Last night I went to a local Yam/Suzuki dealership to pick up a new tire for the GTS and saw that today they were having Suzuki demo rides. The Hayabusa and GTS1000 were among those expected to be present. It wasn't really in my plans, but how often does a guy get the chance to take a burn on bikes like these. So I got up early, went down there and registered to ride them both.
1st up at 10:30 am was the 'Busa. Here's an impressive machine that I have always been quietly smitten with. Impressive styling and power, yet weighs in at under 500lbs. Before we left the parking lot I was surprised to find that it felt like my legs were very high up and it was somewhat uncomfortable (I'm 35 years old, 5'11" about 155lbs). The bars felt great and it shifted into and out of gear nicely - without the obvious clunk of the GTS, and the chain lash between gears was nonexistent. The clutch grabbed smoothly and the engine seemed to almost invite you to engage the clutch and start rolling forward. Power.....well, there was no shortage of that. It delivered it very well and consistently from low to upper mid range RPM's. We never got to take them on the highway during our 30 minute ride, but I managed to reach 120 km/hr anyway during a couple of lucky red light breaks from our leader. At one such break I decided to open her up a little after the clutch was almost fully engaged and the back tire spun easier than I've ever felt on any bike before, once she hooked up I think my arms stretched a little. :-) Back at the dealership I think "that was a very nice, fast, nimble ride, but my legs couldn't take that for more than an hour or so". I never expected the 'Busa to be an aggressive leg position bike, so I can only imagine what a GSXR will be like. So I hop back on the GTS and do a few errands around town for a couple of hours. The GTS feels slightly weaker than it did before, but still quite nice. 2nd up at 1:00 pm is the GSXR1000. I've never ridden a pure sport bike (other than a Ducati) before and have always thought they looked very fun and flippable. This bike has really impressed me with it's race track history of wins and that it was the only bike to out power and under weigh the R1 (I'm a big R1 fan). Anyway, before my ride I see the owner of the dealership come over and adjust the clutch lever, then a few minutes later the sales manager, then a few minutes more and the shop manager does it too. I think "the last test pilot must of had some issues with the clutch engaging too early and they're loosening her up". I then throw a leg over and start her up. When I let the clutch out in first gear, it engages and starts pulling away (at idle) very strongly with the lever only about 1/2" off the grip "wow, is this ever sensitive". I stall it at the third set of lights because it's so touchy, but after about 5 minutes I'm used to it and already starting to like it. This is when I start to use the throttle a little. I accidentally (honest) pulled the front tire off the ground leaving the 6th set of lights. "Yee-haaa!" echoes inside the helmet. And I haven't even revv'd it above 7 grand yet (redline is some where around 12,500 I think). The throttle response is incredibly sensitive and responsive.....beyond my wildest imagination. I decided to open it up a little more next break I got. The bike almost left me behind it pulled so hard. I remembered the 'Busa's poor leg position and thinking how comfortable I was on the GSXR - surprisingly. When I got back to the dealership, half of me was incredibly impressed with this bike, and the other half was angry because I now knew I wanted one badly and couldn't afford it! I try to help reality by thinking the insurance alone would bankrupt me, not to mention the speeding tickets. So again I get aboard the GTS, but this time it feels strangely large and upright. When I engage the clutch I almost fall over because the bike hasn't started moving yet and the clutch is almost all the way out. And the amount of throttle required to get the bike rolling from a stop seems repulsive. DAMN IT! I've been spoiled. GWN Daren
