So, it's time for the next bike .... & here it goes ..............

Suzuki GSX-R750

If you're new to the sportbike scene, then 750s probably seem a little obscure. For most of the last decade, 600s and 1000s have been where it's at for real sportbikes, both in racing and on the street. And there's only really been one 750 in that time Suzki's GSX-R750.

Etsuo Yokouchi; the man to
thank for the GSX-R750.

Etsuo Yokouchi; the man to thank for the GSX-R750.

But if you've been riding for a bit longer you'll remember when the 750 was the king of the hill. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, 600cc bikes were flat; 80 HP at best and 1,000cc bikes were big, heavy bruisers. The 750 class was the best of both worlds: just enough go with 100-odd HP yet still nimble enough to handle well. All the Japanese firms had an offering: Honda's legendary VFR750R and RC45, Yamaha's FZ750, the R7, and of course Kawasaki's tough-looking ZX-7R. They all married up race cool and high-tech design, and were the connoisseur's dream machines. Add in the fact that the WSB racing rules dictated either a 1,000cc twin or a 750cc four, and you can see why the 750 class was so important.

The XR41 soon led to
the street version.

The XR41 soon led to the street version.

Suzuki's engineers had a surprise in store though. 1985 saw the appearance of the first GSX-R750, and it basically made everything else look like an old man's touring jalopy. The new 750 was designed by Etsuo Yokouchi to resemble the firm's endurance racer, the GS1000R XR41, and under the fairing much of the technology was the same too. Suzuki engineers had worked hard at keeping weight low, and the first model weighed in at less than 390 pounds, while putting out 106 claimed horsepower.

The GSX-R quickly dominated racing and it was just as popular on the street. Even the launch of the 1100cc version a year later didn't dent the 750's popularity too much. But as the '80s dragged into '90s, the GSX-R lost its way a little. It added too much weight, especially after it moved to water-cooling in 1992, and its chassis design held it back in the handling stakes.

This pair is a Suzuki lover's
wet dream.

This pair is a Suzuki lover's wet dream.

But as the century drew to a close, Suzuki got serious again. The GSX-R gained a twin-beam aluminum frame in 1996, the same year the 'SRAD' acronym appeared. Fuel injection appeared two years later, and Suzuki was the first firm to properly sort out fuel injection on a street superbike. Into the first half of this decade, the 750 simply got better and better: more refined engine designs, ever-increasing power and simple but high-quality suspension made it the thinking rider's choice-especially on track.

Where loudmouth throttle jockeys went straight for a GSX-R1000, then spent entire trackdays trying to close the throttle rather than open it, the GSX-R750 pilot had a machine with a perfect balance of power, torque and chassis, which had enough for almost any rider but never so much as to overwhelm the tires or get out of hand.

What else would you be doing
on a Sunday morning with
bit of open road?

What else would you be doing on a Sunday morning with a bit of open road?

Over the years, all the other 750s have gradually disappeared. In racing, there's no such thing as a 750cc class any more. WSB has gone to 1000cc fours and 1200cc twins, and the ZX-7R, R7 and RC45 are now considered classic machines. On the road, the 600 class has evolved to the point where they're making almost 110 HP, while 1,000cc bikes have refined chassis tech making them handle well, as well as electronic rider aids to manage the 160-odd HP they're producing.

But Suzuki's still making its 750, a bike so important to the company's heritage that it's hard to see the Hamamatsu firm ever dropping it. And because the GSX-R750 offers so much classy performance it seems like the perfect bike to buy.

The Timeline :

1985 GSX-R750 F
It's impossible to convey the shockwave made by Suzuki's GSX-R750 when it first appeared. Everyone's head had been exploded the year before by Kawasaki's GPZ900R, but even that 100 HP, 150 mph rocket looked like a bland, dull-mobile next to the 106 HP GSX-R. The sub-390 pound Suzuki had twin-headlight endurance bodywork, an aluminum frame, a ten-piston brake system and went like nothing else.

---

1988 J
This was the first major update. Fundamental changes include a new big-bore motor that revved higher and made more power-up ten HP to 116 HP-with bigger valves and carbs. The wheels moved from old-style 18-inch rims to 17-inchers, and forks were cartridge units. The 'Slingshot' moniker appeared, referring to the CV carburetor design that "slingshotted" the charge into the engine.

---

1990 L
Another major update saw USD forks fitted to the 750 (although US models retained the earlier forks), together with a return to the longer-stroke motor with bigger carbs, valves and four-into-one exhaust. Peak power remained about 116 HP but with more midrange torque.

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1992 WN In the US, the '92 bike was the same as the 1991, but the rest of the world got a full-on revamp. The engine was an all-new water-cooled unit, and the chassis had a load of minor tweaks.

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1994 WR
Super-cool blue-anodized forks and six-piston calipers didn't hide the fact that the GSX-R was still too heavy at 437 pounds and not powerful enough at 118 HP.

---

1996 WT
Finally, a dual-beam aluminum frame rather than the tall, unwieldy cradle design, and a set of ram-air intakes mark the first of the "SRAD" series.

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1998 WW
Fuel injection fixed the flat spots of the carbed SRAD bike.

---

2000 Y
Next generation "Ninja Turtle" bodywork with triangular headlamp appeared. Engine got SDTV dual-valve fuel injection and made an impressive 125 HP.

---

2004 K4
All-new engine has titanium valves for higher revs and makes a torquey 130 HP. Chassis mods cut weight to less than 360 pounds.

---

2006 K6
Heavy engine work raises revs and power, but emissions regulations made for a heavier catalyst-filled exhaust and the engine was slightly peakier than before.

---

2008 K8
Minor mods included an even bigger exhaust end can to accommodate still more catalyzers. Dry mass is around 368 pounds, with peak power around the 140 HP mark.

What's the Best Model?

We're tempted to pick the K4/5, as the last model before emissions hung a fifty-pound exhaust system around the Gixxer's neck. The K4 also feels torquier than later models yet still handles like a dream.

The Tech
There are three main generations of the GSX-R750: the original air/oil-cooled design of the 1980s, the early water-cooled bikes and the later fuel-injected models from 2001-on.

The original bike was notable for both its lightweight and decent power output, both areas helped by the oil-cooling system. Using a large reservoir of oil together with a special internal cooling circuit and pump in addition to the normal lube circuit saved the weight of a water jacket, pump, hoses and radiator. But it also allowed higher power outputs than an air-cooled motor, as well as a more compact cylinder head and combustion chamber design.

By the 1990s the required power outputs of the class meant water-cooling was unavoidable. Suzuki introduced its water-cooled model in 1992 around the world (later in the US). The engine was an improvement, but Suzuki had stuck with its old-school "cradle" frame design rather than a stiffer, lighter beam frame.

That came in 1997, helping Suzuki cut weight and improve handling (the chassis was apparently based on Kevin Schwantz's RGV500 GP bike). In an attempt to catch up with the all-conquering Honda CBR900RR, Suzuki also fitted a ram-air system, dubbed SRAD (Suzuki Ram Air Direct). It was a clumsy term, but the ram-air intakes gave the 750 great top-end power (albeit at the expense of flat spots in the midrange). These were cured by the fuel injection system that appeared in 1998 though, taking the GSX-R into the next generation.

That fuel injection worked much better than some competitors, and further refinements incorporated smarter ECUs and the SDTV Suzuki Dual Valve Throttle System. That system (still used today on the GSX-R range as well as the Kawasaki ZX-10R and 6R Ninjas) used a computer-controlled secondary butterfly valve to better match the airflow into the engine to the revs and fueling.