As far as first impressions go, I was chuffed with the Suzuki GSX-8R after our Cadwell Park outing a few weeks back, and with a target lap time of one min 37, the goal was challenging yet realistic, given the spec of the machine. It wasn't until I got home and watched the GoPro footage back that I realised I was a whopping eight seconds away from where we wanted to be! What was I playing at? Had the Suzuki/Fast Bikes duo bitten off more than it could chew? I was beginning to wonder.
If you read part one of the project in last month's issue, you'll have seen my lovely list of excuses. If you didn't, then here is a handful of the big ones as to why I was so far off... at least that's what I'm going with for now, anyway.
The footpegs dragging on every single corner was probably the most unnerving limitation I ran into with the standard road bike, followed closely by the soft suspension setting which meant I couldn't get through the bends how I wanted and hold the corner speed, and finally the ABS interference during heavy braking. Add these together and you're left with a bike that's maybe not quite as sorted for a lap record attack as I'd have hoped for.
I suppose now is a good time to whack in the disclaimer. This is a standard road bike, built for comfort and performance on the road, and Suzuki has nailed that with the 8R (I love a comfy bike!). However, we like going fast here at Fast Bikes, so we thought it would be a great idea to challenge this new model for a lap record and see how far we could push things... here goes nothing.
Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Fast Bikes UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Fast Bikes UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Steve Parrish
It's been a busy old month but so good being back in the thick of it. Despite the great British weather, it finally feels like summer is here, and I've been all over the place with some really great events since we spoke last month.
Christian Iddon
It's a long time since I had that feeling... 1057 days, to be precise, and if you were to ask if 'that day' was the day it would happen again, then I would have bet all my worldly belongings against it.
BOTH A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASE
There’s a time and place to lawyer up to the hills, and this is one them...
LONGTERMER KAWASAKI ZX-6R
Last month, I was gearing up to consign my ZX-6R to the back of my garage while I disappeared for the best part of three weeks to work at the TT with Batham's Racing.
YAMAHA WABASH RT
When you live a life of wheelies, burnouts and fast laps on race tracks, it's hard to spot a midlife crisis... but six months on in the saddle of Yamaha's Wabash e-bike, I daresay that's exactly where I'm at. I'll be honest, cycling isn't for everyone, and quite frankly, Lycra is even more polarising, but for me, life on two wheels, be it powered or pedalled, has formed my staple diet for as long as I can remember.
24 HOURS FLAT-OUT!
Ever fancied a crack at 24-hour endurance racing? You might think again after reading this...
PROJECT 37 A TEST OF TIME
Having got his head around the standard bike at Cadwell, Timmy heads to Powerslide Motorcycles with a wish list of improvements for the Suzuki GSX-8R...
'WHY WE GO RACING...5
Ever wondered why big brands spend big money and put in huge amounts of effort to go racing? Well, we did too, so we didn’t hesitate to ask the man who makes that call for Honda Racing UK...
9 BIKES WE WISH WERE STILL HERE...
No one’s worked out how to bring things back from the dead, but if we had our way, these are the bikes we’d oe see makingareturn.
SENSATIONAL SUZUKI LIVE
Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live’s formula proved a winner for the thousands there.
