Motorcycle Review: Suzuki's GSX packs a punch
The 2015 GSX-S750 is Suzuki's new entry in a fast-growing category of motorcycles -- the budget-priced naked streetfighter.
Suzuki has taken their best-selling inline four-cylinder sportbike, the GSX-R 750, widely known as the 'Gixxer,' and tuned it for the daily urban jungle.
It's priced at just under $8,000 and aimed at attracting new and younger riders, a segment everyone from Harley Davidson to Ducati is going after these days. It is a direct competitor for Yamaha's new FZ-09, an identically priced 850cc triple-cylinder motorcycle
The GSX-S 750 is powered by a smooth, torque-filled engine based on an earlier-generation Gixxer motor, placed in a new frame and without fairings, hence the naked designation. The seating position is more comfortable than the Gixxer or other pure sportbikes, with handlebars instead of clip-on race bars that allow a less bent-over, less committed riding position.
Its engine management system delivers smooth power, tuned for peak performance in the middle of the tachometer's range, right where you can use it on the street.
The price is more than $4,000 less than the racier Gixxer 750, so there are of course some compromises:
-- The suspension is adequate but not top shelf, and the same can be said for the disc brakes, which stop well but lack the precise feel of the latest radial-mounted high-end calipers. Upgrades can be found in the aftermarket.
-- The bike weighs a bit more than its pure sportbike cousin, about 470 lbs full of fuel.
-- It has no anti-lock brakes, traction control or multiple riding modes -- the high-tech electronic goodies that are starting to become common in high-performance motorcycles.
But this defintely doesn't rides like a discount motorcycle. Without the electronic rider aides, it offers a pure riding experience -- with an easy-to-control motor and neutral steering that turns in eagerly and holds its line with confidence. It's easy to handle in traffic and a blast when the road gets twisty.
The dashboard combines a digital readout with a nice round analog tachometer that's easy to read at a glance. It even has a digital gear position indicator, a feature found on more expensive bikes but often missing at this price.
This bike has been sold in Europe for five years as the GSR and is just now making it to the United States for 2015. It is so new that it hasn't yet been cleared yet for sale in California, which has its own tight emissions regulations, but it's available in the other 49 states now. It should be available in California for the 2016 model year, when Suzuki also plans to introduce a bigger naked GSX-S with a 1,000cc engine.
In fact, this 750 Suzuki looks a lot like more expensive 1,000cc naked bikes from BMW, Honda and others. The GSX-S 750 is an affordable, even practical route to high-performance riding.