Blast from the past!........................
It's not every day you're sent off to Spa to ride something older and more valuable than you are, but that's what happened to Pretty Boy recently.
So you get a call asking if you can ride a factory replica endurance racer around arguably one of the world’s best race tracks... Damn right I can! I’m definitely a bigger fan of modern era bikes, rather than anything pre-naughties (with the exception of a few classics, of course), but getting the chance to cock a leg over a stunning 1987 GSX-R750 endurance racer was an opportunity I simply couldn’t turn down – even if I am a bit ageist (joking!). The big question was what I'd make of it, and whether it would alter my preconception of classic bikes, which I’ve always imagined to be sluggish and boring. But could it really be that awful to ride? Would it be as diabolically slow as I anticipated, or handle like a pig? I know the more mature ladies and gents reading this will be sitting there and wishing they could give me a bit of a slap (and an education). But, my God, I got one, so fear not…
Just to whet your appetites a bit, this machine I was set to ride wasn’t your everyday 80s Gixer. It was 100% filth (The good kind, that is). I mean, at first glance, having arrived at the Belgium circuit, the Harris racing factory rep’s chassis gleamed like a work of art, while the pristine bodywork that wrapped around the 749cc powerplant like an 80s pornstar wearing a tiny little beach towel, was nothing short of stunning. But this bike’s beauty was more than just skin deep, with an abundance of trick parts and countless man hours ensuring the retro Suzuki rode as good as it looked. After all, this was a race bike, not a toy destined for display purposes in the corner of some dreary office. At the heart of the bike was the production based motor, which had been fettled with a factory five-speed GSX-R1100 gearbox and some Yoshimura Stage 2 camshafts. Many other tuning components ensured a power increase over the standard GSX-R’s output, but the build was a considered one, with reliability being as important to the recipe as sheer performance.
Having hopped in my leathers and cocked a leg over the old girl, I couldn’t get over how alien the GSX-R felt from the off: the seat was low and the screen so huge I felt pretty well protected even when sat bolt upright. Adding more comfort to the mix was the generous peg and bar setup, which even a 9ft man would’ve felt comfy with. Well, maybe. But enough about the ergonomics of the bike. I was gagging to tell what the bike rode like. What it was like when you got that engine roaring... It was time to hit the track, and considering the raucous note that smacked my ears when the engine roared to life, I was pretty damn excited. Forget Euro 4 and all that nonsense; this bike was produced at a time when bolder meant better, and my ear drums certainly got to know all about that particular part of its character.
But before I could get a taste of the way the motor felt on full chat, the first thing to hit me was how the bike handled, with the 750 feeling heavier than a modern thou as I manoeuvred it around the paddock on my way to the circuit. The steering lock was nonexistent and the harsh biting clutch didn't make life any easier.
Coming onto pit lane for the first session on track, I was absolutely bricking it. It was a momentous occasion for me; in just a few seconds I was set to sample the truth of this golden oldie, which had already made me nervous just tootling around. It didn’t help that I’d also be learning the track, and having no tyre warmers for the bike’s Dunlop slicks didn’t make life any easier either. Still, worrying never gets you anywhere, does it? The minute I got out on the circuit everything stated to make so much more sense. Including the bike’s motor. My God did it go! Even just coming out of pit lane and along the first lengthy straight, I was genuinely surprised by the torque on tap. And throwing more gears into the equation did nothing to blunt the real eagerness of the drive. Having just jumped off my Ducati Panigale 899, I was absolutely blown away by the fact this bike felt quicker, with a linear and consistent punch from the motor. It was no slouch in the cornering department, either. That beautiful Harris racing chassis proved to be so much more than eye candy, as I learned that flicking the bike around required very little effort. It blew my mind, as I thought it was going to be a bit of a pig in the bends.
After a couple of laps, the tyres were warm and I was really giving it the berries. I hit Eau Rouge as quick as I dared, with the bike feeling impressively planted and stable. I was pushing hard everywhere, and drawing the most from the Ohlins suspension, which was doing a decent job of absorbing some of the harsher sections of the track’s surface. The chassis was informative and that gave me much more confidence than I was expecting to have. Chances are if this bike had been on the standard pogos it would have been a totally different story, but I didn’t need to worry about that. I was in my element and relishing every second. And every 137 of the horsies on offer. The bike wasn’t silly fast, but it felt respectively quick, even if the five-speed box meant it was harder to keep the motor buzzing out of bends. I had to learn that reality, but it was all good after a while. Another area of the bike I was impressed with was the anchors. Once up to heat, the brakes were offering a huge amount of stopping power at the smallest squeeze on the lever. Trail braking was very much on the agenda, with the Showa front forks doing a great job of supporting the front end in and out of apexes. I couldn’t think of a better track to explore the Suzuki’s characteristics, which were very much on show during that first session on track. Clocking laps was the secret to getting the most out of the old Gixer, which impressed me on the first outing and put to bed many of the misconceptions I’d been harbouring. It was much better than I’d expected. Don’t get me wrong, it felt old, but it was still massively enjoyable to ride and plenty capable of unleashing hell if you got frisky with the throttle. It opened my eyes in the best way possible and made me rethink my negativity towards bikes from yesteryear.
Home time
With a session down and a little bit of knowledge about the bike and track stored away and ready for use, the second outing could not come quick enough.
That second time out the whole package felt a lot more familiar and I was just getting into the swing of things when disaster struck. Coming out of turn five the revs eased off as I opened the throttle, and as the engine note began to disappear I lunged for the clutch and kill switch as quick as my little hands could possibly nab them. ‘Bugger’, came to mind as I coasted off line and had a quick glance back to see if it had shat itself and left a trail of oil everywhere. Fortunately it didn’t get to that point, but there definitely was a pretty terminal issue.
Having to push the big Suzuki through the gravel and out the way of the other track users gave me a cruel reminder of the bike’s age, weight and enormous size. How on earth would I explain this?!
The guys at Team Force were spot on about the breakdown, which did nothing to increase my faith in the reliability of old bikes. But I guess there are plenty of modern bikes that go wrong too, so that didn’t really prove anything. It was just sod’s law, especially as I was really starting to feel comfy on the old girl. But that’s just how it goes. I’d had my fun, and got an education in the process. Do old bikes rock? I’d go as far as to say they’re okay. Well, those that are as trick as this weapon, anyway. But it’s not every day you come across something as awesome as this... Nor every other day, come to think of it.