Motorcycling changed forever in 1985 when the original GSX-R750 was launched to begin a new era of race-replica sports bikes designed unashamedly for high performance and light weight. A year later the GSX-R1100 brought a similar ethos to the unlimited capacity class, to similarly huge acclaim.
Since then, the GSX-R range has grown to provide many outstanding models, winning countless races and championships while retaining the original bike’s light-is-right approach. After almost 40 years the Gixxer family is firmly established as one of motorcycling’s most iconic, influential and best loved.
And now it is being killed off(assuming you don’t count the GSX-R125), as Suzuki follows the withdrawal of its GSX-RR from MotoGP with the admission that it cannot sell the GSX-R1000 in 2023 for emissions reasons, and has no replacement in sight. As we bid the GSX-R a sad sayonara, these are its greatest hits…
1985 – GSX-R750: Yokouchi’s masterpiece
From the moment the GSX-R750 was unveiled in autumn 1984, its combination of racebike looks, 100bhp oil-cooled engine, aluminium-framed chassis and dry weight of just 176kg confirmed an unprecedented commitment to high performance.
The 750 wasn’t the first GSX-R. A year earlier Suzuki had released a home-market GSX-R400: a liquid-cooled four with an aluminium-framed chassis inspired by the GS1000R racer that had won the world endurance title in 1983. The GSX-R400 was 18 per cent lighter than rival fours, and when Suzuki engineer Etsuo Yokouchi set out to design a 750cc model he chose a similar approach.
Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
