Hey everyone,
Well I just had the pleasure of riding a K6 GSX-R600. When I turned up for the test ride, I was expecting the bike to be slightly better than my K5. Oh how I was wrong...
I sat down on the bike, the seat is much lower than the K5 and other 2004-2005 model 600's. Im 6 foot and I had a nice bend in my legs and flat footed. The dash set up is well designed, the K4-5 had one of the best designed dashes last generation and the new one has topped that. I pulled in the clutch and slipped it into 1st gear, mmmm so silky, but i expected that as its a supersport 600. Pop up a bit of revs and im away. GEEZZZ who stole all the torque below 6000rpm??? It felt like there was nothing there, my K5 has alot more torque down low. But as soon as im above that, i heard the wonderful noise of the induction. Onto the motorway onramp, I gave it some berries and first, and the induction and exhaust sound like an angry mob telling everyone in my way to f**k off. The front just came up due to a crest, but only slightly. Gearing is about the same as most 600's, 120 in first 165 in 2rd and 205 in 3rd and 230+ in 4th (Well thats what they told me anyway)
Sitting on the boring motorway i got to see how comfortable the bike is. And it is very comfortable. There is a huge amount of leg room, and because the seat is low, you not reaching down to the bars and getting a sore back and wrists. Sitting at 110kmh is quite pleasant and you dont have to shuffle around and move to keep your butt cheeks awake, and stopping your back spasming...
Right time to hit the twisties... The handling is mind blowing!!! I have NEVER ridden a bike that handles so well straight out of the box... It was so neutral and effortless, all you had to do is think about where you are going, and you dont even have to worry about mid corner bumps as it just soaks them up. You can knee down this thing with ease, and the bike will have you feeling like Rossi with in 3 corners... Looking at the tyres after, the rear end is abit to soft, but not by much. The brakes are phenominal!!! Best brakes I have ever used, and that includes my race bike!!! They don't feel like they are grabbing, then all of a sudden WHAMO!!! They are hauling you up like a fish in a trawlers net...
As for acceleration it is a little bit quicker than my K5, but not by much. Launching it with 8-10 grand on the tacho is quite easy once you are used to the clutch...
In summary, this bike is awesome!!! A perfect tool for the weekend rider, and trackday enthusiast. The handling is amazing and razor sharp, but very compliant with the bumps you find all over NZ.
The only down sides are that it has nothing below 6000rpm, so useless for commuting/riding around town, and that it isnt sitting in my garage this very moment...
Looking foward to comparing it to the K6 750 as a road bike...
Cheers
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