Originally Posted by
Hitcher
Occasionally I’ve test ridden a bike never expecting to enjoy it that much. Sometimes my hunch has been right and I’ve had an underwhelming experience. Other times I have been surprised and delighted.
Today I test rode a Suzuki GSR750L1. I was surprised and delighted but not in the way I expected.
Once I owned an Aprilia SL750 Shiver. It was one of the first generation Shivers and there is much about a GSR750’s styling that reminds me of that model Shiver’s aesthetics. First-glimpse stuff, of course. Both are edgy and clean, naked, mid-size road bikes with the promise of being streetfighters. That’s about all they have in common. The Shiver is a v-twin, the GSR750 is an in-line four. And so it goes.
My test ride today had a Yoshimura slip-on muffler. Without adding a lot of volume, it gave the bike a nice throaty, raspy bark. An excellent safety enhancement...
It’s OEM rubber was a set of Bridgestone BT-016s. They worked very nicely. I’m not usually a fan of Mr Bridgestone’s tyres but I liked these.
Being a quiet day at Corporate HQ, I had time to go places and play.
It was very windy in Wellington and the Hutt Valley. The Rimutaka Hill road was extremely blustery, particularly up the wind funnel that NZTA has lovingly crafted on the Wellington side of the summit. But the Wairarapa was almost flat calm. Go figure. So off I went and carved some back roads, as you do. The bike noticed the wind on the Hill but wasn’t unduly troubled by it.
Despite being fed a bit of curry, the GSR750 consumed fuel at the rate of 17.7km per litre, according to its dashboard indicator, a number borne out by dividing the total distance traveled by the amount of fuel needed to fill the tank. I have no doubt that that figure would improve in more Christian riding conditions.
With a 17.5 litre capacity, my maths suggest that this bike will return at least 300km from a full tank. That’s to fumes. Presumably a fuel warning indicator will start twinkling at about 240km. I’d be happy with that for the sort of touring we do.
For those unfamiliar with this mid-sized Suzuki, it’s a naked, sit-up riding style. It doesn’t have the legroom of a Shiver or a Tiger 1050 but it’s not cramped. The legroom was about what I have been used to on my GSX1250FA with a modified seat in the fully raised position.
The bars had the usual control switches in the usual places, well, for a Suzuki at any rate. The clutch is cable-driven, rather than hydraulic, and has a nice weight and positive action.
The front brakes are twin-pot Tokikos and there’s a single-pot Tokiko on the rear. They were adequate, accurate and predictable. There’s no ABS on the GSR750.
Both the clutch and brake handlebar levers have span adjustment so that a rider can adapt the reach to suit their preference.
The dashboard was nicely laid out and easy to read. There’s a large analogue tach. Everything else is digital. That’s speed, gear position, fuel level, engine temperature and a clock. The scrollable part of the display includes the odometer, two trip meters and a km-per-litre indicator for each trip meter. There is a row of coloured idiot lights across the top for indicators, high beam and presumably function failures like fuel injection and oil pressure.
Yes, there’s a space for a pillion. I found one of those for a measure and sit. She noted the lack of grab handles but there is a saddle strap. Pillion legroom is apparently OK. Pillion was impressed by her ability to see forward over the rider’s helmet, not something she has been much used to on earlier rides.
So how does it go? Impressively.
Much has been made in promotional literature of the GSR750’s engine, which has been derived from the GSX-R750. They’re completely different engines and I think that comparison does neither of them justice.
The GSR is extremely tractable from the idle, and has a willing mid-range from 3,000rpm to 6,000rpm. A road legal 100kmh is about 4,250rpm in top gear in the six-speed box. Taking the engine over 8,000rpm puts a moderately hot poker up its bottom. Whoar. Unlike its sportier sibling, the front wheel is going to take a bit of persuasion to separate itself from the tarmac. Yes, it will boogie if instructed, but there is nothing to fear from reasonable application of power.
Like a lot of mid-sized Suzukis, the GSR750 has a close-ratio gearbox. This makes a gear position indicator a very useful piece of kit. The box itself is typically Suzuki: it’s just lovely and faultless.
Suspension comprises USD Kayaba front forks and a rear Kayaba monoshock. This combination doesn’t do much wrong but I found it a bit harsh. The Featherston side of the Rimutaka Hill road is a great test for suspension adequacy, particularly the descent to Featherston which is currently pretty unforgiving. Despite its looks, the GSR750 doesn’t handle as a streetfighter may but corners beautifully with little effort needed from the rider. It is predictable and assured when hurried through twisties, indeed it seemed to love being ridden like that.
There is a storage space under the removable pillion seat. It may hold two packets of cigarettes or something of similar dimensions. In addition to the usual Suzuki toolkit, there’s also a removable piece of No8 wire with a black-plastic-coated loop on one end -- ideal if one needs to birth a ewe anywhere on one’s travels.
So how would I score it? I’d give it four out of five stars. Would I own one? Time may tell.
Road test: Suzuki GSR750L1
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