Dunno what he's doing looking at this 750Y as he's now a confirmed Honda man again. Anyway, this Gixer was the first of 3 new Ys to arrive on the scene for the Lobster Pot 200. We were going to split into 2 classes, one for all the Gixers and one for the bloke who hasn't got a GSXR750, but then 2 got written off, Tet emigrated to Hondaland and John got a 1000. But for a while 750s were the bike to have while we waited for lighter 1000s

The bike is a good deal stronger from 6000 rpm than the X model and you can actually get away with being one gear out, sometimes. Handling is better all round than the earlier 750s, although the bike retains the Grindley Peerless steering damper, fitted to increase the bike's appeal to Triumph owners.

The Y really is a big improvement, turns better, holds a tighter line and drives out harder.

Although ultimately not as abusable as an R6 or Gixer 600, the new 750 feels more agile than a Fireblade or R1 when the road gets twisty enough. So does the old one, come to that.

Originally intended just for track days, somehow Tony's Y has acquired headlights and a number plate and re-emerged on the road. Perhaps the lure of top class mates and breakfasts in exotic locations was too much to resist any longer.

Now disporting robust fibreglass bodywork in track-day white, the bike had to be roadified to gain access to the fabled Nurburgring as well as the odd Sunday ride. Numerous mods have filled the long dark winter evenings, although the bike has retained a businesslike low-key appearance rather than the classic Christmas-tree Box Hill look.

'Course, complete resistance to all shiny baubles was impossible, and the faithful gold anodised back brake calliper had to be grafted onto the bike, necessitating extraction of the swing-arm and extensive modification to get it to fit - such is the price of decorative perfection.

Other goodies include knee-snapping high level rearsets for large lean angles, AP front brake lever for super-pose and general loveliness, PVM wheels for that "Oooh shit" feeling when you hit a pot-hole in the road ('course, tracks don't have pot-holes ....), Akrapovic exhaust system, which appears to have become de rigeur for all bikes nowadays, and some fairing stickers for the true racer look.

Big addition to the handling department is a Penske rear shock. This is our first experience of the Yank shock, and it seems to be very nicely built. Ride is firm but the shock gives good feedback, so rear wheel slidey antics on muddy roads aren't at all scary. Damping is good, and a bonus is the separate high and low speed adjustment, so pothole damping can be tuned to perfection.

Front forks have been stuffed full of K-Tech internals by Simon at Beckleys which has improved control over the already good standard kit, so Chippy now has no excuse for not maintaining excessive corner entry speeds.

The bike is now sporting the essential combination of Metzeler and Pirelli race rubber for endless grip and big lean angles. Tony has saved a fair bit of weight on the already light bike and it proved to be the tool to have at the 'Ring ....

.... for a while, but it wasn't to last. A major slippage at Eschbach meant a high speed stack into the armco, doing major damage to bike and Tony alike.

Some weeks in Koblenz surrounded by needles and scary nurses cured most of Tony, but the bike was beyond economic recovery and it went off to trackday land.

So bye bye to a lot of hard work and not a little money and hello to cars - Tony decided that enough was enough and four wheel slowness and safety was needed.

This was a Steve Parish affair and very well organised.They have made some alterations to the circuit since last year, a new tunnel under the track instead of the gate operated by two old boys ... I always thought that was a bit strange for a major racetrack ... and they have resurfaced the whole track, even the pit lane! A great improvement over last year. Most of the bumps have gone and the surface is now very grippy indeedy.

We signed on, bacon rolls and coffee were served, a quick talk on safety and then out on the track.

We were the first on and from the start the GSXR750Y felt very good ... the bike is so light, you notice it straight away, and the noise of the induction its louder than the exhaust! It steers quickly and pulls strongly - yes it's got a midrange, wonderful!

On the road the handling I thought a tad hard over really bumpy stuff but I guess that's the price you pay for racebike handling.

Before I knew it I was behind Sean Emmett on the new Honda VTR SP1. I followed him for a couple of laps and realised that the GSXR is obviously designed for serious track use. Handling is definitely better since I dropped the forks about 7mm through the yokes and seems to have settled the front and allowed the bike to hold a tighter line.

Lunch was a full-on three course affair, luxury stuff, then back to the fun. After one more session we had to get fuel which was only 3 miles down the road, which is handy. By this time people were getting braver and it was starting to get a bit more interesting, seeing if I could keep with R1s ZX9s and so on - no problem at all as the Y's extra little bit of poke really makes a difference on the track and it is so good through the bends that it was easy to tuck up inside bigger bikes and pass them mid corner. The only problem was R1s would sometimes whack past me on the straight.

Generally a brilliant day and not one crash! 'Course it rained all the way home and it took me 4 hours to clean the bike .. that's the only problem with new bikes, you feel you really ought to keep them shiny. Mark

Some times laters ....

Well, after all the enthusiasm for the new Gixer things look a little sadder now. Tony wrote his off (not his fault he maintains, "I was taken from the rear", but is this relevant?), and then wrote it off again and parts of himself with it at the 'Ring, Mark's has been written off by a twat who nearly wrote Mark off as well when he rode into the side of him, Tetley decided that the Gixer has the build quality of a plastic spoon and got rid of his for a Honda Fartyblade, John chopped his in for a GSXR1000 and Keith succumbed to the charms of an R1 ...but the Gixer will return!

The class-leading race-replica 750 features several new engine and chassis improvements for a better power-to-weight ratio and a low 366 lb. dry weight.

New Engine Features & Improvements

• Compact & lightweight 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine is lighter, 15mm shorter front-to-rear, 8mm narrower with 4mm less height.
• New cylinder head features narrower 25^o included valve angle (12^o intake, 13^o exhaust), creating a more compact combustion chamber, higher compression ratio and a straighter intake tract.
• Upgraded fuel injection ECM (8 to16 bit) with faster processing speed has more detailed fuel map for improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and smoother throttle response.
• Improved throttle body design with injectors mounted at a steeper 60o angle creating a better fuel spray pattern, improved fuel atomization and reduced emissions.
• New servo-controlled secondary throttle valve, located in each throttle body, improves low-to-mid rpm throttle response and torque by maintaining the correct intake velocity in the intake tract.
• Reshaped ram-air intake ducts feed a larger capacity airbox (flapper valve and a new flat-panel air filter for improved intake air-flow.
• New one-piece cylinder block and upper crankcase section form a lighter and stronger structure and eliminates the need for external oil lines to the cylinder head.
• Durable SCEM-plated cylinders house new lightweight forged pistons with low-tension rings to reduce friction.
• Stainless steel 4-into-1 exhaust system with lighter weight bolt-on muffler.
• Larger radiator and new aluminum oil cooler, both with increased cooling capacity.
• New 6-speed transmission with closer ratios and new coil spring-type clutch for improved clutch engagement feel.
• Additional weight reduction through smaller diameter crankshaft journals, lighter conrods, lighter camshafts and smaller diameter valve stems.
• Light-weight magnesium now used for oil pan construction, magneto cover, drive sprocket, plus lighter weight clutch cover and starter clutch cover.

 

New Chassis Features & Improvements

• More aerodynamic bodywork features reduced frontal area, smaller headlight/taillight and turn signals, plus a smaller and lighter tail section.
• Compact instrument cluster featuring a step-motor-driven analog tach. and digital speedometer - also includes LCD odometer-tripmeters, coolant temp., clock and EFI diagnostics.
• Revised frame geometry and increased swingarm length with more forward weight distribution to improve turning ability, rear wheel traction and straight-line tracking - frame is lighter and more compact with a better balance between rigidity & weight.
• New, 43mm fully adjustable inverted forks have 5mm additional stroke and are mounted 7mm closer together for reduced frontal area and steering effort.
• Fully adjustable piggy-back shock absorber features a new aluminum body and wider 46mm piston for more consistant damping performance.
• Lighter weight 4-piston front brake calipers with aluminum-alloy pistons.
• New cast aluminum wheels are lighter weight (F: 3.50 x 17 R: 5.50 x 17) with new radial tires developed specifically for the GSX-R75