SUZUKI GSX-S750
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Getting miles clocked...”
Last week’s blast to the remoter parts of Scotland swung my ever changing opinion of the GSX-S back into the ‘like-zone’. The bike’s inherent mix of strengths and weaknesses manages to influence me one way or the other on almost every ride. Firstly, the GSX-R derived engine has lost little of its original sportsbike charm. Sure, it’s down on top-end power compared to the old GSX-R750, but there’s decent torque – helped by sensible gearing – and it sounds great. The 750 mill is surely the bike’s greatest strength.
Improbably, the upright, forward biased riding manages to trade control for comfort. The wide bars and lack of wind protection can make the bike feel unstable at times. Head or side winds can push you about on the bike. Sometimes this movement inputs to the bars, which can unsettle the thing if you’re pushing on. But on the whole, the riding position strikes a fine balance. The riding position still allows you to engage with the bike when you’re on it, yet somehow the GSX-S achieved touring bike comfort levels on my 700-mile weekend blast.
It’s when you are pushing on that the biggest chink in the GSX-S’s armour rears its head: cheap suspension. The Suzuki’s got a splendid engine, decent chassis, great brakes, gearbox, and all that jazz, but the rear shock is basically guff. It manages to feel harsh and underdamped at the same time; broken surfaces skitter the bike about and larger undulations induce rollercoaster mode. The forks aren’t as bad, although a tad soft. If they had any damping adjustment at all, I’d be confident of dialling them into a decent front-end. But just like the rear shock, they don’t…
Performance fettling on the GSX-S has been confined to restoring a little of the engine’s top-end rush by shortening the centre two airbox intake trumpets and installing an MWR filter. An off-the-scale reward vs effort mod in my opinion. Another upgrade was born out of the fact that riding any distance with a backpack does my nut. This means that some form of luggage is a must-have for me. Rather than cover the Suzuki’s elaborately styled tank with a cover and tank bag, I opted for an SW Motech Evo Sport clip-on tank bag. The tank bag clips onto a horseshoe shaped ring that needs to be bolted to the tank filler cap. Fitting and removal of the 14-21l bag takes fractions of a second, the bag’s clear top is perfect for my sat nav and the bag gives a bit of wind protection too! I was so smitten with SW Motech gear, that I’ve offered to trial some pre-production SW Motech Blaze panniers for the GSX-S.
So far the GSX-S has managed to exceed my expectations in several areas and disappoint in only a few. The fundamentals are there – it’s comfortable, quick enough and manages to be fun most of the time. The worst parts of the bike can be easily, if not cheaply sorted – quality suspension would lift the bike to another level and a Power Commander or re-map would crispen a slightly choppy throttle, which manages to be really woolly and sluggish when the bike is cold and then a bit snatchy when it’s warmed up.
As the GSX-S750 isn’t exactly a flagship model and new this year, some after-market manufacturers still haven’t got the bike listed in their catalogues. But Scorpion Exhausts have been quick out the blocks with end-can offerings for the GSX-S, so it would seem rude not to treat my little steed to a Scorpion Titanium Serket Cone, wouldn’t it?