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Switching Sides
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Corona Suzuki GSX-R1000 Racer
Alan Cathcart
10/01/2007
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Photography By Kel Edge
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Once I got used to the street-pattern powershifter, I found it
even faster shifting and more precise than a year ago, when the six-dog pinions
were introduced to replace the slightly heavier-shifting three-dog setup of
before. This delivers that warp-factor, wheel-free acceleration that is so
impressive, and would account for Suzuki’s impressive wins at Qatar and
Brno—tracks with many sweeping turns followed by short straights. Marelli’s
anti-wheelie ability has already proven to be extremely effective on other
bikes, including Suzuki’s GSV-R MotoGP contender. There was a big contrast
between the Biaggi Suzuki and last year’s Mitsubishi-equipped bike, which was
much more wheelie prone.
I did not care for the rather vague feeling I had from the back
end of the ’07 Suzuki. There did not seem to be the same feedback from the rear
tire I received on previous GSX-R1000 Superbikes. The front seemed fine—as
responsive and planted as ever, on a par with the WP forks on the Toseland
Honda. I had a strange semi-detachment from the rear end, and I certainly didn’t
feel that legendary connection between throttle and wheel exiting a tight turn.
Perhaps 20 laps is not enough track time to get to understand a bike that had
its character so totally changed by its new rider. But, I just did not feel
immediately confident on the Suzuki in the same way as I had on the Toseland
Honda or Bayliss Ducati.
 The GSX-R1000 may look as if it has
two exhausts, but only the left exhaust is live, due to a quirk in World
Superbike rules. (Click image to enlarge)
"You’re in good company!" said Biaggi’s race engineer Giacomo
Guidotti when I stopped to try some new suspension settings. "Suzuki changed the
chassis for 2007, and this one has different flex, and the rear suspension is an
all-new Pro-Link design, which means you can alter the link, ride height and
swingarm pivot. But the riders don’t like it as much as last year’s bike,
especially at the rear where they can’t get the same feeling as the old one.
That’s in spite of trying many different links, and this is our fourth different
swingarm. It’s a very complicated bike to set up, especially for someone as
sensitive as Max, who will spot if a tire has turned even just 10mm on the rim,
as often happens."
"We know what Yoshimura have done in the AMA series to correct
the handling issue," asserts Bruno Bailly. "They use a mixture of 2006 and 2007
parts, and modify the anchor points for the shock—all things we’re not allowed
to do under SBK rules." However, a close reading of the rulebook has allowed the
Belgian Suzuki team to pull one neat stunt, though. Unlike the previous K6
version’s single-can pipe, this year’s K7 Suzuki has a twin-silencer exhaust
system. Because SBK rules demand an identical silhouette to stock, Alstare
Corona adapted its 4-1 Arrow system into what looks like a 4-1-2 format; except,
the right-hand silencer is a dummy. Biaggi’s bike actually exhales only through
one silencer.
Though handling issues caused by the new rear suspension may yet prove
insurmountable without the ability to mix-and-match parts from older models as
Alstare believes the Yoshimura team has done in the USA, the Suzuki’s wonderful
engine is the key to an otherwise outstanding motorcycle. It has an even better
power delivery than before, and the adoption of Marelli engine management will
get the most out of the existing motor. I can not help feeling that Suzuki is
ultimately going to have to go for a shorter-stroke version that delivers more
revs and better breathing to successfully match the increasingly competitive
engine performance of the new same-format Yamaha. Or, just maybe, to take a lead
from Honda’s and Aprilia’s future models, and go the V4 route, perhaps by
adapting their now successful GSV-R concept to the one-liter Superbike class.
Now, there’s a thought!
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