Ridden: Suzuki GSX-R 600 K7

Suzuki is a popular motorcycle manufacturer, although you would be forgiven for asking why. The company itself has not been without its fair share of economic troubles of late. Also they do not compete in the current MotoGP and although they have bikes in the world superbike championship, they have only had one successful race in 2013 to date.

Other manufacturers are experimenting with firing orders such as the big bang R1 and incorporating various electronic gizmos such as traction control, launch control and anti-wheelie found on the HP4. Meanwhile Suzuki stick with the same formula. Although their later bikes come out with various riding modes and electronic gizmo’s, the K7 GSX-R600 was a raw machine that found its way into motorcycle enthusiasts hearts the world over.

I owned a GSX-R 600 and a few of the main reasons for my purchase was because of its solid build, reliability and also the attractive tail end (once you've cleaned it up and removed the plate holder etc). Also the 600 is an attractive option for those who are still new to biking yet have some experience. I took my 600 to the track and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I could thrash it all day long and it would soak up the punishment. It also built up my confidence and enabled me to improve on my lean angle through the corners. The front end grip was good, and as long as you kept the RPM up, it provides plenty up-and-go.

One of the best stylistic features of the GSXR-600 k7 model is its shorty tail pipe that just appears out of the right hand side of the bike. The MotoGP styled exhaust also helps to keep a low centre of gravity which assists in cornering ability.

For the entire time I had my GSX-R600 I only had two issues, one was the rectifier which threw in the towel and my throttle valve actuator also stopped working, giving me the FI error. However these problems were easy enough to solve and I wasn’t exactly being gentle with my Gixxer.

Suzuki quotes 92KW at 13500RPM and 67.6Nm at 11 500RPM. Criticisms of the GSX-R would be the cramped riding position for taller riders and lack of low down acceleration, although this is expectant in most supersports. Aside from the R6, the GSX-R600 is definitely one of the best looking supersports available.