After MD test rider Quentin Wilson came back from the track launch of the 2004 GSX-R750 singing its praises, we decided we needed to spend some time on the street with Suzuki’s middleweight sportbike to get a better idea of how it worked in the real world. You can click here to read Quentin’s review, which also includes info on the technical specifications of the bike and updates it received for 2004, as well as photos of the gauge cluster, frame, and other components.
Jumping on the GSX-R750, the first thing you notice is how light the bike is. It feels as light as a 600, and indeed Suzuki claims that the 750 is only 4.6 pounds heavier than its own GSX-R600. This initial comparison to a 600 will become a prevailing theme in any analysis of the GSX-R750, as it’s overall feel is much closer to that of a 600 than it is to any of the current 1000cc supersport bikes. At least, everything except the acceleration feels like a 600!
On the street, I found the 750’s handling to be faultless and extremely confidence-inspiring. The front end in particular feels extremely solid, never wandering or feeling vague in a corner. Coming from a dirt-riding background, front-end feel is always the most important factor in determining my confidence to push the pace on any motorcycle, and the GSX-R750 provided all the feedback I could ask for and more. We found the stock fork settings to be a good compromise between commuting and spirited riding, although they were perhaps a bit stiff for a lighter rider like me (I am 5’9″ and weigh about 145lbs). Fortunately, making small changes to the suspension clickers made a noticeable difference. The steering felt a bit heavier than that of most 600s, but I actually felt this made it easier to ride the bike smoothly. However, serious sport riders or trackday nuts might want to change out the stock steering damper for an adjustable unit to help them fine-tune the steering feel to their personal preference.
The rear end was a bit less communicative than the front, and one of our faster testers found it difficult to find an optimal setting when playing with the clickers out back. This might have something to do with the soft, comfortable (for a sportbike at least) seat, which may be diluting rear end feel (no pun intended) to some extent. Nevertheless, I found the rear suspension’s performance to be entirely transparent: that is, it gives you no reason to notice that it is even there as you travel down the road, or around the corner.
The brakes are another standout feature on the GSX-R750. The new radial master cylinder, combined with radial-mount Tokico calipers, puts the power to lift the rear wheel just a two-fingered squeeze away, even at (slighly illegal) highway speeds. The aggressive bite on initial brake application, a characteristic common to many of the recent crop of sportbikes featuring radial-mounted calipers, is absent here. The brakes are smooth and progressive, and the firm lever feel provides excellent feedback to help in modulating the prodigous stopping power available. The rear brake didn’t see much use from most of our testers, but those who did use it didn’t find anything to complain about, and fade was never an issue.
The bike’s ergonomics are heavily biased towards the sporting side, and all of our testers felt that the seat-to-peg relationship was a bit cramped, especially when wearing full leathers or a textile riding suit. Of course, you won’t notice this when riding aggressively, but for commuting or even short hops around town it can be uncomfortable. The seat-to-handlebar relationship was exellent, however, allowing the rider to take more weight off his wrists than on the previous generation 750. The seat, as already mentioned, is fairly comfortable for a sportbike. A taller windscreen would be an excellent modification to make the bike more livable on the freeway. We also found the instrument cluster to be one of the best out there, clean and easy to read.
So far, we have a bike with all the characteristics of a stable, well-mannered 600cc sportbike. Well, that’s what it feels like, until you open up the throttle. The power of the Suzuki’s 749cc DOHC inline four is what really makes the bike great, setting it apart from the 600s as soon as you pull away from a stop.
The bike makes adequate power down low (below 6000 rpm), much more than a 600 but not nearly as much as the current crop of 1000s. Enough power is available to use the lower RPM ranges for around-town drudgery, and the bike will pull from 4000 rpm as you roll onto the throttle without the “dead” feeling most 600cc bike have down low. Power builds smoothly and progressively, and impressive acceleration comes as you pass 7000 rpm on the tach. Above 9000 rpm, I found the 750 to have the perfect combination of awe-inspiring acceleration and confidence-inspiring control. From 9000 to redline at 14000, the 750 sings a sweet song as it surges forward relentlessly, while never threatening to lift the front end (unless you want it to) or spin the rear tire (again, unless you want it to). An abrupt end to the party comes from the rev limiter a little above 14k, although the bike feels like it is still pulling hard at this point. The bike’s sweet (and loud) induction note in the higher rpm range (particularly at full throttle) is more exciting than any loud exhaust I have heard, and it has become something of a trademark of Suzuki’s GSX-R range; who doesn’t remember the first time a GSX-R750 passed them on the street, while their head snapped around looking for the source of that wonderful sound?
The only complaint that surfaced was regarding the somewhat abrupt feeling of the fuel injection. Some of our testers felt that the bike wasn’t as smooth as it could have been during the transition from closed to open throttle – this condition was exaggerated by a soft throttle return spring, which provided little resistance when opening the throttle. The fueling seemed a little lean, particularly below 5000 rpm.
The transmission on our test unit was a bit notchy, but only when compared to the typically smooth and precise action of most Suzuki sportbikes we have ridden. The unit performed well, however, always delivering the selected ratio and not demanding too much force be used on the shift lever. The clutch worked like a clutch should; that is, it was entirely out of mind while riding the bike.
After spending several weeks with the GSX-R750, I have found serious cause to lament the demise of the 750cc sportbike category. Prior to this test, I was regularly riding the latest and greatest 1000cc supersport machines (for our 2004 1000cc Shootout). I found that I rarely encountered a situation where it was safe and prudent to unleash the full power of bikes like the GSX-R750’s big brother, the GSX-R1000. Let’s face it – a big part of the fun in riding a high-revving, four-cylinder sportbike is found in the last 3000 rpm before redline. Unfortunately, for most riders of average skill level, these last 3000 rpm are rarely accessible on a modern 1000cc machine on the street. Particularly with a lightweight like me on board, I found that when entering this range at full throttle on a 1000cc bike, one of two things happened: in first, second, and sometimes third gear, the front wheel would rotate rapidly skywards, while in third (if I managed to keep the wheel down), fourth, or the higher gears, I would find myself unwilling to massively obliterate the speed limit for my own, selfish enjoyment.
600cc bikes, despite their light weight and superb handling, just don’t provide the “rush” that you get from the powerful acceleration of a 1000. Not only that, but their lack of low-end power can make them a chore to ride around town and in traffic. The GSX-R750 is the best of both worlds: it combines the light weight and confident, flickable handling of a 600 with a more useable low-end and midrange powerband, and has enough power on top to invite comparisons to the 1000cc bikes. Or, as one of our testers put it, “Goldilocks would like this bike, everything about it seems just right.” That’s my kind of porridge.
