News 1 Jan 2009

Full Test: 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600

Suzuki's GSX-R600 is even better for '08, striking extra fear into its toughest of competitors.

Suzuki's GSX-R600
DRIVE MODES
The Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) was introduced last year on the GSX-R1000, giving riders three separate options on the bike’s power output at the flick of a button, essentially allowing riders to take away the whopping power on tap if need be.

Suzuki has now adapted that same S-DMS system to the GSX-R600, giving supersport riders the option to tone down the power of they want to.

The most common question I get is does it really make that big of a difference? The answer is yes, it does. A massive difference.

When starting the bike, it automatically starts on its full-power A mode, but hold in the switch on the right handlebar for a few seconds and the A, B or C option will flick up on the dash.

A mode is full power, B mode is medium power and C mode is the least power. You can feel a massive difference in power when riding, and our dyno graph shows this even more.

In A mode the bike has 114hp of power and 45ft-lbs of torque at 13,430rpm, B mode has 97hp and 38ft-lbs, while C mode has 72hp of power and 29ft-lbs of torque.

Those are major differences in power and Suzuki has done a brilliant job of giving riders an option at the flight of a button. I prefer the A mode of the three as it has the power you need while still being smooth enough to handle.

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Engine type: four-stroke, liquid-cooled DOHC
Bore x stroke: 67 x 42.5mm
Displacement: 599cc
Compression ratio: 12.8:1
Transmission: Six speed
Power (claimed): 114hp
Torque (claimed): 45ft-lbs

CHASSIS
Frame type: Aluminium
Front suspension: Inverted telescopic, coil spring, oil damped
Rear suspension: Link type, coil spring, oil damped
Wheelbase: 1400mm
Wheels (front/rear): Not given
Tyres (front/rear): 120/70-ZR-17 / 180/55-ZR-17
Brakes (front/rear): 2 x Radial mount, 4-piston calipers, 310 mm disc / one-piston caliper, 220 mm disc

DIMENSIONS
Weight (claimed): 180kg
Seat height: 810mm
Fuel capacity: 17L

PURCHASE DETAILS
Price: TBA
Colour options: Metallic Blue/White, Pearl White or Solid Black
Test bike from: Suzuki Australia (www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au)

When I think of Suzuki’s GSX-R600 I think of a great road bike that does an exceptional job on the track also. In previous years its real world performance has always shined near the top of magazines real world comparisons, largely thanks to its rider friendliness and usability.

Often beating out the best that the other manufacturers could offer, the GSX-R600’s results on the road speak for themselves, but it lacked that same form on the race track in circuit-based comparisons.

Suzuki’s head of product planning for sportsbikes, Norihiro Suzuki, announced to the world’s moto-journalists at the 2008 model’s world launch in Italy that this year’s bike is designed to be faster around a race track.

As Suzuki’s slogan is ‘Own the Race Track’, they didn’t exactly live up to that name last year, although that’s not to say the K7 was a bad bike on the track. This supersport category is just so competitive that any little thing that can hold a bike back will affect it big time.

In Suzuki’s case, that one thing that held it back at track tests previously was power — mainly the way it was delivered. Compared with its four-cylinder rivals, the K7 GSX-R600 just felt that touch flatter in the mid-range of the powerband and that hampered its performance off the turns.

But this year’s K8 model Gixxer 600 is different. It’s designed to have that extra bit of mid-range torque for a bit more squirt off the corners and Suzuki-san said at the launch that the manufacturer’s aim to go faster around race tracks was to increase that mid-range grunt.

And what a difference that bit of extra power makes on the road, too. I haven’t had the chance to sample the K8 on the track yet, but I can’t wait to see if the mid-range power improvements give it that extra boost on track that it needs to contend for the top slot in the supersport ranks.

While I’m still waiting to sample the extra power on tap at the track, I can confirm that the extra zap makes the bike that we ranked the best on-road last year even better again with its new refinements.

The gear indicator is a nice touch on the Suzuki instruments

The gear indicator is a nice touch on the Suzuki instruments

Interestingly, the peak-power hasn’t increased over last year’s model, with Suzuki stating that rider friendliness in the power delivery is its key to gaining an advantage over its competitors.

The mid-range pull of Suzuki’s middleweight weapon is a key factor that makes the Suzuki so solid and easy to ride in the real world, because its power delivery is broad and easy to use — quite the opposite of Yamaha’s YZF-R6, which is mostly top-end power.

What is another interesting point is that while the Yamaha Racing Team factory Supersport squad mostly dominate the Australian Supersport Championship with the likes of Jamie Stauffer and Jeremy Crowe, Suzuki’s single-bike Team Joe Rocket Suzuki effort of Josh Waters on his Phil Tainton Racing prepared Gixxer is usually the only bike to challenge the R6s on the track on a regular basis.

This shows that the Suzuki does have racing capabilities when fettled a bit, and Waters’ form to date this year does seem to be improved over last year even though the Suzuki team is still sorting the fresh K8 model.

Back to my road test, it is undeniable that the Suzuki’s broad powerband is the most rider-friendly engine in the supersport division and features power from the bottom to the top of the rev range.

That point of the bike is what makes it so fun to ride on the street, eliminating the character of a bit of lag followed by a hard hit in the power that most of the 600s have. Suzuki’s broad power does make it feel a little flat still, with no massive spikes in the power curve, but it is pulling hard from almost any rpm.

The engine makes its maximum power of 114 horsepower at 13,430rpm, and the seat of the pants feel feels like the bike really starts to hit its stride just past 10,000rpm.

It’s a torquey little beast too, with 45ft-lbs available at the twist of the grip and it’s all delivered in one gradual push.

When riding the bike at speed, it pulls right through the range from very low revs and really begins to surge just after 8000rpm before pulling even harder around 10,000rpm mark.

The tacho reads up to 18,000rpm, with an indicated redline of 16,000rpm, but I never really feel the need to rise to those sort of revs and prefer to short-shift at around 13,500rpm most of the time.

Reading the revs is easy as the analogue tachometer display is open and readable, along with a handy shift light and gear indicator — two nice features that complete the instrument panel nicely.

Along with that are the usual warning lights and a digital display that has odometer, two trip metres, trip reset, bike temperature, and a clock.

Its power character basically means that most gears pull quite well in the six-speed gearbox of the GSX-R600, but I find the sooner you shift to the next gear then the quicker and stronger the power will pull.

Speaking of the gearbox, it seems the more kilometres that I clock up on our demo bike then the better the ‘box becomes. At first it felt a little notchy and difficult to change up gears, but as the bike settles in on my test loop I notice it becomes easier to shift.

The gear ratio is quite good also, as it isn’t overly tall and allows me to shift through and use most gears in different situations, taking advantage of the broad powerband in different sections of roads.

On the track

On the track

I find third and fourth gear are both pretty usable in the tight and open sections of road that I test on, with the lower gears good for the tighter stuff and fifth and sixth mostly used when cruising along the open roads.

Without any major hits in the power curve, the excitement levels of the GSX-R aren’t as high as that of an R6 or the like, but sometimes excitement isn’t exactly the plan when out on a road ride. The smooth and gradual power of the Suzuki makes it feel like you can do almost anything with it.

It’s similar to last year as far as power goes, although just that bit fatter throughout the rev range.

Accelerating from corner to corner, the GSX-R pulls admirably and with ease, with throttle response as good as any before the trademark broad power helps flowing with ease.

Whether you hit the power in an aggressive way or ease it on in a smooth manner, the character is strong and responsive, also smooth enough to keep urging you to twist the throttle hat little bit harder and sooner.

Using 7.3 litres of fuel per 100km at a fair pace in both tight and opening riding areas, the GSX-R does use quite a bit and I’d say that is because keeping the engine at a medium rev rate is the way to go. The tank also actually holds half a litre more than the K7.

Another exciting aspect of the K8 Gixxer 600 is that it features the trick Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS), which allows riders to switch between A, B and C power modes — exactly the same as what was introduced on the GSX-R1000 last year (see sidebar).

In fact, Suzuki’s press clearly states that the company had a clear goal when developing the GSX-R600K8: take everything it had learned with its highly successful GSX-R1000 and use it to leapfrog up the 600cc ladder.

Along with the engine’s extra torque, there are chassis changes that have been implemented into the K8 GSX-R600 as well.

Handling is definitely the strong point of the Suzuki middleweight, with stability being the key as the Gixxer seems to have a good balance between being agile and stable. Ride on bumpy roads and it will hold its line and keep both wheels in line without a worry with minimal headshake or movement, while it also steers well when in the twisties.

It’s a fine line between being stable and agile, with Suzuki leaning towards stability more so than the other manufacturers but that’s not to say it doesn’t steer quickly enough.

One of the major reasons it is so stable is because it has adopted the electronically controlled steering damper that has been used on the GSX-R1000 previously, giving it that option of having a light feel at low speed or a heavier feel at high speed or over bumps when the ‘bars start to move.

The bike’s stability comes into play in a number of circumstances as I flow through an open section of roads without any concerns at all of headshake or the like. It’s stable in a straight line and equally as planted when tipping in to one corner and on to the next.

Mode Indicator

Suzuki's mode switch is easy to toggle from the handlebar

There’s no minor patter that is felt through the tyres or ‘bars and, like I mentioned before, the Bridgestone BT016 stay planted to the road surface at all times. In fact, Bridgestone’s newest street tyre is a brilliant match for this bike and heats quickly while providing optimum grip at both front and rear. Its wear pattern looks clean as well, indicating pretty decent durability.

The ergonomics of the GSX-R600 are still a little bit larger than its competitors as it feels long and wide, but for the taller riders in the supersport ranks, the Suzuki is roomy and extremely comfortable.

While I prefer the smaller bikes in the range such as the Honda CBR600RR or the R6, bigger riders much prefer the room available from the Gixxer. It’s a personal preference really and it’s not a massive bike by any means.

The seating position sits low with a pretty comfortable reach to the ‘bars, and there’s only a slight tilt forward — giving the bike a good mix of a racy sportsbike but also a comfy street bike.

While stability is top notch, it does require a touch more effort to steer the GSX-R into the corners, but I find that if you dap the front brake that touch harder to move the suspension further down in the stroke then it turns brilliantly. Another option would be to take some pre-load off the forks.

The 310mm twin disc Tokico front brakes work well without much pressure, although I find I have to adjust them out a step when they fade a little bit after a long time in the saddle. No such trouble with the rear as it’s consistent and has plenty of feel.

It might be a little bit harder on initial turn-in to the corners, but once that part of the turn is complete then it holds its line exceptionally well to finish off the corner. This is another aspect of the bike’s strong stability.

Bumps aren’t a problem for the Suzuki as it doesn’t feel flight or anything, the Showa 41mm fully-adjustable inverted forks soak up all except the harshest of bumps, with the shock absorber also performing up to scratch to complete the bike’s balance.

Stripped Down

Stripped Down

The cast aluminium wheels in the GSX-R600 K8 are lighter, reducing unsprung weight and this could also help the bike handle quite a bit better, with a lighter feel than last year’s model. Suzuki notes that the lighter wheels also help acceleration.

An important part of purchasing any bike is the looks, and Suzuki’s minor refinements to this year’s model has given it yet another fresh new look and I especially like the white/silver colour scheme that is our test bike.

White seems to be popular here in 2008 and I like it a lot, especially with those flashes of blue that still show it’s a Suzuki, but if white isn’t for you then there’s the standard pearl blue/white or the black/matt black colours.

The shape of the nose piece and rear of the bike have changed slightly, with the nose a bit longer and the rear a bit stumpier like the GSX-R1000. The bodywork on the GSX-R600 actually makes it look that bit bigger than what it feels.

While I was a fan of the short exhaust pipe on last year’s model, Suzuki has hit the nail on the head with the K8 exhaust and I reckon it looks trick. It’s not too big or too small — just right.

If you’re a keen street rider who likes sportsbikes, you can’t go wrong with the GSX-R600. It’s got good performance on track while its comfort on the road makes it great to take on long hauls if you’re into the longer stints.

At $14,990 plus on-roads, the value is good and Suzuki is on to a winner for both the road and the track.

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