First Look: 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600/GSX-R750

I'm surprised to see Suzuki has put the S-DMS system on the 600 and 750 bikes. The system made some sense on the liter bike, but I wonder if anyone is going to use it much on these smaller displacement machines.

Maybe on the low power setting, that 600 will become a 250 and truly become a starter bike! With the new tiered licensing law I am proposing, you would have to go to the DMV and have them flip the power switch.

Evil Minions of the Law

longride said:

Maybe on the low power setting, that 600 will become a 250 and truly become a starter bike! With the new tiered licensing law I am proposing, you would have to go to the DMV and have them flip the power switch.

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Actually it's all part of the big gumment plot to control motorsiklists from the laptops in the squad car. The cops are going to be able to fire a pulse that will whack the bikes down to 10 horsepower.

I like Honda’s exhaust better on their liter bike (look, a Honda compliment) than what Suzuki is using on their three. It looks like Suzuki paint schemes are getting less painful to look at (apart from their "signature" blue and white set-up).

That's about all I got. I'm just not the target market for these.

Here's a question, what are the manufacture's going to do in the next ten years with these bikes? They are already beyond street usefulness. Are we going to see 300-400hp street legal sportbikes? How will that be any better (or more fun) than what is already available?

Anyone know if Kawasaki plans on revamping/updating the 500R?

I imagine the S-DMS system would be useful in the rain. Since people use these as daily drivers in Europe and the UK it makes sense I guess. a 16k rpm Sportbike on wet cobble stones would probably be something of a handful if you weren't careful

I think Yamaha is the closest to a decent design. But, even they are getting a little too pointy and angular.

I like Triumph's 675, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't go in a different direction with the design.

Speaking of Italian, isn't it time for Aprilia to redesign their bike?

Yes I agree. I like the Triumph 675 looks but it's a torture rack. I test rode one last spring. I loved the triple sound and performance I have an 05 Yamaha R6. The new R6 I don't like and the R1 is OK but dated. I am disappointed with the GSXR750 because I was seriously thinking about moving up to the 750 class this year. Sorry Suzuki this year's model is just too ugly. You and Honda get F's this year..The front end got worse not better and that tail pipe ick! Yikes who designs these bikes? Like the Honda CBR1000 article says the bikes are so close in performance (especially to the average rider) looks are an important differentiator. So one would think you would spend some time getting that right. I can't afford a Ducati 1098 maybe the new 898 will be in my price range.

sarnali2 said:

I imagine the S-DMS system would be useful in the rain. Since people use these as daily drivers in Europe and the UK it makes sense I guess. a 16k rpm Sportbike on wet cobble stones would probably be something of a handful if you weren't careful

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as a daily driver on the 750 i dont think you'd need to kill the power, the 750 makes relatively good smooth power until it kicks at about 10k rpm.it doesnt have the low down torque of the 1000 to spin up the rear which i thought the sdms system was for. and it just seems crazy on the 600 which you need to rev the nuts off to get moving at all. if you are going to redline it across cobblestones i think you may encounter traction issues.
of all the bikes i have ridden or owned i still put the 750 up there as one of the best mixture of power and handling, a really great bike to ride despite whether you like the look of it or not (i dont like the new exhaust) which really should be the point ?

Are the bikes going to get better fuel mileage at the lower settings? Use the low setting for commuting, the go to full power for track days or canyon carving.

Hmm. You would think fuel mileage would increase. I wonder if any reviews will touch on this. But I am mechanically stupid, so I could be really wrong.

Tadgh said:

as a daily driver on the 750 i dont think you'd need to kill the power, the 750 makes relatively good smooth power until it kicks at about 10k rpm.it doesnt have the low down torque of the 1000 to spin up the rear which i thought the sdms system was for. and it just seems crazy on the 600 which you need to rev the nuts off to get moving at all. if you are going to redline it across cobblestones i think you may encounter traction issues.
of all the bikes i have ridden or owned i still put the 750 up there as one of the best mixture of power and handling, a really great bike to ride despite whether you like the look of it or not (i dont like the new exhaust) which really should be the point ?

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I've never owned or ridden one so I don't know, It was just a thought......

BrowningBAR said:

Speaking of Italian, isn't it time for Aprilia to redesign their bike?

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Rumor has it that Piaggio is in the process of reworking both the bikes and the production facilities. If I remember correctly the Shiver is the first production bike on the new platform.

No need....

BrowningBAR said:

Hmm. You would think fuel mileage would increase. I wonder if any reviews will touch on this. But I am mechanically stupid, so I could be really wrong.

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.... for mechanical knowledge on a bike as maintenance free as a BossHoss.

Labrat said:

Are the bikes going to get better fuel mileage at the lower settings? Use the low setting for commuting, the go to full power for track days or canyon carving.

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It would depend on how the bike is ridden. If you're like us, you'd be spending more time at big throttle openings with the DMS in mode C, so you'd probably not see an improvement in fuel mileage. Also, it would be like water torture for most motojournos to ride around in mode C for a few tank-fulls...

Regarding Aprilia, they have the new 750 Shiver and the 850 Mana. Also, they will show off their new V-4 superbike at this November's bike show in Milan, but it probably won't make production for another year.

Kevin_Duke said:

Regarding Aprilia, they have the new 750 Shiver and the 850 Mana. Also, they will show off their new V-4 superbike at this November's bike show in Milan, but it probably won't make production for another year.

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I've never ridden a V4... any dramatic difference in ride characteristics over a twin? I'd think counter-balancing (and therefor vibration) would be less of an issue.

V-4s are...

vermicious said:

I've never ridden a V4... any dramatic difference in ride characteristics over a twin? I'd think counter-balancing (and therefor vibration) would be less of an issue.

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...slimmer like V-twins. So you get a more slippery aerodynamic. However the improved aerodynamics are offset by the increased cost of producing the engine and increased weight. As the market has shown I-4s are still dominant because most buyers decided that the advantages of the V-4 didn't matter for street use and weren't willing to pay the higher cost. Witness the demise of the Honda V-4s of the 80s.

Honda still actually makes two V-4s: the VFR800 Interceptor and the ST1300. When the cylinders are set at a 90-degree angle, vibration isn't an issue. A counterbalancer is likely to be used with the cylinders set at a narrower angle, like the new Aprilia.

V-4s are costlier to produce than an inline-Four (two sets of cylinder heads, cams, etc), but they are very enjoyable to ride. They tend to produce a slightly richer midrange and usually sound wonderful. The Yamaha V-Max is another V-4.