Suzuki GSX 750ES

Review

IT'S BEEN a long time between drinks for Suzuki here in Britain—at least as far as the 750cc street bike class is concerned. Since Suzuki GB stopped importing the GSX750 in 1981, there's been nothing to plug the large hole in their line-up between 650 and l000cc.  And in the meantime, Honda and Kawasaki in particular have grabbed the limelight in the three-quarter litre bracket with the brilliant VF750F and GPz750s, while Yamaha fought a holding action with he pleasant but slow-selling XJ750.

While the GSX750 of 1981 was one of the quickest machines in its class, sharing basically the same power unit as the then all-conquering GSX1100, it also shared more or less the same weight. While an all-up weight approaching 550lbs was considered acceptable for an 1100, it bordered on obesity for a 750, and the 1980-81 GSX750 suffered in the handling department as a result of this and inadequate suspension.

Ail round, it was a pretty bland motor cycle, if the truth be told, with all the 1100's drawbacks and none of its saving grace, ie: horsepower to excess.

Now the GSX750 is back, and it's great. Gone is the stodgy styling, the soft suspension, and about 40lbs of unsightly fat. The 1983 specification GSX750ES is pointed straight into street racer territory with fashionable box-section framework, razor-sharp good looks, Full Floater rear suspension and a businesslike front end incorporating anti-dive and a 16-inch front wheel. About the only concession to '83 fashion it hasn't got is a water-cooled V-four engine.

What it does have is a modified version of the now three-year-old twin swirl combustion chamber powerplant that's the basis of Suzuki's Katana and GSX range. The modifications are relatively slight, though; new casings and cylinder castings bring the overall width of the motor down; while the head, valve gear and internals remain sustantially the same. There's a new system to keep engine temperatures down, which Suzuki call "oil jet piston cooling" in case that clue isn't enough, it consists of small nozzles that squirt oil on to the piston skirts.

The best quarter mile time the 750 achieved at MIRA was 12.19 seconds, at a terminal speed of 108.04mph. This was more than two-tenths of a second up on the 1981 version, but when you consider that Honda's VF750F blasted down the strip at an incredible 11.83 seconds and set a new standard for 750s to aim at. . . Still, performance figures aren't everything, right?

Oilways to the camshafts (now hollow units) are external to improve cooling, which is further aided by an oil cooler beneath the steering head.

Cams are now spun by a Hy-Vo chain. The engine retains gear primary drive, a millimetre of lift has been added to the inlet cam, and ignition advance is now electrical as opposed to mechanical in the previous model.

These engine refinements can hardly be described as radical, but all contribute to making a good design even better.

But it wasn't so much the engine as the chassis, suspension, handling and looks that had me enjoying the Suzuki more than any machine I've ridden in the last year.

The ESD is low and squat, its Katana heritage evident in the low-slung seat and hump-backed tank. Viewed from the side, the ESD's lines are purposeful, hunched at the front and high at the back like a cat crouching to spring. The 16 front wheel, at first sight, looks odd, far too small to carry the solid lump of engine, fairing and tank that seem to crowd in upon it while the seat/tail unit is canted forward to show a good deal of daylight above the 17 rear wheel.

The seat curves sharply upwards to mate with the rear of the tank, creating an impression of sitting in the machine—a vast improvement over the old GSX, which always made me feel as though I was perched on a 44 gallon drum.

Just about every big bike this year seems to have some kind of a fairing attached to its front end, and the ESD is no exception. It boasts a solidly-mounted item that extends down to the rocker covers, and blends in well with the styling. It's not overly obtrusive on the road, yet is surprisingly efficient in directing wind blast away from the rider.

The frame cradle is made of box-section steel, modestly painted black so that at first glance it doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Main spine and rear sub-frame are more conventional round tubing. The trellis is commendably rigid, and combined with the aluminium swingarm makes for an excellent package.

Handlebars, footrests, brake and gear levers are forged duralumin-ium to save weight, a theme repeated in every department. A new exhaust system cuts several pounds, and the new plastic seat pan saves a handful more.

Bearing in mind the complaints levelled at the previous GSX750, I'm delighted to report that the ESD's suspension is a great improvement. Front forks are oil-damped, minus air adjustment facilities. Instead, spring preload can be altered by screwing in knobs on top of the fork legs. They give a pliant, well-damped ride, though I don't think too much of the anti-dive units.

The Full Floater rear springing is a delight, both in terms of efficiency and ease of adjustment. The latter is accomplished by means of two knobs mounted behind the left side-cover. One enables any of four damping settings to be selected instantly, while the other is screwed in or out to choose spring preload. Settings here are marked from one to five, but the preload is hydraulic and is infinitely adjustable. Again, the setup is a winner in the street, providing anything from a cushy and gentle ride to a firm, peg-dragging play-racing feel.

Brakes are Suzuki's usual good stoppers, twin discs up front and a single rotor on the back wheel. I thought they lacked a little feel and were rather sudden in their bite, but they always did their job. One or two heart-stopping moments in the rain indicated that the slotted rotors don't flick the wet off as well as they should.

Our turn at the ESD coincided with a fortnight's holiday for yours truly, so the bike was loaded up for a ride to the Italian GP at Monza, which I figured should give a fair indication of the beast's touring capability and, since the route just happened to include parts of the Swiss and Austrian alps, a chance to test the scratching qualities of this sharp-looking blade.

On the highway, the Suzuki gives an impression of rocklike stability. The fat contact patch of the wide 100/90 16in Michelin no doubt helps here, along with the 27.83 degrees of castor. Even at speeds of an indicated 120mph-plus, at which rate of knots even autobahns have curves, the ESD did not budge from the chosen line. Surprisingly, in view of the bike's solid profile, it remained unaffected by cross-winds, showing a reluctance to acknowledge any external influences that might deter it from the path chosen by its rider.

Also surprising was the effectiveness of the token screen on the fairing. While it looks like a stylist's accessory only, it did a remarkably good job of directing the airstream up and over the rider. All I had to do was crouch slightly in the seat and the blast struck the top of my helmet, only becoming noticeable at speeds of over 100mph. This was at the expense of a fair bit of wind noise. The screen failed to keep rain off the visor during the several hundred miles of pouring rain, but it was a whole lot better than nothing.

Those odd-looking handlebars are surprisingly good. After an initial bitch about these cast items that are springing up on bikes from every manufacturer, taking away the rider's natural right to change 'bars to suit himself, I grew to like the black-painted affairs that bolt on to the fork crowns. They are slightly adjustable, but I adapted to them so quickly that I didn't even bother trying to alter their position. Rise and width is just about perfect, combining with the seating position and footrest placement to give a sporting crouch that's not back-breaking.

The seat, thankfully, is wide and well-padded. While two hours in the saddle is enough to cause some posterior numbness, there's plenty of room to move around for both rider and passenger. Footrests don't earn quite as much praise. Their rearward placement is fine on runs of up to 200 miles or so but after a full day in the saddle the tendons behind my knees were sore and stiff. In all fairness the ESD is not laid out with a full touring function in mind, and had the foot-rests been placed further forward I would have complained just as much, for it's as a scratcher that the ESD really excels.

The addition of that 16in wheel gives it handling characteristics of a bike half its size and bulk. Coupled with its good suspension, tyres and frame it makes for almost unbelievable sure-footedness and flickability when the going gets really tight. This motor cycle will out-handle most of its riders, it's that good. It can be leaned over until the horizon's at a frighteningly acute angle, and there'll still be more to go until the footrest and stand drag on the right; at which time you're erring on the side of insanity and it's time to back off anyway. On the left, the sidestand will eventually touch down. The Michelins gripped well, and it's not possible to ride off the edge of the tyres. They also wore very well, with 5,000 miles on the clock the back tyre still had a considerable amount of meat on it. On its return from the Continent the ESD went to Donington Park to take part in a Stadium helmet press launch, and was ridden by several members of Suzuki's racing team. They commented that it handled like an RG through the chicane. The bike tended to stand up if the brakes were left on deep into the corners, a characteristic of I6in front wheels, so I'm told.

The five-speed gearbox was light and positive in use, the absence of linkages no doubt helping here— the lever bolts directly to the selector shaft. However, I can't say much about the clutch—while it gave no problems whatsoever on the street, it gave up the ghost at MIRA during standing quarter runs and at least one other magazine suffered .the same problem. This is one item that hasn't been improved over the old GSX.

Controls are all pretty standard for Suzuki. The usual combination indicator/dipswitch resides on the left handlebar, functional and easy to use, with a rocker-type headlamp flasher and horn combination below that. The choke is operated by the left thumb, being mounted below the switchblock, and is likewise simple to operate.

Instruments are combined in a compact pod that also houses an accurate fuel gauge and engine temperature gauge. Interestingly, Suzuki are continuing the current trend away from the LCD readouts and useless semi-computerised gizmos that seemed set to pollute every motor cycle from Japan a couple of years back. Fuel consumption over the 2500 mile test period varied considerably. Ton-up cruising brought it down to the lows 30s, more sedate 80mph riding brought it up to around 40, and one night session where torrential rain and zero visibility brought speeds down to 50mph saw the bike return just on 60mpg. This gives it a theoretical 240 mile range from the 4.3 gallon tank. In more realistic terms 70mph cruising should see a bit less than 200 miles from the tank.

All things considered, the ESD is one of the best bikes ever produced by Suzuki—in my humble opinion, naturally. It is an exciting blend of good looks, fine handling and good performance, one of the most well-integrated bikes I've ever ridden. It has no major vices, and very few points that could be described as not up to scratch. While it doesn't have the sheer top speed of the GPz750 Kawasaki or the VF750 Honda (it was a real task to get it to register more than 130mph on the speedo, which translated to a mean speed of 126mph) life isn't always lived at the redline, and it's got more than enough grunt for an exciting life on the street.

Source Motorcycle Weekly 1983