Then and now (1): Suzuki GSX-R 750

Taking us from the heady mid-80s and the early days of the Suzuki GSX-R 750, to the icon in its current guise, Patrick van Sleight tracks the development of this modern superbike in the first of part of a two-part series.



by Patrick van Sleight



It’s been 20 years since Suzuki redefined the superbike genre with its lightweight GSX-R750. Up until 1985 the average superbike was fast, but big and heavy, with slow steering and cumbersome handling.



The RD500LC (1984) and Suzuki’s RG500 (1985) two-stroke GP-replicas shared little with their racing counterparts in terms on componentry, and were replicas more in concept than in form. They were fast and handled well, but their build quality was questionable, they delivered poor fuel economy, were too expensive, and emission laws limited their appeal.



That was before the four-stroke GSX-R came along. It rode and behaved like a two-stroke, was well put together, and affordable to buy and run. The 1984 Kawasaki GPZ900’s compact design with water-cooling, and Yamaha’s 1985 FZ750’s forward-angled engine greatly influenced the technology of the modern superbike. However, the GSX-R750 is arguably the first pure example of the breed as we know it today.



Suzuki’s considerable success in endurance racing with its GS1000-based XR41 in the early eighties inspired the building of a roadbike that would bring the racing experience within reach of the average racer. The resultant bike was the GSX-R, which even owes its distinctive looks to that of the endurance racer.



The GSX-R is also credited for its contribution to the formation of a new 750cc racing homologation series (the World Superbike Championship) in 1988, and was soon followed by similar bikes from Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda. The Kawasaki ZXR750, along with the GSX-R, was perhaps the most accessible to the average rider – the Honda VFR750R (RC30) and Yamaha FZR750R (OW01) were exclusive and expensive limited-edition homologation specials.

Today, the GSX-R750 is the only sports 750 left (not counting the very expensive MV Agusta). The class was left obsolete by a regulation change in the 2003 World Superbike Championship that allowed four-cylinder bikes a 1 000cc capacity, instead of the usual 750 cc. Unable to keep pace with the 1 000cc V-twins, the Japanese lost interest in racing and subsequently abandoned their 750s.

But continuing to build a 750 sportsbike when the other manufacturers had stopped bears testimony to Suzuki’s commitment to keeping its heritage alive. In its latest incarnation the GSX-R 750 remains true to its original brief - to bring the racetrack experience to the street.

It remains one of the toughest, meanest beasts to tame, and it all started with an angry machine produced from 1985 to 1987, that affectionately became known as the “Pre-Sling”.

Few bikes were as unattractive as the Suzuki GSX-R Pre-Sling. It had a heavy, high front section that sloped down towards a very low rear end so different from the high rear end common on modern superbikes. Yet it had a bulldog stance to suit its brutal reputation and a power-to-weight ration unmatched by any of its peers.

The aluminium frame (the only other bike to have an aluminium frame prior to this was Suzuki’s own RG250) had a distinctive kink in the downward beams that was later to become a GSX-R design trademark.

Originally published on www.cartoday.com
21 December 2005