It’s amazing to think Suzuki’s GSX-R750 has been around for 30 years. Thirty years of racetrack wins and showroom domination, the GSX-R750 embodies what a real sportbike should be – fast, light, and oh-so-good looking. It’s also the last of what superbikes used to be, a refugee that escaped the widespread slaughter of the 750 four-cylinder class when the bigger, stronger and faster 1000cc brigade confined them to the history books over a decade ago. Kawasaki stopped building their ZX-7R back in 2003 and the GSX-R has been on its own ever since. So why keep at it? The simple answer is because it’s still one of the best road-going sportbikes on the planet.
The GSX-R750 combines a near perfect blend of the light-footed nimbleness of a 600, just with more bite from the engine. Indeed, it’s basically an up-scaled GSX-R600 with pretty much every component the same, bar the slightly larger engine, which you don’t have to rev the guts out of like the 600 to get decent performance. The throttle is beautifully mapped, the gearbox sports that trademark Suzuki smoothness, and you get that classic GSX-R induction roar every time you wind that cable throttle to the stop. It’s a sound I just love to death. Suzuki has fitted their S-DMS (Suzuki Drive Mode Selector) as the only form of electronic control with the GSX-R750 – personally I think it’s a waste of time and would rather see switchable ABS as a safety feature because the engine is so user friendly it doesn’t need it.
The GSX-R750 is graced with the latest iteration of the Showa Big Piston Fork, which is a mile better than when it first came out five years ago. The ride on standard suspension settings is relatively soft and purebred sportbike and track riders will no doubt take a hammer and flatblade to the rear shock straight away, but for day-to-day street riding the GSX-R is one of the more comfortable sportbikes out there. I still find the mirrors next to useless but I do like the way the turn signals are integrated into the design – not a new feature, I know, but I still like it.
Possibly the best feature of the 2015 GSX-R for my money is the MotoGP inspired paint job. I’ve already had a discussion with one guy who hates it, but I reckon it comes up a treat (you can get a white version, but that’s no fun). The fluro pin-stripped wheels look great under streetlights in the night time and it gives the bike a racy feel, even if this 750 will probably see less track time than the 600 or 1000.
The GSX-R750 is a great bike because its focus is on road riding, not lap records. The fact that it’s basically a big 600 is cool because you get smaller dimensions than a 1000 with more power than a 600, and what’s not to love about that?
Specifications: 2015 Suzuki GSX-R750
Engine: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder
Displacement: 750cc
Bore x stroke: 70 x 48.7mm
Compression ratio: 12.5:1
Ignition: Key
Transmission: Six speed
Frame type: Twin-spar
Front suspension: Showa inverted forks, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Sowa monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brake: Twin disc, four-piston Brembo calipers
Rear brake: Single disc, single-piston Brembo caliper
Front tire: Bridgestone Battlax BT016F 120/70 ZR17 58W.
Rear tire: Bridgestone Battlax BT016F 180/55 ZR17 73W
Rake: N/A
Trail: N/A
Seat height: 31.9 in.
Weight: 419 lbs.
Color: Glass Sparkle Black/Pearl Mira Red, Metallic Mat Black No.2 / Pearl Bracing White
MSRP: $12,299
