Superbike Magazine
March 2000 test |
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Suzuki GSXR750WX |
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 It
was Eddy's Gixer750 that got me into these things. I'd tried earlier
incarnations of the Suzuki 750s but didn't get on with them - riding
position too extreme with a long reach to the bars and high footpegs
/ low saddle. Never made sense to me that sportsbikes should be
uncomfortable.
But one day I borrowed Eddy's WX and on a damp Sunday run it was
clearing off from everybody else without any real effort on my part.
This was vastly diverting ... "I've gotta have one of these"
I thought, and so I did.
Fast, easy steering and totally responsive handling makes the bike
so easy to ride quickly and it only really loses out to more powerful
stuff on the fastest circuits; and on busy A roads, when you want
to execute opportunistic overtakes and you're a gear out. But stay
on B roads and it's quick, comfortable and practical. Strap your
luggage on the back seat and you can tour about all day in comfort
with the bonus of being on a scratcher when the bends appear. The
absolute dogs bollocks ...
 On
the road and track the bike is great fun. Alright, you've got to
work at the power a lot more than with a litre bike, but it all
adds to the challenge and the enjoyment - and it's so much more
satisfying when you stuff that R1 up the inside!
Although it does get a bit annoying when they cream past you on
the climb out of Ex-Muhle and then block your entry into Bergwerk
by braking too early, wobbling about and generally being rubbish.
So, all in all the WX is well worth a purchase, especially nowadays
when good ones can be picked up for three grand with only 20 or
30 thousand miles on the clock.
 Signs
of winter boredom and visiting too many bike shows! Still, these
mushees look the biz and will hopefully be more effective than Ian's
were when the time comes to dump the bike. Saw some the other day
where the guy had fitted them to a fairing bracket .. doh!
No, such things are a jolly good idea and not at all Boxhill Bolt-ons
.. well, not a lot, anyway. And replacing the steering damper would
be another good idea.
The X changes our aspirations: suddenly we can have
a full-on sportsbike that handles brilliantly, is comfortable and
practical for European tours and can run with the best on a trackday.
This truly is where motorcycles should be, a brilliant scratcher
which is good enough to get you to those distant parts of Europe
where the best roads are. So that's the Masif Central then ...
Could explain why so many of our little mob bought
the things.
Yoshi titanium can ..... Tetley couldn't resist!
Looks the biz and helps the midrange a bit, he thinks. Certainly
a bit noisier although not too antisocial. Around £300 but
should last a long time.
PS Turns out the bike ran better when the standard
can went back on. Oops.
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A few WX mods |
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Tyres
- fit something like BT56SS, making sure you use a 180/55
rear, not a too-fat 190 fitted as standard to the WX.
You may prefer Dragons/Pilots/ Dunlops, but whatever you use,
try a 180!
The bike turns better, holds a tighter line and is more flickable.
A 190 slows everything down.
Raise the forks through the yokes by around 7mm - helps
the bike hold a tight line. You're limited in the amount you
can raise them by the taper on the stanchions and the need
to keep clearance between the front mudguard and fairing on
full suspension compression. We've noticed no ill effects
on stability.
 If
you want to improve turn-in a bit more, slip a 10mm spacer
under the shock mount to increase rear ride height - there's
enough spare length on the mount but make sure you use thread-lock
on the top mount nut. Even if you retain the original nylock
nut there won't be enough spare thread left to engage the
locking collar. And the nut will come off without locking.
Results
aren't gob-smacking but every little helps ....
 Everybody
slags off the rather ancient steering damper fitted
to the WX. Now we've tried modding this by using thinner oil
(WD40!) and it's still crap. So, after extensive tests we've
come to the conclusion that there is no alternative - take
it off and bloody throw it away! Get something decent - treat
yourself to an M Toby or whatever; there are loads to choose
from.
 The
fuel injection can be a bit glitchy when opening up from a
closed throttle. Unfortunately, as this is most commonly done
mid-corner it can unstick the back wheel as the engine hesitates
for a moment and then bangs in the power at 10,000 rpm. Only
really a problem on iffy road surfaces but it'll never be
as smooth as a carburetted bike.
Get your
allen keys out and whip off the engine sprocket cover. This
entails a little bit of mucking about moving the coolant overflow
bottle and stuff but is pretty straightforward. Now, on the
end of the output shaft, in front of the chainwheel, you will
find a little knobbly slotted silver thing held on with an
Allen bolt. This is the speedo sender and has a nasty
habit of coming loose and trashing itself and your pretty
cover panel. So, remove said Allen bolt, grab your handy thread-locking
compound and smear on bolt. Then replace and tighten to around
20 ft.lbs. (dunno what that is is nanometers or whatever -
jules per newton??) Now put everything back as it was and
bingo! - no probs.
All advice here is given freely and taken
at the reader's risk. If ya don't understand it, don't do
it!
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Additional mods to Tetley's GSXR |
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 Since
the installation of the exhaust, I thought I'd better attempt to
improve the handling a bit. I'd always thought it was OK, if a little
heavy on the steering, but after riding Keith's GSXR, I knew that
improvements had to be carried out if I was to keep him in sight
on the twisties.
So I removed the steering damper, should save a few hundred grammes
in the process too. My logic for removing it?.... well, if you cast
your minds back, you'll remember that the GSXR WT onwards models
did not have a damper on the steering at all until the WX model.
I believe this was only put on because the TLS had to have
one and the two bikes shared the same forks and front end.
The damper that is fitted by Suzuki is also the same as the one
fitted to the GSXR1100BC, circa 1986, so it's not the best in the
world and obviously has no adjustment, required for any half decent
steering damper.
 Anyway,
it's off now and it's bloody well staying off too. I also made an
8 mm spacer for the rear shock, nicked from a Fireblade fork top.
The outer ring is exactly the right circumference to slip over the
top of the shock, and it fits and looks like it should always have
been there. Because of this spacer, the rear light is about another
25-30 mm higher than before, so it all looks a bit more racy, but
the idea is to steepen the steering head angle a tad not improve
the looks for Box Hill posing!
Last Sunday we all went out (10 of us) for what could have been
the last good Sunday of the Millennium and we found some cracking
little B roads we had not used before and also used some we knew.
It was a good testing ground for my mods and I have to say that
the difference is very noticeable.
I actually feel right at home on the bike now, it steers very
quickly, does not tank slap like one might expect and generally
feels much, much better. I suggest you all do it, but noting what
Keith said about the Ring, ensure you take care if you're giving
it large coming over Plugflantz, or wherever it was?
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And then it was time to say goodbye |
 After
all the things I have written praising my Gixer it is time for it
to go. "Why?" I hear you cry. Well, yes, it is the nicest
handling bike straight out the crate I've ever ridden, apart from
an SPS of course (note: the SPS is a rattly, slow steering old V-twin
nail with a penchant for breaking down regularly).
The engine is as sweet as a nut and only rattles a little at
the top end when cold, like all good Suzooks should. And yes,
it looks the business in Blue and White. And yes, it's been to
the Ring and through France and was superb all the way, but it
still has to go and do you know why, do you ?……..well,
it's because of the crap finish that Suzuki put on their bikes,
that's why !!
Call me fussy, call me a tart, but I like to clean my bikes and
keep em clean, but this thing is:
1/ Not the nicest bike to clean, too many sharp edges lacerating
your hands each time.
2/ Too many untreated surfaces, so it's Solvol time each time
you clean it.
3/ If I'm this unhappy with it after less than a year, what's
it and myself gonna be like in another 10 to 12 months time?
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