for the Suzuki Ram-Air Direct emblems em
2000
The fifth-generation GSX-R750 picked up where the SRAD left off, whacking an additional 30 lbs. off the old carcass. Much of that weight came out of the engine, now 11 lbs. lighter and, thanks to ruthless attention paid to maximizing mechanical efficiency, capable of an honest 123 bhp at the rear wheel. The always-innovative GSX-R was one of the first sportbikes to adapt fuel injection back in ’98, and the 2000 model was the first to use Suzuki’s Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) that positioned a second, servo-operated butterfly above the lower, throttle-actuated plate for smoother throttle response across the rev range.
2000 The fifth-generation GSX-R750 picked up where the SRAD left off, whacking an additi
2004
“The Perfect Sportbike!” proclaimed the cover of Motorcyclist’s August ’04 issue, which showcased this sixth major revision of the GSX-R750. Sharing the same compact chassis as the GSX-R600 but powered by an engine ripped with technology taken from the all-conquering GSX-R1000 (including low-friction SCEM cylinder liners, titanium valves, forged pistons and pressure-relieving 35mm cylinder vents), this was the most powerful 750 yet, producing 127.3 bhp at the rear wheel. Amazingly, this was just 4 bhp less than the original Yamaha YZF-R1, lending more credence to the GSX-R750’s “literbike power/600cc package” legend.
2004 “The Perfect Sportbike!” proclaimed the cover of Motorcyclist ’s August ’04 issue,

Unlike Kawasaki, which let its ZX-7R linger essentially unchanged for almost a decade before finally discontinuing it in ’03, Suzuki has continually updated and upgraded its signature GSX-R750 to ensure continued success. The model wandered off-line a bit in the ’90s, when it gained liquid cooling and a bad case of middle-aged bloat, but an extreme makeover for Y2K brought it back to the original, light-is-right design philosophy. The 2011 version—which marks the 25th anniversary of the GSX-R750 in America—is fully 20 lbs. lighter than last year, showing that Suzuki’s engineers remain as committed as ever to the lightweight performance ideal.