Duncan recently pioneered running the track in a counter-clockwise direction. It makes for a smoother, more flowing layout, and includes a nearly seven-tenths-of-a-mile long straight, followed by a fast sweeping lefthander. Riding the track layout for the first time, I found myself preoccupied with figuring out which way the corners went rather than trying to further evaluate the bike. Interestingly, that experience encapsulated what is so impressive about this bike—the GSX-R750 behaved flawlessly and allowed me to focus on my riding, despite the unfamiliar track layout. A fan by the day’s end; clearly the middleweight Gixxer would have its mettle tested. (Click image to enlarge)

Accelerating hard in second gear out of the slow Mazda hairpin, the Gixxer pulled seamlessly from around 4,000 rpm. The six-speed gearbox has a nice short throw at the lever, and each gear selects smoothly. There is no missed shifting, no worrying, just the freedom to focus on the next corner that is now rushing alarmingly toward me. On that long straight I was seeing over 150 mph indicated before coming on to the brakes for the fast sweeper. Even the high speeds involved didn’t faze the Tokico radial calipers; there was no hint of fade and the radial master cylinder provided wonderful feel at the lever. Further on in the lap, screaming past the pits on the front straight led to a slow 90-degree righthander, and changing down through the gearbox into second gear was made seamless by the slipper clutch. Again, it was one less factor to be concerned about. Simple.

 

And that is what I find so addicting about the Suzuki GSX-R750. It is the ability of the bike to fit so well, to perform so simply, so easily in every possible way, that the bike becomes one with the rider. Rather than think about the machine, or any aspect of what it is doing, I find my entire focus is on the ribbon of unraveling pavement ahead. Bravo, Suzuki.

www.suzukicycles.com