Suzuki GSX750-W

...of bikes. I rode the Suzuki VL1500 which looks GREAT but rides like a brick!!

So back to the drawing board. Then along came the opportunity to go for a blast on a GSX750F. Oh ok but it isnt what I am looking for and it gets really bad press.

WOW!!

Have the 'experts' who write reviews about bikes in the press actually ridden this thing? I think not!!

Off to my local bike shop and strike a ...
...sweet. You get a reassuring Suzuki 'Clunk' when you select every gear. Thats not to say that it is notchy just very positive. The engine is 'bullet proof' and has been used for many years in the previous GSXR750.

It wont match the handling of any of the 'R' models around but it will certainly give a few of the 600R's a run for their money on some 'A' roads.

One further plus point. It doesnt get the attention of the local ... more

As a born again biker a I was looking for a cruiser to potter around on in my twilight years (Well, fast approaching 40 at least!!).

Read all the bike press I could get my hands on and tested a whole range of bikes. I rode the Suzuki VL1500 which looks GREAT but rides like a brick!!

So back to the drawing board. Then along came the opportunity to go for a blast on a GSX750F. Oh ok but it isnt what I am looking for and it gets really bad press.

WOW!!

Have the 'experts' who write reviews about bikes in the press actually ridden this thing? I think not!!

Off to my local bike shop and strike a deal on a new one in Cherry Red. And what a deal, £750 off advertised price with free service and 12 months road tax.

Ok so it isnt a 'race thoroughbred' as so many are these days. But what it is is a 150mph sport tourer. If you want to be able to ride all day at 90mph and then still be able to walk get one!! You can ride this for hours on end without so much as an ache or pain from the lumbar region. Can you say that about the common race replicas around at the moment? NO!

I have only covered about 1000 miles on it since delievery in September but oh boy it puts a smile on your face every time you open the throttle. Of course it is the tweaked 'old' oil cooled GSXR engine giving about 95bhp, so it has got pedigree. Standing quarter of a mile in just over 11 seconds with a terminal speed of about 117mph.

Fast enough for everyone except Valentino Rossi I think. And with the state of the roads in the UK who wants to hit a pot hole with your knee down at 160+ mph?

Great comfort factor, with exceptional weather protection from the fairing. I am going to fit a lipped screen as, at 6' I get a little wind blast at higher speeds. The new screen should cure that.

It appears to be VERY quiet with the standard can. Although if you keep the revs high it can certainly be heard by those around you.

Riding the bike through town stick it in 3rd or 4th gear and it turns into and 'automatic'. Dont bother changing up or down unless the GTI driver wants a race!!

Power comes on strong from around 5000rpm and keeps going all the way to the red line 10500rpm, which by the way seems to come around very quickly.

Handling is clean and direct. You can get your knee down if you stick it out far enough but thats not what this bike is about. Yes it will eat up 'A' and 'B' roads without breaking into a sweat. The rear tyre could be a bit wider to give a little more confidence but you really do need to push it along before it becomes anything like a problem.

Engine and gearbox are sweet. You get a reassuring Suzuki 'Clunk' when you select every gear. Thats not to say that it is notchy just very positive. The engine is 'bullet proof' and has been used for many years in the previous GSXR750.

It wont match the handling of any of the 'R' models around but it will certainly give a few of the 600R's a run for their money on some 'A' roads.

One further plus point. It doesnt get the attention of the local constabulary. They generally go after the boy's racing around on brightly coloured R's and leave us old codgers pottering around on a Sunday morning alone. Ha Ha what do they know :-)

So if you are looking for a bike to 'potter' around on and then occasionally scare the crap out of GTI drivers/sports bike riders this is the one for you. And remember, the sports bike may be faster but you will still get there first. 30 minutes on a sports bike and you need an hour to stretch your limbs back into place!!

My baby has now completed 3500 miles without out a glitch. She has also been fitted with a Powerbronze Flip-up Screen and Hugger. And the latest edition a Carbon Can Co Stainless Steel race exhaust.

The Flip-Up screen has removed ALL wind blast and makes travelling long distances at slightly above the legal limit a pleasure!! Even sitting almost upright at 100mph is not a problem. The only down side is that with a pillion there can be a bit of buffeting from the down draft/cross wind. But nothing too serious.

The Powerbronze Hugger finishes the back of the bike off really nicely. It was not very 'user friendly' to fit, requiring a bracket to be hit VERY hard with a hammer to slot over the swing arm!! But it looks good and does the job it was intended for.

Now onto the race can........

It took 20 minutes to get the original off and the new one fitted using the tools supplied with the bike.

The round stainless steel can looks the part and the sound....... Well once fitted, key in, ignition I hit the starter button and............... OH MY GOD!!!

At tick over the deep, deep drone is akin to a V Twin burble. Running on the road the exhaust starts to scream once the revs reach the power band. Quiet it aint but short shifting through town should keep Mr Plod off my back!!

My once 'sewing machiine quiet' motorcycle now sounds "like a band of horny angels" (meatloaf/Jim Steinman). GO GET ONE!!!

I have been tempted a few times to part with my baby for the shiny new 'steeds' that appear in various papers and magazines but to be honest I find it hard to justify spending out £3k - £4k on a bike that really wont be much better than this!! 

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