So I went down to Fay Meyers, a big motorcycle dealership in Denver's Tech Center, to test-ride some Suzuki products. They were having some kind of rolling roadshow that lets you test ride select models of their bikes in a 20 minute stretch that incorporated surface streets, medium-speed sweepers, and a couple of miles of highway riding. Suzuki advertises this as an opportunity for riders to become familiar with their product line. I decided to familiarize myself with three of Suzuki's street bikes: the SFV650 Gladius, the GSXR 750, and the Hayabusa.
I ride a Clinton-first-term Honda CBR 600 F3, which is carbureted. This bike runs like a top, and I'm not planning on ever selling it as it is so much fun and is such a good example of late 90's engineering, and hasn't been much buggered with by prior owners.
My first opportunity to ride was with the Suzuki SVF650 Gladius. Getting on the Gladius was easy - its low seat height and high bars gave the bike an "easy access" feel. Starting it up, I noticed that the exhaust thump of the 639 cc v-twin was muted and civilized, and throttle-response was linear and gentle. The bike's low-speed handling and vertical seating position inspires a dirt-bike genetic memory in the rider - very familiar feeling, easy, almost twitchy mountain-bike responsiveness. It feels short, turns with little effort and seems like it would reward practiced and smooth steering with amazing cornering prowess. The motor is a very different experience than an inline 4-cylinder - super torquey, lots of grunt, and a nice popping rumble when revved hard. Shifting seems to be kind of an optional activity on the Gladius as the torque from the venerable v-twin is available with ample reserve for any challenge which confronts you in traffic. I did not get a chance to rail on the Gladius as the Suzuki reps made it clear that they would frown upon hooliganism.
The Gladius is attractive in that neo-industrial street fighter way, with its polished coated steel tube frame and flat black finishes complemented by the chrome and stainless of the bars and the exhaust. Coolant lines and radiators stick out into the wind, and there is an unattractive bit of ducting in the forward portion of the engine bay which covers the radiator. It's the only styling miscue on the bike. The headlight had that curious downward warp many manufacturers are putting on streetfighters these days, a trend which is not all that appealing, but its looks are growing on me. The SFV650 Gladius is not a Triumph Street Triple, but it's a handsome affair. It's also NOT $10,500 like the Triumph, either; I think it retails for about $6,500 which is a bargain. The Gladius seems like the ideal motorcycle on which to learn to ride as it will be essentially impossible for a new rider to outgrow.
My next ride was a superb GSXR 750. This middleweight super-sports bike was truly a joy to ride. A bike configured like the GSXR seems as if it will be hard-edged, finicky and hypersensitive, but there's little of this uncompromising behavior apparent in this responsive and capable machine. The inline 4-cyl revs more willingly than any machine I've ever had under my throttle hand, and this machine required more focus and smoother inputs than the far less snappy Gladius. The motor has this amazing intake "snort" which is so fun to hear that you find yourself, enthralled with its muscularity and vigor, blipping the throttle at every opportunity like a punk in an old Charger. With its low bars and high pegs, you climb ON the GSXR-750, denying the sensation that you are sitting "in" the bike. This is no sports-touring machine, but a serious scalpel for slicing up your favorite canyon rode. In spite of the less-compromising position, I felt pretty comfortable on the GSXR - I felt like I could put 200-300 miles on the bike before I was tired. The GSXR was nimble and composed, and never felt nervous or touchy. It seems like it would be a great first sportbike for an experienced rider who could get good use out of the nearly-limitless well of performance offered by this amazing machine.
My final ride of the day was a Hayabusa. This famed machine is Suzuki's unique offering; only Kawasaki has recently made a motorcycle to rival the 'Busa, as it is known amongst the cognoscenti. It has an immensely large, 1340 cc engine displacement and makes north of 160 horsepower. The styling is... controversial. It incorporates oddly organic curves; feminine shapes at the rear are somewhat curious. I was originally repulsed by the looks of this motorcycle... but I couldn't STOP looking at it. This reminds me somewhat of the super-annoying pop song you hear on the radio that deeply affronts... and you can't stop thinking about it. The next thing you know, you're singing the song. Fuck.
Anyway, the Hayabusa is a HOOT to ride. Its powertrain is brutally responsive. Your throttle-hand is in a state of refined discipline on the Hayabusa, as you are keenly aware of the volcanic nature of the thrust available to the rider. Second-gear trips from 18 mph to 50 happen with joint-shredding power at 1/4 throttle; I didn't want to "anger Pele" with any deeper requests. The bike is geared quite tall, presumably to prevent nastiness and excess tire wear, and probably to keep mileage into the double-digits. Many motorcyclists who talk about the Hayabusa discuss various characteristics of the bike which cause controversy - the weight, which nears 600 lbs, the amazingly long chassis, said to impede handling, and what I have seen termed as the "douche factor," due to its adoption by the squiddly, backward-hat-clad, flip-flop/muscle-T-sporting twenty-somethings who buy the machine in great quantity. That demographic often proceeds to hop up their 'Busas with even longer swingarms, bling, lowered suspension settings, etc. Canyon-carvers like me tend to point our refined noses skyward at such an approach to motorcycling... which is elitist snobbery at its finest.
I found the Hayabusa to be quite fun to pilot about the surface streets of Denver's Tech Center. The weight appeared to be carried quite low, and I felt very comfortable in low-speed transitions on this big, beautiful white machine. The bike felt forgiving and easy in the corners, nothing like I was expecting - I believed that it was going to handle like a shopping cart or a Harley-Davidson (take your pick), but I was dead wrong. We did not get a chance to rush into any corners, but I could tell that the Hayabusa would dive right in and carve quite strongly.
The busy dash was informative and well-configured for a nerdy gearhead like me, and all the small details on the 'Busa were beautifully crafted, from the luggage hooks and the pillion cover to the odd bullet-shaped fairing. Everything on the Hayabusa spoke quality and craftsmanship - this is Suzuki's $14,000 top-shelf prize.
Which bike would I buy were I in the market for some new two-wheeled joy? Of the three I rode, I'd probably want the GSXR, but the most practical bike for my riding style would probably be the 'Busa. The stigma of riding one seems akin to buying a Corvette at 45... a predictable move for a goofy middle-ager, but the practicality of the 'Busa as a daily commuter can hardly be overstated (except for the fact that you'd get better mileage in a mid-size sedan). It is comfortable and immensely fun. Its massive engine and huge torque brings helmet-cracking smiles to your face, and its showy curves seem to engender reactions amongst everybody who sees the bike - be they positive or negative.
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Originally Posted by salsashark
