All Tests – New GSX-R 600 test: Suzuki is working on its fundamentals – Missed date for the 2010 anniversary

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New GSX-R 600 test: Suzuki is working on its fundamentals

All Tests - New GSX-R 600 test: Suzuki is working on its fundamentals - Missed date for the 2010 anniversary

Before the new Suzuki GSX-R 600 and 750 landed in 2011, we tested the 600 on the Almeria circuit. Lighter, better equipped and a little more torquey, the little sister is nonetheless a Gex: amateurs will appreciate !

Missed appointment for the anniversary 2010

The GSX-R 750 celebrated its 25th anniversary this year (read). For the occasion, Suzuki released a 1000 cc model in a limited series (read), organized driving days (read), offered a host of derivative products and put a dedicated site online … but could not launch its new small and medium Gex !

"Indeed, at the very beginning of the project, we wanted to release this GSX-R 600 as well as the 750 version in 2010.", admits Mr. Osawa, director of Suzuki Moto, ATV and Marine in Great Britain, but"unfortunately the crisis quickly forced us to delay their launch for a year. This allowed us to refine our products !", adds mischievously the big Japanese boss !

Presented in great detail at the Intermot Show in Cologne, the GSX-R 600 and 750 no longer hold any secrets for Site readers, who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than others ( read). Let us nevertheless recall the main contributions of this Gex Supersport model L1 (for 2011, forget the "K" of the 2000s)…

First argument "weight" evoked by the Japanese on the eve of our test: the new GSX-R 600 weighs 9 kg less than the previous model (that of 2008, read). This brings its new weight in running order (with 90% of the fuel tank, according to the nomenclature) to 187 kg.

"According to our pilots, this loss of 9 kg would correspond to an increase in power of six horses.", put the responsible Suzuki into perspective, just before releasing – finally! – the maximum power of the beast…

In its 2011 version, the 599 cc engine spits out 125.7 horsepower (92.5 kW). Compared to the old Gex and its 125 hp already obtained at 13,500 rev / min, the gain is derisory. However, thanks to its "Slim Very Fast" regime, the Suzuki would claim according to its designers the best weight / power ratio in the category in front of an enigmatic green motorcycle, a mysterious blue and a certain red…

The second development highlighted by Hamamatsu’s men is the shortening (by 15 mm) of the wheelbase. With its 1385 mm, the latest GSX-R 600 is therefore more lively and agile. But what most caught our attention – and yours, no doubt – were the joint arrivals on the front axle of Brembo monobloc calipers and the Showa BPF (or "Big Piston Fork"): for everything know, read again) !

Similarly, Suzuki reminds that certain engine parts have been revised and tells us that, thanks to this, the maximum torque goes from 68.6 Nm to 69.6 Nm, still at 11,500 rpm. More spectacularly, the average consumption of the 4-cylinder would be reduced by 10%. Suzuki therefore promises us an engine that is both fuller and more economical. !

"Indeed, the low and mid revs of the GSX-R are among their strengths", confirms an aside to us a Japanese engineer. And obviously, the engine manufacturers wanted to consolidate their advantage: it does not matter that their efforts are not rewarded on the technical sheet, they deliberately concentrated their work on the sections of speed, precious on the road like on track…

"Smaller, shorter and more efficient", the design of the motorcycle fits perfectly with the spirit claimed by the little Japanese girl. Its front optic, for example, alone reflects the evolution of the Gex: while the headlights of the 2008 model resembled a hawk with outstretched wings, those of 2011 take the tapered and domed shape of the Hayabusa’s optics.

The rear part better reveals the regime undertaken – and successful! – by the GSX-R 600: thinner and narrower, it is also sharper and mixes painted parts with parts with a pattern evoking carbon. A success, especially as the Gex still allows you to carry a U or a disc lock under the passenger seat..

The finish goes up a notch again: the plastics are well adjusted, the wires and cables neatly arranged, the dark blue paintwork of the frame still so fitting and the new calipers and the new fork add an undeniable "high-tech" touch…

We still regret the ugly identification plate on the right side of the frame and the front protection of the silencer, too "plastic". Finally, the mirrors and their turn signals seen from the front make the Supersport lose its lightness ….

At the level of the dashboard, apart from the absence of a fuel gauge partly compensated by a trip which is triggered automatically when the reserve passes, the GSX-R 600 achieves a faultless. Complete and perfectly legible, it is ready to take on the track (large tachometer, gear indicator, 4 LED shift light and stopwatch) as well as the road (double trip, engine temperature, clock, warning, etc.).

On the engine side, Suzuki confirms the renewal of its SDMS system, but "for the sake of clarity, we have limited the choice of mapping to two modes: A (Full) and B (restricted)", specifies a marketing manager.

At the same time as filling the low and mid revs, Hamamatsu engineers made a point of bringing the gear ratios closer together: the first is longer while the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th are shorter. "No, the top speed of the L1 is the same as the K8 model, but it gets there faster !", the Japanese guarantee us. !

Finally, "the frame is brand newSuzuki adds. However, the shank angles and shank remain unchanged, as does the length of the swingarm … "We keep these values ​​because the handling of our GSX-R is appreciated by our customers.", explains the marketing manager to Site. To shrink the GSX-R, the engineers therefore pivoted the engine 3 ° backwards. Clever, no ?

To sum up – difficult, so much the Japanese have to say about their new baby! -, Suzuki engineers wanted to improve three points on their GSX-R 600 2011: "increase cornering performance by removing weight, obtain better behavior from the suspensions and brakes, and gain acceleration thanks to the reinforced low and mid-range as well as the new display of the gearbox".

Site therefore had to check the handlebars in hand, on the circuit of Almeria (Spain), the progress made by the GSX-R 600 model 2011: on track !

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