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Comparison test of the Suzuki family

Family affairs

A shop window, four tempting sisters and around 7,000 euros in your pocket. A story in four chapters. And a buy recommendation for all those looking for a best friend whose best friend is the Suzuki dealer around the corner.

It’s one of those days that thirst for decisions. Get up, take a shower, buy a motorcycle. The requirements: high fun factor and unconditionally suitable for everyday use. Not too expensive, somewhere around 7,000 euros. Four bikes that come into question are in the shop window of the Suzuki dealer. Seductive, tempting, for sale. But the question is as old as humanity. Which one is right for me?
6540 euros ?? GSF 600 S Bandit. Tea name sounds adventurous. And that’s how the bandit looks a little bit. The half-shell with the headlights is reminiscent of an attentive looking fox. The first physical contact, however, is moderate. Yes, even downright touristy. Wide handlebars, upright seating position. The footrests could, however, be placed a little further back. Well, a matter of taste. But the longer the legs, the stronger this desire. Here we go. First on the highway. 600 cubic centimeters and 77 hp should show what they can do.
Slightly inclined, the bandit fires itself from the driveway into the flow of traffic. To do this, however, the four-cylinder must rotate at least 6500 rpm. Underneath, he struggles with breathing difficulties. Over it he pushes cheerfully, from 10,000 rpm he ignites his second stage, turns greedily and sends a strong tingling sensation. The receiver of these vibrations are the handlebar ends and the tank. In order to keep the engine in a good mood, the gear, which is to be shifted precisely but with gentle emphasis, has to be stirred diligently. Load changes are alien to the bandit. In sixth and last gear, it splits the air masses at 210 km / h. So well that even drivers up to 1.80 meters tall nod appreciatively over the windbreak of the small fairing. Enough sprinted, off we go into the curve realm.
The first bend shoots towards the bandit. Now it’s time to brake really hard? The stoppers do their job satisfactorily. but fork sinks deeply, a more progressive suspension would do it good. Nevertheless: You swing through wide drawn curves with the Bandit as gently as to Frank Sinatra’s song "Strangers in the Night" at the side of your dream partner. But only if the asphalt is as smooth as baby skin. If it gets worse, the overall underdamped chassis begins to pump, the 600 becomes restless. Starts to wobble, skimp on steering precision and strikes the ideal line with difficulty. Fortunately, the steering is very direct and, thanks to the wide handlebars, fascinatingly light. This contributes to the excellent and playful handling of the 230 kilogram bandit. And it is guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of all new drivers. For those in a hurry, however, it is nothing due to the soft chassis.
6505 euros ?? GSX 750. A throwback to the 80s. Round headlights, without fairing, two struts with gas pressure shock absorbers at the rear. The handlebars are slightly curved and comparatively delicate, the seating position is sublime. The knee angle fits, hands and upper body are relaxed. Immediately after driving off, one characteristic draws attention to itself: the GSX acknowledges low speeds in connection with turning in with abrupt tilting movements. Do you prefer to drive faster? The four-cylinder revs up like an electric motor and accelerates the load to 206 km / h. On bumpy ground, accelerations at full throttle are acknowledged with a slight unrest in the chassis. Although the naked woman is calculated up to 266 km / h, her 86 PS and the wretched air resistance shatter the dreams of all speed freaks. It’s not built for that. She wants to enjoy the landscape and eat curves.
In long bends the GSX remains stable, but in tight bends it is annoying with the already mentioned tilting moment about the steering axis. The steering precision suffers as a result. And braking? The same brake calipers are used in all four machines. Compared to the Bandit, however, the front stop of the GSX require a little more manual force and cannot be precisely dosed. With hard braking, the fork goes into block and stamps. Despite the defects shown, the GSX 750 constantly exudes something of weekend recreation. Fresh air currents, pulsating revolutions, leisure. great.
7260 euros ?? GSX 750 F. It differs from its bare sister in terms of both fairing and technology: larger carburettors ?? 36 millimeter passage -, central spring strut, an almost fully adjustable chassis. Your seating position is a mix of sport and touring, quite common in the 80s, but no go along in vogue these days. The legs are bent sharply, the footrests very far back, the handlebars far away? In direct comparison to the three sisters, it takes a lot of getting used to and a bit inactive. AT pity.
The expansive fairing, in conjunction with the 92 hp, allows a top speed of 223 km / h and offers decent weather protection, although there is some turbulence at helmet height. In contrast to its undisguised sister, the F-model’s engine, which has been modified in various details, does not push like a turbine, but acts slowly below 7500 rpm and only for a few coals into the fire above it.
However, once you get used to the antiquated seating position, you can ride through the bends very quickly. Because the suspension set-up is successful for a sporty tourer. Comfortable, but still firm enough and therefore surprisingly precise and stable in connection with the chassis geometry. The GSX 750 F is forgiven for the slight shimmy that occurs in an inclined position. In very tight radii, it also requires steering impulses via the legs. The downside are the somewhat listless acting brakes, which in terms of dosage and effect do not come close to that of the sisters. And the feeling? Driving the GSX 750 F is like enjoying an old red wine that has been cellared for years. Selected according to taste, matured over the years and solid all around.
6640 euros SV 650 S. The little sporty one with half shell. Highly praised, victorious in various comparison tests, and yet not everyone’s friend. Because the seating position is quite sporty, the driver has to stretch a little, a lot of weight is on his wrists. The S-model loses a bit of the playful handling of the uncovered model. With the short handlebar stumps and the bent posture. . The head slightly crouched, you always feel ready to attack.
So, off for it. The little V2 spontaneously throws itself into the stuff. It revs up lively and gives away those lightly massaging vibrations, which over half of motorcycling mankind defines as a characteristic. And interpreted as a sign of a healthy heartbeat. Almost everything about SV seems light-footed. No wonder, as it only weighs 193 kilograms with a full tank. 30 to 40 kilograms less than the other three. Similar to the GSX 750, the engine gets down to business incredibly smoothly. And sprints from 0 to 180 km / h in just 12.2 seconds. Only the GSX 750 F manages 1.4 seconds faster. Marginalia. In addition, the 650 V-Twin doesn’t ask for the gearshift as often as the Bandit’s 600 four-cylinder. Although the gearbox demands a similar amount of emphasis. The wind protection of the small half-shell is not outstanding, but the slightly crouched posture of the pilot helps.
As well as any kind of radius. Here the SV is in its element. Here she not only shows her sisters what to do, but also dozes, if need be, a powerful would-be Doohan. Provided the fork springs are fully preloaded, the SV is extremely precise in steering and very stable in any combination of curves. In fast alternating bends, the lightweight demands a very active, body-hugging driving style. That is a good thing that the tuning of the chassis is almost successful? the fork, which was criticized for a long time and was much too soft, now has an adjustable spring base and has become tighter. Even when braking hard, it guides the front wheel safely on the most uneven road surfaces. The brakes also shine in this comparison field with both the best dosage and effectiveness. Driving SV 650 S gives the pilot a feeling of euphoria similar to a salary increase and commendation from the boss. With undisguised perspectives on the professional horizon. Clear thing ?? just right for me.
D.he decision has been made. And since riding a motorcycle is only half as much fun, the buddies are dragged along to the Suzuki dealer. Siegfried Carefree, a real Swabian who has already achieved everything and no longer needs to distinguish himself from others, secretly wants a BMW, but at a price of only 7260 euros he reaches for the GSX 750 F. It is solid, protects him from weather-related Adversity on long tours and actually does not allow itself any major blunders. Ulrich Unsicher chooses the GSF 600 S Bandit. It is the easiest of all four to drive, does not require any time to get used to and has an eye-catching appearance. The slight weaknesses in the chassis only spoil the mood of very sporty ambitious drivers. Bernhard Basic falls in love with the GSX 750. A machine that cuts a fine figure everywhere. Regardless of whether it’s a classic car meeting, meeting point or in front of grandpa’s workshop. In front of which you sit comfortably with a beer in the evening after work, count the cooling fins and marvel at the weld seams. And with which one ?? if required ?? can easily show some low-flying pilots that cornering and having fun are independent of horsepower.

Comparison test of the Suzuki family

Family affairs

1st place – SV 650 S

It is one of the most agile toys for adults. But enough praise. In two-person operation, the shock absorber reaches its limits, the view in the mirrors is poor, and at night you are literally in the dark. Because the headlight doesn’t deserve its name. Suzuki should make improvements here. If that doesn’t bother you, SV will be your partner for life.

2nd place – GSX 750 F

The straight posture is not for everyone. Apart from that, the GSX 750 F is an all-rounder with good pillion space and real touring qualities. However, driving at night is not recommended here, because the light output of the headlight is only slightly higher than the SV. In addition, all touring riders would be happy about a cardan instead of a chain.

3rd place – GSF 600 S Bandit

The bandit wants to be shot. It is admirable that this nature does not tempt permanent heating. The GSF 600 S is extremely easy to drive and therefore also recommended for newbies. The underdamped chassis, on the other hand, thoroughly spoils the mood of ambitious drivers. Long range and good wind protection enhance the suitability for everyday use.

4th place – GSX 750

She does bravely and basically shows little nakedness. The peculiar steering behavior, a slightly higher consumption than its sisters and a slight twitch of the handlebars when accelerating fully on uneven surfaces. Otherwise, if the naked bike didn’t lose so many points in terms of wind protection, it would easily be in front of its bandit sister.

Performance chart

Easy to see while driving: Both the SV and the GSX 750 deliver their performance with almost no breakdowns. Larger carburetor cross-sections and a slightly different engine tuning give the disguised sister of the 750 more top performance, but also somewhat more inharmonious curves on paper.

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