If you're new to the sportbike scene, then 750s probably seem a little obscure. For most of the last decade, 600s and 1000s have been where it's at for real sportbikes, both in racing and on the street. And there's only really been one 750 in that time Suzki's GSX-R750.
Etsuo Yokouchi; the man to...
Etsuo Yokouchi; the man to thank for the GSX-R750.
But if you've been riding for a bit longer you'll remember when the 750 was the king of the hill. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, 600cc bikes were flat; 80 HP at best and 1,000cc bikes were big, heavy bruisers. The 750 class was the best of both worlds: just enough go with 100-odd HP yet still nimble enough to handle well. All the Japanese firms had an offering: Honda's legendary VFR750R and RC45, Yamaha's FZ750, the R7, and of course Kawasaki's tough-looking ZX-7R. They all married up race cool and high-tech design, and were the connoisseur's dream machines. Add in the fact that the WSB racing rules dictated either a 1,000cc twin or a 750cc four, and you can see why the 750 class was so important.
The XR41 soon led to the street...
The XR41 soon led to the street version.
Suzuki's engineers had a surprise in store though. 1985 saw the appearance of the first GSX-R750, and it basically made everything else look like an old man's touring jalopy. The new 750 was designed by Etsuo Yokouchi to resemble the firm's endurance racer, the GS1000R XR41, and under the fairing much of the technology was the same too. Suzuki engineers had worked hard at keeping weight low, and the first model weighed in at less than 390 pounds, while putting out 106 claimed horsepower.
The GSX-R quickly dominated racing and it was just as popular on the street. Even the launch of the 1100cc version a year later didn't dent the 750's popularity too much. But as the '80s dragged into '90s, the GSX-R lost its way a little. It added too much weight, especially after it moved to water-cooling in 1992, and its chassis design held it back in the handling stakes.
This pair is a Suzuki lover's...
This pair is a Suzuki lover's wet dream.
But as the century drew to a close, Suzuki got serious again. The GSX-R gained a twin-beam aluminum frame in 1996, the same year the 'SRAD' acronym appeared. Fuel injection appeared two years later, and Suzuki was the first firm to properly sort out fuel injection on a street superbike. Into the first half of this decade, the 750 simply got better and better: more refined engine designs, ever-increasing power and simple but high-quality suspension made it the thinking rider's choice-especially on track.
Where loudmouth throttle jockeys went straight for a GSX-R1000, then spent entire trackdays trying to close the throttle rather than open it, the GSX-R750 pilot had a machine with a perfect balance of power, torque and chassis, which had enough for almost any rider but never so much as to overwhelm the tires or get out of hand.
What else would you be doing...
What else would you be doing on a Sunday morning with a bit of open road?
Over the years, all the other 750s have gradually disappeared. In racing, there's no such thing as a 750cc class any more. WSB has gone to 1000cc fours and 1200cc twins, and the ZX-7R, R7 and RC45 are now considered classic machines. On the road, the 600 class has evolved to the point where they're making almost 110 HP, while 1,000cc bikes have refined chassis tech making them handle well, as well as electronic rider aids to manage the 160-odd HP they're producing.
But Suzuki's still making its 750, a bike so important to the company's heritage that it's hard to see the Hamamatsu firm ever dropping it. And because the GSX-R750 offers so much classy performance it seems like the perfect bike to buy.