+ Click to Enlarge DRESSED FOR EXCESS: Most Gixers are blue and white – this one looks mean in black Pictures: DAVE ABRAHAMS. For a screen-filling version of this picture, e-mail dave.abrahams@iol.co.za with "Suzuki GSX-R600" in the subject field.

September 7, 2004
By Dave Abrahams

Suzuki's 2004-model GSX-R600 features a more compact motor, slightly more power, a lighter chassis and slimmer fairing – but the biggest improvement is in the handling, not the power delivery.

Gone is the flighty, somewhat unpredictable front end; the new Showa upside-downies keep the front wheel firmly planted and pointed exactly where you want to go.

The factory's median settings are firm, a little choppy due to the ultra-short 1400mm wheelbase but never harsh.

The GSX-R600 stood up to our bumpy test track better than expected, only throwing me out of the saddle three times – which is better than some dual-purpose bikes have managed.

With a (non-adjustable) steering damper hidden deep inside the fairing on the steering stem, the steering becomes a little inaccurate at walking pace, but anywhere from 40km/h to full tilt boogie the bike runs arrow-straight without the slightest wiggle.

I spent a lot more time than usual howling up and down our 6km test straight (for reasons you'll see shortly) and the bike always felt comfortable, stable and safe.

In the twisties the bike seemed just a little too quick on initial turn-in but I soon learned that the steering is both incredibly sensitive and very accurate; like a Ducati Pantah it goes where you look.

Once settled in mid-corner the bike seemed impervious to minor bumps and ripples – although it tells you about every one of them! – and remained steady as I poured on the power through the apex.

The GSX-R600 seems to prefer a slightly earlier transition from braking to power than some Japanese bikes, which means that you have to plan your corners that much more intuitively, but the results are worth it.

The latest Gixers all have Tokico radially-mounted brake callipers, and the 600 even boasts a GP-style radial piston master cylinder.

What a pity, then, that Hamamatsu's bean-counters have seen fit to spoil the effect by using standard-issue hydraulic hose between them.

Don't get me wrong, the brakes work superbly, with enormous power and two-finger bite, but they lack the razor-sharp modulation and crisp feedback you get with braided stainless-steel hoses.

That's about the only thing I would change on the bike if it was mine

The frame is also new, built around two big extruded spars like that of the GSX-R1000, with new sub-frame mounting points; the swing-arm also gets an external brace for increased rigidity.

Motivation

The motor has been completely revised to make it lighter, more compact and reduce internal losses; apparently this is where most of the weight has been saved, by a painstaking process of re-engineering every component for the optimum weight/strength ratio.

The combustion chambers have been slimmed down for a higher compression ratio with a 22º included angle between the valves, the exhaust ports are 2mm larger and the valves themselves are now made of titanium.

Even the walls of the hollow camshafts have been thinned to reduce weight and inertia.

The barrels are integral with the upper crankcase, which shortens the conrods, and the crankshaft journals are narrower to reduce internal friction.

The tapered throttle body features Suzuki's double butterfly design for smooth pick-up and less jerkiness at small throttle openings, while a faster 32-bit processor and new 22 trigger-pole rev sensor provide more precise control of the fuel and ignition systems.

The sytem has a slight flat spot just off idle but picks up around 3200rpm; there's a usable if slightly lazy mid-range all the way from there to about 8000 revs.

Just below nine the motor begins to vibrate noticeably and from then on things get very intense indeed as the revs build towards the power peak at 13 000rpm.

Anywhere above 10 000rpm the bike literally leaps forward when you open the throttle; you can feel the front end getting light - no matter what gear you're in - if you get rough with it. Acceleration through the gears is impressive, even if the bike does run out of steam slightly at the top.

Flat out

Suzuki claims 88kW at 13 000rpm and I see no reason to doubt that, but the bike is not as long-legged as I was expecting.

I went up and down my 6km test straight six times trying to improve on my results but the best I could get was 242km/h at 13 3000rpm – which at least shows that the gearing is spot on.

I even tried two runs in the close-ratio fifth gear; that gave me 236km/h at 14 700 revs.

The bike will spin deep beyond the redline at 15 500 before it hits the rev limiter but for maximum acceleration I was changing gears at 13 500rpm, just after the power peak.

All bikes get thirsty when you run them for ten minutes at a time with the throttle pinned; I actually ran out of fuel on the GSX-R600.

That's when I found out the that the fuel tank, which has been reshaped to be narrower at the rear for rider comfort and which is claimed to hold 17 litres, won't actually take a drop more than 14.5.

All of this frantic activity in the boiler-room is accompanied by a distinctive brassy intake drone that starts at 4000rpm and just gets louder and higher-pitched the more you rev the motor.

Some people enjoyed the sound; I have to admit I found it unsettling at first but was getting used to it at the end of the five-day test period.

Furnishings

Small it may be but the new tank is much more comfortable, as is the seat, which slopes sharply forward, tilting the rider down towards the clip-ons.

It sounds unbalanced and indeed the strain on your wrists in traffic can become a nuisance but as soon as you get the throttle open and the bike is bopping along through the twisties, the GSX-R600's ergonomics come into their own.

Most of your weight is over the front wheel, giving you precise control and lots of feedback, while the back tyre is free to hop or squirm a little while laying down over 70Nm of torque at full chat.

The handlebars are correctly angled for perfect control and the fooptpegs have been carefully placed so you can move around in the saddle on the way into a corner without upsetting the chassis dynamics.

Suzuki says that it has reduced the frontal area of the bodywork; that's difficult to measure without specialised tools but you can see that the ram-air intakes have been moved closer to the centre-line of the fairing for higher intake pressure and improved cylinder charging.

Bright light

The arrowhead-shaped headlight now has the beams stacked vertically a la Hayabusa to make more room for the intakes, while the compact tail light consists of 14 small LEDs in two rows.

The GSX-R600 has one of the better digital displays I've seen, with a classically legible step motor-driven rev counter and a programmable LCD screen for speed, time, engine coolant and odometer – plus the usual warning icons.

The yellow one advising you to visit your nearest petroleum purveyor comes on far too often; like I said, midweight fours get thirsty when pushed hard and this one thrives on revs.

The GSX-R600 has always had a reputation as a nutter's bike and the latest motor is if anything even more frenetic – but the chassis is now capable of handling the motor's input and then some.

On the latest version of Suzuki's midweight sports four you can hooliganise around your favorite twisties without scaring yourself out of a year's growth.

Thanks to Nibs Cragg at Suzuki South for the test bike. The GSX-R600 costs R85 000.

Specifications:

Motor: Liquid-cooled four-stroke transverse four.
Capacity: 599cc.
Bore x stroke: 67 x 42.5mm
Valvegear: DOHC with four titanium overhead valves per cylinder.
Compression ratio: 12.5:1.
Power: 88.3kW at 13 000rpm.
Torque: 70Nm at 10 800rpm.
Induction: Electronic fuel injection with four 38mm throttle bodies.
Ignition: Digital transistorized electronic.
Starting: Electric.
Clutch: Cable-operated wet multi-plate clutch.
Transmission: Six-speed, constant-mesh gearbox with chain final drive.
Suspension: 43mm Showa inverted cartridge forks adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping at front, link-type piggyback Showa monoshock adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping at rear.
Brakes: Twin 300mm discs with Tokico four piston radial-mount callipers at front, single 220mm disc with twin-pot opposed piston calliper at rear.
Tyres: Front: 120/70 ZR17. Rear: 180/55 ZR17.
Wheelbase: 1400mm.
Seat height: 825mm.
Dry weight: 161kg.
Fuel capacity: 17 litres (claimed).
Price: R85 000.