Just got my April issue in the mail
Start with the engine: Just like its big brother the 1000. the 600 now boasts a weight saving integrated upper crankcase cylinder vented at the base to reduce power sapping crankcase windage topped with a new and compact cylinder head. Inner whirly bits are all new as well including lighter cams and pistons shorter connecting rods lighter valve buckets and springs and the aforementioned titanium valves. To what end? You guessed it, reduced mechanical losses and a higher maximum engine speed, increased some 1350 rpm to 15500 rpm.
More revs of course equals more power. Suzuki claims 120 crankshaft horsepower (6 more with ram air) and 51 foot pounds of torque. On the track the new engine isn’t shockingly powerful ( a class competitive 110ish at the wheel feels about right). But its rev hungry engine character is light years beyond its fizz free predecessor. We have not seen a dyno chart yet, but the midrange feels extra ---thick this thing pulls hard at 7000—without any perceptible top end loss. Flawless throttle response, aided by new double barrel throttle bodies with 5mm larger inlets, and ample overrev make the GSXR600 exceptionally forgiving on track. Wrong gear? No problem ---the quick revving engine and new, close ration gearbox will bring you back up to speed in no time.
Like the engine, the new frameset has little in common with the GSXR600 of old, Main spars are now extruded (as opposed to welded stamping) a cost saving measure that also increases rigidity. Frame geometry is identical to the 03bike save for 0.75 degrees more rake and 3MM less trail, though the new frame is leaner in the middle:15MM narrower between the main spars and 10MM narrower between the pegs, to be exact. Bodywork has likewise been cinched up: Newly stacked headlights move ram air vents 25MM closer to the bike’s centerline making the fairing 43MM narrower than last year’s. The reshaped fuel tank is also radically smaller---15MM shorter and 30MM narrower at the knees making it easier to tuck in.
The bike looks and feels compact in the saddle, but with largely unchanged geometry, the new GSXR600 doesn’t handle radically differently than the old bike. It still does not dive into turns like the R6, though the stiffer frame does response to handlebar inputs more authoritatively. You do appreciate the narrower width and lighter weight (354 pounds dry, claimed) in Misano’s two tight chicanes were the Gixxer Six is surprisingly easy to flick side to side. And increased agility comes without any loss of stability ---you enter Misano’s Turn 4 in second gear leaning hard to the left and don’t pick up the bike until three turns later, nearing the top of fourth gear and 145mph. As you’re knee-down and accelerating, even grabbing gears, the GSXR chassis (aided by the solid 43MM inverted fork and an improved shock with a larger damping rod) maintains perfect composure.
2004 is shaping up to be the year of big brakes, and the GSXR600, now with radial mount four pistion front calipers and a radial master cylinder, is no exception. On a bike that will likely weigh about 425 pounds wet, this is almost overkill on the street. Even a late-braking move coming down from 145mph for the second gear Tramonto horseshoe is never more than a two-finger affair. These are among the best brakes we’ve sampled on a production bike.
An 03 also ran against all new machines from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Suzuki is back in the hunt in 04. A meaty, rev hungry motor, compact chassis, solid handling and brick wall brakes make the littlest Gixxer a potential giant slayer on the track, and its forgiving power and nondemanding nature should make it a pretty decent all-arounder for street duty as well. The GSXR1000 blew us away last year, sweeping our Bike of the Year balloting---might this miniature version have the same effect on the middleweight class in 04? Comparo time can’t come soon enough.
Start with the engine: Just like its big brother the 1000. the 600 now boasts a weight saving integrated upper crankcase cylinder vented at the base to reduce power sapping crankcase windage topped with a new and compact cylinder head. Inner whirly bits are all new as well including lighter cams and pistons shorter connecting rods lighter valve buckets and springs and the aforementioned titanium valves. To what end? You guessed it, reduced mechanical losses and a higher maximum engine speed, increased some 1350 rpm to 15500 rpm.
More revs of course equals more power. Suzuki claims 120 crankshaft horsepower (6 more with ram air) and 51 foot pounds of torque. On the track the new engine isn’t shockingly powerful ( a class competitive 110ish at the wheel feels about right). But its rev hungry engine character is light years beyond its fizz free predecessor. We have not seen a dyno chart yet, but the midrange feels extra ---thick this thing pulls hard at 7000—without any perceptible top end loss. Flawless throttle response, aided by new double barrel throttle bodies with 5mm larger inlets, and ample overrev make the GSXR600 exceptionally forgiving on track. Wrong gear? No problem ---the quick revving engine and new, close ration gearbox will bring you back up to speed in no time.
Like the engine, the new frameset has little in common with the GSXR600 of old, Main spars are now extruded (as opposed to welded stamping) a cost saving measure that also increases rigidity. Frame geometry is identical to the 03bike save for 0.75 degrees more rake and 3MM less trail, though the new frame is leaner in the middle:15MM narrower between the main spars and 10MM narrower between the pegs, to be exact. Bodywork has likewise been cinched up: Newly stacked headlights move ram air vents 25MM closer to the bike’s centerline making the fairing 43MM narrower than last year’s. The reshaped fuel tank is also radically smaller---15MM shorter and 30MM narrower at the knees making it easier to tuck in.
The bike looks and feels compact in the saddle, but with largely unchanged geometry, the new GSXR600 doesn’t handle radically differently than the old bike. It still does not dive into turns like the R6, though the stiffer frame does response to handlebar inputs more authoritatively. You do appreciate the narrower width and lighter weight (354 pounds dry, claimed) in Misano’s two tight chicanes were the Gixxer Six is surprisingly easy to flick side to side. And increased agility comes without any loss of stability ---you enter Misano’s Turn 4 in second gear leaning hard to the left and don’t pick up the bike until three turns later, nearing the top of fourth gear and 145mph. As you’re knee-down and accelerating, even grabbing gears, the GSXR chassis (aided by the solid 43MM inverted fork and an improved shock with a larger damping rod) maintains perfect composure.
2004 is shaping up to be the year of big brakes, and the GSXR600, now with radial mount four pistion front calipers and a radial master cylinder, is no exception. On a bike that will likely weigh about 425 pounds wet, this is almost overkill on the street. Even a late-braking move coming down from 145mph for the second gear Tramonto horseshoe is never more than a two-finger affair. These are among the best brakes we’ve sampled on a production bike.
An 03 also ran against all new machines from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Suzuki is back in the hunt in 04. A meaty, rev hungry motor, compact chassis, solid handling and brick wall brakes make the littlest Gixxer a potential giant slayer on the track, and its forgiving power and nondemanding nature should make it a pretty decent all-arounder for street duty as well. The GSXR1000 blew us away last year, sweeping our Bike of the Year balloting---might this miniature version have the same effect on the middleweight class in 04? Comparo time can’t come soon enough.
