Motorcyclist

First Ride: 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 - Supersport Stalker

There are certain conditions that must be met before you can summon the courage to enter Misano's Turn 11 properly-that is to say, flat-out in fifth gear. First, have a firm grip on the handlebars. Second, make sure you're aboard a proper sportbike, one that's responsive enough to snap into a knee-down bend at nearly 150 mph but not enough to wander off-line at any point. You want to nail this exit. Oh yeah, and it's also nice to be able to see where you're going.
We managed the first point, and Suzuki's latest GSX-R600 pinned the second set of conditions regarding the bike. The winter weather in central Italy, however-with temperatures in the 40s and dense fog that limited visibility to maybe 150 feet (or an inch, when you accidentally exhaled on your faceshield)-was complicating the third point, and making every lap during the official 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 world press launch an exciting one. Welcome to the Misty Misano Hop.
Hey, at least it wasn't snowing, like the last time we rode GSX-R600s at Misano in the winter of '04. Suzuki must get a great off-season price on track rental here. Though questionable riding conditions might frustrate journalists looking to turn fast laps (or just stay upright and unbroken), they do tell us a lot about the character and ability of a given bike. Challenging (and constantly changing) conditions demand flexible, forgiving performance, and this latest-generation GSX-R600 is both.
It's a testament to how well the last-generation GSX-R600 worked that there were very few mechanical changes required for '08 to keep it in the hunt in the hyper-competitive 600cc marketplace. It already offered great handling with a reassuringly neutral character, capable suspension and excellent ergonomics. The most obvious area for improvement was the engine. Honda's CBR600RR made every other 600 seem underpowered, so Suzuki concentrated its efforts on pumping up low- and midrange power without sacrificing anything up top.
A milder intake cam, smaller-diameter throttle bodies and a smaller-diameter exhaust header all strengthen low- and midrange power. Peak output remains unchanged from '08 thanks to a slight compression increase (from 12.5:1 to 12.8:1) that is enough to restore the top-end power losses resulting from the midrange-boosting changes. Suzuki didn't divulge any hard numbers, but company dyno charts show a slight horsepower increase for the '08 engine around 7000 rpm and tapering off as the two curves merge again near 14,000 rpm, short of the 16,000-rpm redline.
The new engine feels strong off corners, accelerating with an authority that feels similar to what we remember from Honda's RR. Questionable grip on both test days (street tires, cold temps and 99.9 percent humidity, say no more) made us reluctant to rev too aggressively in the corners. Instead, we often ran a gear higher than usual to more easily manage the action at the rear contact patch. Thanks to the '08's added midrange oomph, this is a perfectly valid strategy-the new bike pulls strongly from as low as 5500 rpm, so being a bit lazy with the shift lever isn't the certain lap-time death that it can be on some other 600cc sportbikes.
It also helps that this latest Gixxer Six is a willing revver, thanks to newly enlarged inter-cylinder ventilation ports that help the motor spool up even faster, along with finer-atomizing, eight-hole injectors that contribute essentially flawless throttle response. No matter where on the tach you're starting from, peak power is never too far away.
In addition to improving outright engine performance, another engineering aim for '08 was to increase engine power "adjustability." Now, for the first time, the GSX-R600 also gets Suzuki's S-DMS drive-mode-selector apparatus that allows the rider to toggle among three distinct power output profiles (A, B and C mode) on demand using "up" and "down" buttons located on the right-hand switchgear.
S-DMS has some cachet on the sales floor, and we can see its utility on a GSX-R1000 or Hayabusa, but who ever asked for a slower 600? While this technology seems slightly superfluous on big bikes, it strikes us as downright unnecessary on the GSX-R600. Perhaps less-experienced riders will appreciate this form of passive traction control, but especially on a bike with such predictable power delivery as this latest GSX-R, it's redundant.
Compared to the minor powerplant refinements, the styling updates for '08 are pretty radical. Suzuki characterizes this as "emotional" styling, whatever that means; we might characterize it as "exaggerated." There's lots of surface tension and dramatic details, little points and fangs along the nose, peaks and spines on the fairing and lots of highly stylized elements that seem a bit over-the-top in person. Whatever our opinion, it's certainly aggressive looking, and at least effective as far as keeping you out of the wind. A new triple-headlight array (center projector low beam with left/right multi-reflector high beams) is said to offer an expanded illumination area, especially while cornering, while making room for larger SRAD ram-air intakes at the center of the nose where positive air pressure is the greatest.
Underneath the plastic, the GSX-R600 chassis is essentially unchanged for '08. We had no objections with the light-steering, neutral-handling '07 model. This was our first time riding at Misano since the course had been reconfigured to run clockwise, a change to make the track safer and pave the way for the return of MotoGP. This change also created one of the most challenging turn sequences we've confronted anywhere (turns 11-14 are now essentially one decreasing-radius corner), which revealed loads about the manners of this new bike.
Despite the substantial gyroscopic effect of two wheels spinning at almost 150 mph, turning the GSX-R600 into Turn 11 is surprisingly low effort: Lighter wheels and thinner brake rotors slightly decrease rotating mass. Bumps in T11 are nothing to worry about, even at this insane speed, because the new electronic steering damper keeps the front wheel right on line. You're still leaned over and now entering T12, maintaining throttle (and speed) right up to the apex.
As soon as you apex T12 it's time to stand up the bike as much and as quickly as possible before clamping on the brakes for third-gear T13. Stronger four-piston radial Tokico calipers (same as on the Hayabusa) slow the '08 GSX-R600 down, and a revised radial master-cylinder ratio makes the more powerful brakes as easy to modulate as before-a good thing because you need to trail brake right to the apex to make this corner successfully.
The T13 exit is the first spot since the entrance to T11 that you have the bike completely upright, accelerating down the short chute into hairpin T14. This is the slowest corner on the track, with the hardest braking zone, and the best test of the newly upgraded (and excellent) slipper clutch that benefits from an extra clutch plate and a revised drive-cam profile that improves clutch action and feedback.
This back section of Misano, entering the stadium, is a tremendous test of chassis stability and overall composure and the rider's testicular circumference. That we were able to negotiate this challenge without major troubles for two days straight in what can only be described as dodgy conditions says loads about the little Gixxer's attributes. "Balanced Performance" was the primary goal of this redesign, Suzuki Sportbike Product Planner Norihiro Suzuki told us at the beginning of his presentation, and balanced performance is exactly what the '08 Suzuki GSX-R600 delivers.





Click here for complete article