It's been 3 months since some cash was exchanged for this very well looked after Suzuki GSXR K5 750 and it's been a fast, well handled 3 months.
Previous bikes have involved classics, adventures and sometimes bland bikes but there was a big itch for something that would tour, commute and be capable to laugh off those twisty lanes we all enjoy but believe it or not the Honda Blackbird was a serious contender so it could all be done in comfort.
The Blackbird thought didn't last too long after looking through the classifieds and seeing the price these 750s go for. Suddenly, willing to sacrifice some comfort and space for that better overall thrill seemed a better option because that is why we ride right?
 |
| The #Bfiddy posing at Bedford Autodrome |
3 eBay messages, 1 phone call, one viewing, small bit of haggling and the journey back to the bike was underway to ride it home.
After wobbling through the town heading towards the motorway there was an opportunity to gave it a big fist of throttle, in 1st, off the lights on the slip road and it was at that exact moment it felt like this bike was going to induce smiles on every ride.
The front wheel was heading skywards and to be honest a brief "oh crap" moment followed, a very safe 70 mile ride home from there.
This bike is used for everything, you'll see it's been used on a camping trip to Wales, it gets used for commuting and everything in between.
The gearbox is smooth, the power delivery is predictable, all 145bhp, although a run on the dyno in the near future will show true power. The majority of the previous B-bikes have been 4 cylinder Jap screamers and the 750 is no different, take it to redline in 2nd gear and your seeing over 100mph, all on closed private roads officer, with a claimed top speed of 172mph.
The bike came with a Power commander fitted with an off the shelf map so not sure what sort of difference it makes but it will be getting a custom map soon and hope to report some good gains.
 |
| Fuel stop on route to Wales earlier this year |
What really makes this bike stand out is the handling, every time you chuck it into a corner it wants more. A combination of a brilliant chassis and Diablo rosso 2 tyres inspires bags of confidence.
There has been a lot of comments on the arrow exhaust, "chop that exhaust, it's too big" but it's perfect. The Arrow can is brilliant for the cruising on the motorway, keeping things to a sane level but chuck her up into the rev range and oh boy does she sing!.
 |
| The #Bfiddy failing to blend in with the autumn woodland |
There have been a lot of comments on the arrow exhaust, "chop that exhaust, it's too big" but it's perfect. The Arrow can is brilliant for the cruising on the motorway, keeping things to a sane level but chuck her up into the rev range and oh boy does she sing!
The front brake pads have recently been changed for EBC HH pads which have made a big improvement however the front forks are way too soft at the moment, great for comfort on our infamous quality roads in the UK but not confidence inspiring when hard on the brakes luckily a decent suspension set up will sort this out.
The only other bug bear is the "buzzy bars" which lead to sore hands after about 45 minutes in the saddle and we think it's to do with the incredibly thin renthal grips, take your hands off the bars at speed and there's no wobbles so everything is tight, some thicker grips on order in the hope to dampen the vibrations.
 |
| No caption needed here |
Despite the huge step up in power we can compare the GSXR to our old Kawasaki ZXR400, the 1991 Ninja was produced as a high revving, sports thoroughbred, much like the GSXR.
The 750 will accelerate in any gear at any revs and just keep going which is a satisfying change from then Ninja, nothing exciting happened until 10k rpm. Believe it or not the handling is actually quite similar, it's amazing what a good chassis and tyres can do even 14 years apart.
Being light the ninja did stop very well even with its small brakes, the GSXR obviously is much faster, with bigger brakes and stops very well but not as well as that old Ninja, maybe some work to be done there.
The problem with the ninja was it's size, it always felt cramped but being so light it was easy to forgive. By comparison the GSXR is a much larger bike making it more comfortable even with a pillion or large tail bag there's still plenty room to move about meaning it does fit that (almost) comfortable fast tourer.
So in short it was the right decision to get the 750, the perfect combination of a reasonably comfortable commuter, fast tourer and maybe track weapon...
Please share this if you enjoyed reading it!
All the best
BirotarUK
All the best
BirotarUK
No comments:
Post a Comment