CARLOS’S COMMENTS

I love this bike; so much so, I even went out and spent my own bloody hard earned cash on one. As a race bike it’s incredible, and as a road bike it is undeniably stunning; the cockpit is a lovely place to be, the controls are easily and feel familiar and from the very off it feels like home. I know Boothy hates the dash but he’s not the best at reading (or writing) and it isn’t that bad once you’ve spent some time on one, and the riding position isn’t too race-y; you don’t stick all your weight on the wrists which is nice and the screen actually gives some wind protection which is a rarity on a modern sports bike. For thrashing B-roads the chassis is plush and the suspension is a near-perfect mixture of soft squidgy-ness for comfort and support when ploughing the thing. The same goes for the engine, with Suzuki providing a sublime motor for a thrashing, giving a bucket-load of torque and a raging top end! Yet even so, after being stuck on one for what felt like a lifetime it did have its foibles, with the main problem being the fuelling at the bottom end in first and second gear. Okay, yes Euro

4 has done its best to ruin the fuelling on modern bikes, but even so the Gixer felt lumpier than 30-year-old custard when bowling round town. But the big question… is it worth the cash? I’d still say yes, if you have it to burn.

But it’s certainly not £6k odd better than the ZX-6R…”