THE WORLD’S GREATEST BIKES #13 SUZUKI GSX-R750WT
The iconic bulbous-tailed SRAD that brought high-revving hijinks to 1990s Britain
In 1985 Suzuki’s GSX-R750F redefined the term ‘sportsbike’, thanks to its light weight and revolutionary handling. Despite evolving over the years, by the mid-1990s Suzuki’s flagship was decidedly dated. Something needed to be done, so in 1996 Suzuki released a completely new sportsbike, the GSX-R750WT… better known as the SRAD.
Anyone into biking in the 1990s remembers the release of the SRAD – and it was all down to a stroke of marketing genius. Suzuki’s development team drew inspiration for the chassis from their 500GP bike, which had just won the 1993 title in the hands of Kevin Schwantz. The fact the SRAD’s all-new aluminium twin-spar frame replicated the same 1400mm wheelbase and 24-degree rake angle as the RGV500 was picked up upon by Suzuki’s marketing department and very quickly the image of the RGV’s silhouette over the SRAD was splashed in every magazine. This alone was enough to secure iconic status but what really drove sales was the fact the new GSX-R felt like a race bike with lights.
Smaller and lighter than any of its rivals, and a massive 20kg less than the GSX-R750WS it replaced, the SRAD responded to rider inputs like a racing thoroughbred. Boasting fully adjustable suspension with beefy 43mm forks, six-piston calipers and three-spoke wheels, the SRAD looked like it had just escaped from the WSBK pits and its aerodynamic bodywork and bulbous pillion seat cover only served to reinforce this impression. And then there was the engine.
Featuring Suzuki Ram Air Direct for the first time, the SRAD was a full-on screamer of an inline-four with oversquare dimensions, SCEM (Suzuki Composite Electrochemical Material) coated barrels and lightweight internals all designed to allow it to rev to high hell. Or more precisely 13,500rpm, although the rev counter went all the way to 16,000rpm. Suzuki claimed that thanks to gaping 39mm Mikuni carbs, the forced airbox and straight intake ports the SRAD would produce 126bhp, which was only a tantalising 2bhp less than Honda claimed for their new 918.5cc FireBlade. In reality both bikes produced a genuine 113bhp although the Blade had more mid-range than the slightly gutless Suzuki. But the Blade was lardy where the GSX-R750 was like a supersport bike on steroids. In fact, it was lighter than most of the supersport bikes of the day.
Despite demolishing its 750cc rivals in comparison tests, the SRAD wasn’t quite the roaring showroom success that Suzuki hoped for – especially after Yamaha unveiled the YZF-R1 in 1998. And it didn’t set the world on fire when it came to track success either. Yes, it had a few notable performances, taking the World Endurance title in 1997 and again in 1999, finishing runner-up in BSB in 2000 and winning a few WSBK races but that was about it. Even gaining fuelinjection in 1998 wasn’t enough to change its fortunes. So why does everyone remember the SRAD with such fondness?
The GSX-R750 SRAD was a bike of its time. Its rev-happy and full-on nature sums up not only what we loved about Suzuki’s GSX-R range but also the whole two-wheeled scene in the late 1990s. And its array of somewhat dubious paint schemes are redolent of that golden era only a GSX-R could get away with black and bronze or even purple with cheetah print inlays. Although let’s be honest, it always looked best in blue and white.
The SRAD put Suzuki and its GSX-R back on the map, paved the way for the GSX-R1000 K1 and allowed riders to feel like they were sitting astride a bike that was the same, dimensionally speaking, as Kevin Schwantz’s racer.