‘The GSX-R is so good I got two’
Paul Burton is an out and out sportsbike fan who loves a weekend blast and a bit of club racing. His weapons of choice in recent years have all been Suzukis.
Over the past 20 years he has owned three GSX-Rs from new and purchased his latest bike in August 2017. “I started out on a Honda C90 when I was about 12. I used to keep it around the side of my mum’s house, and then I had a little 50cc pedal and pop scooter. A group of us used to save up and buy rubbish bikes for about a tenner or swop them around between ourselves.
“These were bikes that were you kept for a couple of months then you’d get a puncture and get rid of it, rather than repairing it. But they were great fun for messing around on and they got me hooked. “The first bike I had on the road was a Honda NSR125. Even then I wanted something that looked good and with sporty character. I then swapped it for a Kawasaki GPZ500 when I passed my test. I loved the extra power of the bigger bike, but soon wanted more.
“I then got my first GSX-R. It was a blue and white Suzuki GSX-R600 SRAD, which I had for about 18 years. I had that until a few years back, before buying a GSX-R1000 on a 2016 plate. I had that for a year and then bought this one, which was the first to leave Crescent Suzuki, in Verwood. I just love the look of GSX-Rs and they always seem so user friendly. I’ve test ridden other stuff over the years, but I always come back to Suzuki.
“I was in the Army Parachute Regiment for 15 years and while I was doing that, I didn’t get much time to ride or have much spare cash. “Once I started doing civilian contract jobs, the money went up, so I bought the 2016 plate new. The bike dealer told me that there was a new one coming out, but I didn’t want to wait. I’d already decided when I bought the 2016 model, that I was probably going to get the new one when it came out as well. My wife now rides the 2016 model. “Although a new Honda Fireblade also appeared last year, after the trouble they were having at the TT, I veered away from that.
“The only other bike that I considered, mainly for the looks, was the Ducati Panigale, but I don’t really like the riding style or engine characteristics of a V-twin. Give me a silky smooth four-cylinder sportsbike any day.”