‘THE GSX-R750 WAS ALL YOU NEEDED TO HAVE THE BEST TIME’
A Suzuki GSX-R750 gave Bike test rider Michael Neeves his best ever summer. Time to get re-acquainted with a used one
BBy Michael Neeves Photography Jason Critchell & Bauer Archives est ever summer? I’ll say. In 2011 and with a Suzuki GSX-R750 long-term test bike for company, I thrashed around Cadwell, Brands, Silverstone and Snetterton, toured to Le Touquet and the Isle of Man TT, and took a two-week 3400-mile European trip. It was on that ride where I forged friendships with a couple of legends. In Ibiza I rode my GSX-R750 to Playa D’en Bossa to meet bike-mad superstar DJ Carl Cox, for whom I now race classic superbikes. On the way back I stopped to see 500cc GP winner Simon Crafar at his place in Andorra, where we spoke about his forthcoming Motovudu circuit riding book and video project. And I ended up helping him with the filming at Aragon later that year on his trackprepped GSX-R750.
I also rode to the French Motogp with the sadly now departed Prodigy frontman Keith Flint. It was a trip that was as surreal as it was magnificent. ‘Flinty’ also had a GSX-R750 after hearing me bang on about mine so much. And a KTM 990 SMT, and various enduro bikes, but the 750 suited him perfectly, especially being a slightly shorter fellow. Every time he took his lid off he was buzzing, like he’d just come off stage.
It was a rather cold ride down to Le Mans on mostly unremarkable motorways and straight roads, but the Suzuki purred along and was somehow comfortable, despite its supersport-like dimensions (the 750 is basically a 600 with a bigger engine). Sure, there’s some weight on your wrists (alleviated by leaning on a tank bag) and a bit of resonance
from the engine at 90mph, but there’s hardly any wind buffeting and with your weight spread evenly across the bike you don’t get the kind of back/ear ache you can from a modern tall-rounder.
Better still, it did 52mpg and 140-150 miles to the fuel light, which was better than a Ducati Multistrada of the day. After meeting somebody going by the name of Rossi and watching him get his first podium riding for Ducati, hanging out with the Suzuki Motogp team and guitar legend Slash – as you do – we headed home. Keith also helped Crafar with the Motovudu shoot at Aragon, disappearing off on track and hogging the 750 whenever he could.
We all know how Suzuki created the superbike as we know it today with its slabby-sided 1985 GSX-R750. It was truly a step change in motorcycle performance. But the model steadily became more Elvis as it bloated its way through the first half of the ’90s.
It needed a thorough overhaul which eventually arrived in 1996, with the light, tight, compact, humpy ‘SRAD’ model supposedly having its chassis geometry based on Kevin Schwantz’s title-winning 500cc GP bike.
Performance soared, which was great – but this radical rework made the GSX-R more demanding and focused than ever. The Y model in 2000 changed all this, adding usability to the bike’s performance. And from here through the K1-K9 the GSX-R750 became a different animal: sharper, faster and so light it almost felt hollow, yet with unparalleled accessibility. It occupied a glorious class all of its own while the swarms of headbanger supersport 600s and über-powerful 1000cc superbikes did their thing.
The crucial leap forward was with the K6 in 2006, when the 750 got a redesigned engine, gearbox and clutch, plus a new frame, fresh suspension and a restyle
– a comprehensive makeover. Suzuki polished this remarkable package to create the L1 in 2011, the Suzuki then remaining unchanged until 2018 after which tightening emission regs unfortunately killed it off
(in Europe at least – the 750 is still a current model elsewhere in the world, and I hope they realise just how lucky they are).
In truth it was the L1 that really did it for me, and 2011 – when I was lucky enough to have one on long-term test – was the year. But I’d owned two GSX-R750S before then; an
‘The 750 will dribble serenely through town at tickover in sixth, pull wild wheelies and do big skids’
’88 Slingshot I had when I was just 18, and a K8 model from 2008. Never conceived to have the most power or tech the post-2000 bikes were, like Baby Bear’s porridge, just right – not too hot and certainly never too cold. They were vivid proof that an inline four-cylinder 750 with around 135bhp at the back wheel and no electronics was all you needed to have the best time, especially if it was wrapped neatly in a lightweight aluminium frame. No sportsbike before or since has been so pure, forgiving, or as wonderfully easy to ride fast.
And as the icing, candles and sparklers on top of an already delicious cake, the 750 also boasts reliability. By its final serious update in 2006 the GSX-R had become so refined that problems are few and far between – most of them are caused by owner neglect, rather than genuine issues with the bike. And as most track-heads went for the 600 and 1000, there’s less chance that overlooked three-quarter-litre model has been abused on a circuit. Any issues the Suzuki may suffer with are small. Its only electronic widgets are the (not particularly useful) variable power maps so there’s very little to go wrong involving wires and black boxes. There can be a few gripes with
the charging system, though, due to an overheating reg/rec – some owners relocate it into the fairing in search of a cooling breeze to help control its temperature. If the fuel injection warning lamp is illuminated it could indicate that the bike’s had a race exhaust fitted at some point, or that it’s suffering from the common throttle position sensor failure. Make sure the exhaust valve opens and closes correctly (seizing and breaking exhaust valves have been an issue since the Y model). Be wary of bikes with aftermarket quickshifters as the 750’s gearbox literally isn’t one of its strong points. You should also check that the front brake master cylinder recall has been carried out. And, finally, the 750’s paint is a little thin in some places, but this is what you’d expect from Suzukis even now.
This might sound a fair old list, but really it’s not. Buying a preloved late-model GSX-R750 is surely one of the nailed-on safest secondhand deals, with this 2006 example from Fast Track Motorcycles being a case in point.
Its engine still feels fresh despite nearly 28,000 miles on the clock and it’s lost none of its eagerness and appetite for revs. It’s surprisingly smooth and refined, with better fuelling than the later L1. There’s no slop in the chassis either; taut, controlled, it changes direction with all the expected ease and accuracy.
This particular bike has an aftermarket Accossato front master cylinder with a nice firm lever, which is a good shout as the standard brakes can be spongy and fade quickly on track. It’s fitted with decent Michelin Power RS rubber too, scrubbed right to the edges (so the previous owner obviously used it properly). And racy rearsets like these always give you more feel for what’s going on beneath you.
I’m not sure about the heated grips, which are too chunky, and while the SC Project pipe looks great and creates a great sound, it’s way too loud for the road. It wouldn’t get past noise testing on a trackday either. As for the black, white and lumo yellow colour scheme, well… each to their own. Truth to tell, even on a chilly February day this GSX-R750 is more exciting and engaging than most of the new bikes I’ve ridden of late, what with their over-intrusive ABS, nannying anti-wheelie and whisper-quiet engines.
It also brings back very fond memories of the first time that I rode a K6, at its world press launch at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. Fast through the ultra-quick bits and nimble through the slow stuff, the Suzuki hugged the track like a Koala does a tree. On one lap I even got a tap on the back seat along the straight from a certain Mr Schwantz, as he blasted by and buggered off into the distance.
This is the kind of Suzuki GSX-R750 that I’d love in my garage. I’d use it less as a road bike – supernakeds are where it’s at for me nowadays, but I’d love it for trackdays where even today its heavenly blend of performance and usability would give a modern superbike a run for its money.
‘Even on a chilly February day it’s more exciting and engaging than most of the new bikes I’ve ridden of late’