Suzuki GSX-R 1000 Donald and Bruce Anstey TT Replica
 

Suzuki has launched a new colour scheme to celebrate the Relentless by TAS team’s victories at the Isle of Man TT.

Cameron Donald secured Suzuki’s seventh consecutive Superstock win on-board his GSX-R1000 having already taken victory in the Superbike race while Bruce Anstey was victorious in the Supersport race aboard the Suzuki GSX-R600, the race he also took the lap record in.

Following these victories, a special edition Donald GSX-R1000 priced £9,170 and an Anstey GSX-R600 replica at £7,403 have been created.

Suzuki GB marketing manager George Cheeseman said: “The Relentless by TAS team achieved incredible success at this year’s TT, almost delivering a clean sweep of wins.

"To celebrate this, we are pleased to offer these special edition models via the authorised dealer network in the team livery, with celebratory graphics in addition too.”

Source MCN

Review

The rear tire spin offered up by the GSX-R 1000, when I hit the gas entering Lukey Heights at Phillip Island, introduced the roar of this new beast, and what to expect from the claimed 185 horsepower (190 with Ram Air).

Well, yes, there is no teasing this animal; this ultra-new GSX-R 1000 has the same power as the most potent superbikes from about 5 years ago, as well as the now extinct two-stroke Grand Prix 500s. The difference is that you can buy it and tour the city with it. Suzuki has usually offered the most powerful superbikes, and this year when all of them are rolling with 180 horsepower, the GSX-R should, by tradition, go a bit farther. In order to test it, in-depth, Suzuki sent us all the way to the other side of the planet, to the racetrack that, without a doubt, is the most beautiful in the World, Phillip Island in Australia. A trip in which we invested more than 30 hours (we “spent” almost four days, round trip) has to necessarily justify so much beating, and the truth is that the place, as well as the motorcycle, is worth the effort. It may be the case that when I retire I will live in this small and peaceful land, Phillip Island (it’s not so peaceful when there is a race)… with a bike in my garage, certainly, and a wombat or a koala as a mascot.

As usual, Suzuki had mounted an impressive toy hauler for us and we were able to roll, luckily, for the second consecutive year, with the mythic champion of the world Kevin Schwantz, a man always associated with the Hamamatsu brand, always kindhearted and available to us. Also present was the quick and beautiful ex-racer from Germany, Katia Poenzgen, with whom we shared bikes and conversation.
 

Pandora’s Box
We asked ourselves how far the manufacturers will go with horsepower increases . . . not only the Japanese, but also Ducati, with its new 1098. But Suzuki is Suzuki, and it has a tradition of introducing the most powerful superbike of the moment. And it does not fall short when they say their new beast offers not less than 185 horsepower and more than 190 with Ram Air. Ohmygod… luckily, electronics comes to our rescue and this GSX-R 1000 ‘07 offers a gadget that, without a doubt, will soon be imitated by other manufacturers, the S-MDS; that is, Suzuki’s Mode Drive Selector, which offers the rider a choice of three distinct levels of power. A great, simple, and very practical system of having three bikes in one. In a control box located on the right side, after pressing a button, for two seconds, we can move through the A-B-C programs that render three different power curve modes: A, the one that always functions as the default when you start your bike, accesses the full power mode; that is, without restrictions. B turns in all the maximum power, but with less power for low and medium revolutions, and C reduces power throughout, just in case you’re faced with adverse conditions (such as wet weather) . . . or you’re having a bad day.

The chassis of the 2007 GSX-R1000 is more compact and light than the previous model (although overall weight is up slightly), the swingarm is stronger and the fork has been improved a lot by a highly elaborate antifriction treatment, as well as both high and low speed compression damping adjustments. The new brakes feature 310mm discs clamped by four-piston, radial mounted calipers, powered by a radial master cylinder. The instrumentation is new, small and attractive, and it includes information on gear position and power map selection (A, B or C). The new 1000 looks like its younger brothers, the 600 and 750, and is of a smaller size, overall. The bike continues to offer a unique muffler system . . . this time two mufflers! According to Suzuki, this system offers the best performance at legal sound levels.

A circuit for the fearless
It’s not only our view, but for those who are familiar with the great tracks, there is no other as well designed and beautiful as Phillip Island, located in a wonderful natural landscape, by the seaside. But it is also a very rapid circuit, with a straight where one can reach more than 170 mph (even more… if you dare) with the 1000, a circuit that has 5th gear corners, blind ups and downs . . . and if that wasn’t enough, a species of large Australian bird decided to cross the road taking its sweet time, in the middle of my lap, mid-curve! I had to brake and adjust my line, not without a big scare. On another lap another bird flew inches from my helmet, and in another curve I saw a family of rabbits. Last year it was a wallaby that strolled in tranquility across the straight. Phillip Island is different . . .

During the first session we decided to use position C in the control box, the one with the least power; the feeling is that of being on a 600 with lots of torque, but top end is weak; toward the end of the first lap arriving at the straight, the other riders pushed ahead of us easily, and we decided to turn to B. Suzuki recommend a switch while on the straight and at a lower speed in order to avoid surprises. Power was significantly stronger in position B (still detuned from A), and we began to warm up a little. The engine gains revs rapidly and on top there is plenty of controllable power. We began to notice some vibrations.

The suspension works well, even though it was a bit soft for the circuit. The riding position, like a good GSX-R, is not highly radical and one feels comfortable. This year it is possible to adjust the position of the footpegs, both fore/aft and height, and it’s not difficult to adapt them to your liking. The feeling on top of the bike is that it really is smaller than the previous one.

Increasing the Rhythm
One more session and now we place the control box in the A position: maximum power. Now we will see how fast the beast goes. This new version of the 1000 is the most agile, in terms of its geometry, and being more powerful and compact requires a steering damper, now with a variable electromagnetic valve.

The truth is that this new superbike feels much lighter, changes directions far easier and initiates turn-in more quickly than its predecessor, but we noticed that it drifted wide on corner exits; nonetheless, this improved when we increased fork compression damping.

We liked the brakes a lot, great power and a good feel. It is possible that some would want that a bit more power for track days, and others would find that it has too much braking power for the road. We think they are just right.

But, let’s get back to the subject. We opted for the full power position in the control box and we received abundant power throughout the rev range. You can allow yourself to exit corners a great high with no loss of drive — low end power is strong; indeed, with the power-curve selector in position A, you can light up the tire exiting corners in two, or even three different gears, just as I did near Lukey Heights at Phillip Island, creating a long and beautiful, but controlled slide. The problem is that position A is really too much power for many situations, including many situations on the street, and it is therefore good to have a choice. In fact, the new GSX-R1000 puts out so much power in position A that even the excellent Bridgestone BT-015 production tires cannot maintain grip on aggressive corner exits.

The new champion?
The 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is charged with the responsibility of re-taking the superbike crown for Suzuki, both on the street and on the track. Aside from its dominance of American superbike racing, Suzuki has taken a backseat to Ducati in WSB (where Bayliss has been superb), and lost the top spot in some of the magazine shoot-outs to competitors. In our opinion, however, this very powerful, but amicable, sport bike has everything it needs to compete for the top spot, both on the track and on the street, this year.

We Like:
The new GSX-R is an impressive motorcycle, with a very powerful engine. Moreover, it is easy to ride, and it possesses a certain degree of comfort that will be appreciated on the street. The suspension and the brakes are of high quality, and it includes something very innovative and interesting, the power-curve control box.

We Don’t Like:
A motorcycle that surpasses 190 horsepower with Ram Air is not for everyone, unless it is driven in the C position, always. The tires cannot cope with all the power in every circumstance, and on the road this phenomenon would be a reason to switch out of position A to a softer power curve. The front-end lacks some feel, and we also noticed some unwanted engine vibration.

A Brief Second Opinion from Vitor Martins, Motojornal (Portugal)
‘The first thing I have to say is that the new GSX-R1000 is very easy to ride. It’s better every time, although when you ride using the A mode you have to have a lot of self-control. I think that mode B is the better choice. I like the brakes on the track, but I wonder whether they would be excessive on the street. It may be a question of the settings, but the front-end does not inspire a lot of confidence for me.’

With a thumb operated switch adjacent to the throttle, the rider can select three separate engine management systems, including Mode “A” (full power), Mode “B” (reduced power until the throttle reaches roughly 95% open, when full power is again available), and Mode “C” (diminished power across the board, suitable for wet weather and other limited traction situations).

The most interesting aspect of Jeff’s report for me is his belief that he was faster around the track in Mode “B”. Take a look at the chart in our initial report for a visual representation of the power output generated by each of these three Modes. Essentially, Jeff felt that Mode “B” allowed him to be both smoother and faster on the track. He could roll on the throttle a lot sooner on corner exits without upsetting the chassis or overloading the rear tire and eventually open the throttle wide as he stood the bike up onto the fat section of the tire, unleashing full power.

Full power mode (Mode “A”) was a little more difficult to manage at lower rpm levels. Smooth, controlled corner exits were a more delicate operation in Mode “A”, and the big GSX-R had so much torque down low that efficient forward motion (without tire spin) was most easily accomplished in Mode “B”.

This conclusion is similar to that reached by the test riders attending the Phillip Island introduction of the bike. Despite all this power, and even in Mode “A”, the GSX-R is easy to ride and does exactly what you tell it to. Jeff is a big guy, and he thought the shock was a little bit soft (it might be perfect for normal sized humans). Turn in required a bit more effort than Jeff expected, but the bike held a line very well once on its side. Overall, Jeff found the 2007 GSX-R1000 well suspended (he termed the ride “compliant”), providing excellent feedback to the rider from the tires, and with outstanding stability everywhere (including, hard on the brakes into a corner).

Similar to the conclusion reached by the riders at Phillip Island, Jeff found the brakes excellent. His skilled hands enjoyed the minimal effort and strong initial bite (less experienced riders might consider the brakes “touchy”). With outstanding feel and feedback, Jeff was able to modulate the brakes well and haul the ferociously fast Suzuki down aggressively. Despite the considerable demands of the California Speedway track, Jeff found no evidence of brake fade during his testing.

Bridgestone has apparently developed a specific compound for its BT015 tire mounted on the Suzuki GSX-R1000. A Bridgestone representative at the test indicated the OEM tire was specifically designed for the new GSX-R1000. Jeff was blown away by the performance of the stock Bridgestones, and termed them the best street tires he had ever ridden on. Despite the massive torque of the big Suzuki (albeit, controlled somewhat by Mode “B” when employed), the stock street tires held their own well into the day, and only started to lose grip on the left side during the last session of the day (this track is very hard on the left side of tires).
In the end, the normally critical Hoss was ecstatic when describing the 2007 GSX-R1000. The bike is an absolute bullet coming out of corners, has the best engine Jeff has ever sampled in an open-class sportbike, and was basically a surgical tool for a track-day addict or racer (meaning it will be immensely effective through canyons on the street). Amazingly, Jeff had only one simple complaint . . . he never got the footpegs, despite their adjustability, exactly where he wanted them for the track. This is quite a machine!

Source Motorcycle Daily