Suzuki bucks the trend

Following the demise of the Kawasaki ZX-7R earlier this year, the GSX-R750 stands out as the only mass-produced Japanese 750cc sports bike on the market.

SUZUKI is ignoring talk that the 750 class is dying and is instead gearing up for one of the biggest years in the history of the long-running GSX-R750 by ordering in 1500 of the all-new 2004 bike.

This is the largest number of GSX-R750s the firm has ordered since the first SRAD version was launched in 1997.

The recent rise of 110bhp 600cc machines as well as the latest generation of lightweight litre bikes have both been putting pressure on sales of sports 750s.

However, Suzuki thinks that the ever-increasing power of the big sports bikes has become intimidating to some riders, who are now looking to downgrade to something more manageable, but may be put off by the peakiness of the 600cc sports bikes.

The 2004 GSX-R750 and GSX-R600 will look very similar and share the same chassis, bodywork and most engine parts.

And while a GSX-R1000 weighs 170kg, the 750 weighs only 2kg more than the 600 (at 163kg). The 750 makes 148bhp – around 28bhp more than the

600.

The 2004 GSX-R600 and 750 now look almost identical, with a family resemblance to the existing GSX-R1000. But the similarities are more than skin deep.

Key features include: Ram air, Radially-mounted brakes, Upside down forks, Braced swingarm, LED tail light, and New sharp styling.