Suzuki’s GSX-R 600 Delivers Speed, Style & Performance Without Breaking Your Budget.
Written: May 10 '03 (Updated May 10 '03)
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Pros: Visually appealing, handles like a dream, nice braking system, nice starter bike.
Cons: Instrument panel design is horrid, stock parts might be hard to come by these days.
The Bottom Line: Looking for speed, power and performance from a street bike without paying big bucks? The Suzuki GSX-R 600 is well worth checking out.
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| Freak369's Full Review: 2000 Suzuki GSX-R600 |
After much poking and prodding from a few Epinions members, I’ve finally gotten up the courage to start reviewing some of the awesome street bikes that I’d had the extreme privileged to ride. Summers in Southern California are a biker’s paradise, warm weather, beautiful nights, excellent riding conditions and stretches of freeway where you can really test out a bikes capabilities and downfalls. I don’t claim to be a gear-head or pro class rider and chances are you won’t find pages and pages of technical specs in my reviews but you will get the total truth about how a bike handles, who it would be best for and what the weak points are. I look at it this way, if you want to know what the exact size of a nut or some other obscure item, you can look at the manufacturer website for that.
Suzuki GSX-R 600
Having previously reviewed the Suzuki GSX-R 750 that I own, I really wanted to go over the aspects of the 600 for those that might be looking for something with a little less power but with all the style and performance that comes with the Suzuki name. I had the chance to ride this bike several times under different weather conditions ranging from extreme heat to cool evenings and I was really surprised at how well it handled as well as the power it possessed. Visually it looks a lot like the GSX 750 and to someone that doesn’t know a lot about street bikes – there is a good chance they won’t be able to tell the difference until they turn the key and race the engine. Power wise, the bike is quick off the line and since it is lighter than the 750 that I own it had a little less overall weight to it. This might be the reason that it was one of the top picks for racing when slightly modified or straight stock for the slightly illegal street races that take place in the area. If you are looking for a bike that won’t kill you when it comes to getting insurance but will still give you the speed you desire, the GSX-R 600 is a mighty fine pick.
Speed
As I mentioned, I had the chance to ride this under different conditions and I’ll try to cover all of them so you can get a well rounded view of how the bike handles. During the extreme heat of summer the bike handles better than my 750, the lower horsepower might have something to do with this but I am leaning toward the fact that the bike is just a complete beast that is capable of handing anything you throw at it. Considering that this bike is heavier than the 750 by about 45 pounds, it still has the capability of smoking most other bikes in its class as well as those from the 650 and 750 class. Both bikes were modified so there are some small differences from what you would be purchasing as a stock model but none of those changes will make a real difference since most of the changes were cosmetic and to reduce the overall weight and drag of the bike.
To get the most of the 650 and to trim off a few pounds from the stock model you can purchase custom fairings, opt for plastic sections rather than metal or have a qualified motorcycle technician suggest the best modifications to reduce the overall weight. I only took this bike to the low 90’s and it felt like a dream, no shaking or rocking and the tires handled the speed perfectly. In some respects this handled better than my 750 since it is a little smaller – only a few inches in the height and length – but when you are going for top speed and performance, every little bit helps. The fastest that the owner ever took this to was 112 MPH however others have said that on stock bikes they’ve gotten it over 117 without and noticeable performance issues. If you are going to try to test out the maximum speed of a bike, please do it in a safe manner, preferable in a controlled area with no chance of traffic.
Features
As I mentioned, this bike has some cosmetic changes from the stock model but I had the chance to ride it before most of the work was done as well as after. One of the major changes the owner made was the instrument panel. He didn’t chop it to bits or pay a thousand dollars for a modified one, he simply added a few extras that help him, and anyone else that rides it, the chance to be safe and monitor speed. Just like my bike, he added a second speedometer that rests at the top of the panel [unlike mine that is bolted on near the windscreen]. Just like the 750, the instrument panel is small and if you aren’t just the right height chances are some of the displays won’t be visible to you at all times. It’s really important to test out a bike several times to make sure that it is the best size and class and try it out during the day as well as in the evening. You’d be surprised by the number of bikes that you will love riding during the day and hate riding at night.
The 600 features an electronic fuel injection system, which might attribute to the quickness of the bike over the 750. I had no trouble getting on this the first time, starting it up and taking off but getting used to the overall size was a little tough. Even though there are only a few inches of difference on the overall height and length of the bike, I had a little trouble getting used to the different sized tank on the 600. While this is a small thing, it is important to know when looking for a bike that you’ll be spending a lot of time riding. The seat height is almost the same on both bike but the 600’s seat seems to be a bit more dense which is something that you really want when riding for more than 50 miles. As far as the brakes are concerned, I have to admit that the braking system on the 600 blows my bike away. You don’t get the slightest feel of a chop or jerk when you apply the brakes, even at high speeds. A lot of this is chalked up to the trimmed weight of the 600 due to cosmetic changes as well as the – in my opinion – superior braking system that the 600 has. Some might argue that the 750 has the advantage due to the hydraulics’ but I can almost guarantee that if you tested both bikes out at the same speed with the same conditions, you would see that the 600 is better in this respect.
The mirrors are a little smaller and streamlined but in opinion a little cheaper than the 750. I accidentally broke one of them after I bumped it with my tank beg, something I had done on my bike several times without having the thing even move. The seat is a little longer and firmer than the 750, which is something that makes me just a little envious of this bike. Given that the seat is longer you have a little more room when you need to stretch out or want to lean in when driving long distances. I took this bike to Los Angeles one afternoon and when I got off the bike I wasn’t nearly as tight or cramped in my lower back and with the 750. The more I write about the GSX-R 600 the more I am wondering why I still have the 750 instead of trading it in for the smaller 600. I doubt I could ever give up my bike and ‘downgrade’ to a lower horsepower bike but I tell you, it is tempting at times.
In regards to the rest of the functions of the bike, they are ‘average’ to ‘excellent’ with nothing really sticking out as poor. The headlights were bright but not so much that it was an issue when you would hit a patch of fog. Turn signals, the usually for Suzuki – still stick out a little too far for my taste but that’s more of a design issue than anything else. Comfort wise, this really blows the 750 away. I really had to say that but it is the truth. The instrument panel – just like the turn signals – needs a little bit of work to make it more user friendly and accessible when in use. You’ll still need to scrape the dead bugs off the bike and windscreen when you are done riding – that is a norm for any bike. Clean up is easy, squirt it down with a hose and you are good to go. This particular 600 doesn’t get stored during the winter months so there isn’t a lot of work that needs to be done to it when summer rolls around. It gets started up every few weeks and taken out on the road during the winter and spring months when the weather permits – even then it runs like a true champ.
The Bottom Line
Overall the 600 is a quick bike that looks great. There are some points that need a little work like the mirrors and instrument panel but that’s just my take on the bike. Others have tried out both bikes and found both of the to have completely different pro’s and con’s. I suggest this bike for those that have never owned another sport bike, those looking for speed without getting killed on insurance and riders that want a bike that is low maintenance. I am not saying that the 750 is a dog or will kill you with repairs but when stacking up both bikes against each other, the 600 will give you more bang for your buck.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
Model Year: 2000
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