I hate the be the bearer of bad and sad news dear readers. But it’s about yours truly, so I’ll give it to you slowly…

Hi readers, after the devastation of losing the Gsxr, I unfortunately developed a heart condition that prevents me from over exerting myself. Alas, one of these activities includes riding.

Just kidding there folks! However, I am on heart medication for the next 6 months to a year, so I am on indefinite leave from IPM. Thanks for all your support and maybe I’ll be back one day!

Be safe! And also take what you can from all that I have contributed. Thanks for the opportunity IPM!

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As I mentioned last month, I have done two oil changes, following Moto Tune’s break-in procedure, on my Gsxr since rolling it off the showroom floor. I did one at 20 miles, to get rid of all those shavings that don’t allow for proper ring/cylinder break-in; and one at 200 miles. All of these miles were ridden with variable loading and engine unloading. This meant that I never kept the engine steady at 6000rpm like the dealer suggests, but rather always accelerating or engine decelerating. This is so that the cylinder walls are not glazed (which curiously is done by holding the revline steady). The manufacturer’s suggested method tends to overheat the cylinder walls and create thin films which never allows for the rings and cylinders to fit perfectly. So next time your Sale Associate over revs the bike at the stealership, don’t cringe. They are actually doing you a favor, and starting the proper break-in process. Once the bike has reached 200 miles you can start revving the bike closer and closer to the rev-limiter.

After I hit 200 miles, I was ready for some modifications. Nothing better than a box full of parts from OFD Racing. I started first with the Spanish-made Puig Windscreen. It was a fairly easy installation, but the real pleasure was the aerodynamic effect it presented at high speed cruising. Due to the slight double-bubble, it allowed for a more comfortable riding position. The released head weight and neck stress was well worth switching from stock. It even had the Gsxr logo tastefully printed on the bottom of the screen.
Next up was the Shogun Frame Sliders and Spools, also from the good folks at OFD Racing. These pieces required no cutting and no drilling, just remove the fairings and a couple bolts and you’ll be ready roll. Fortunately, I have not had to fully test these on a slide.

Next I had the boys at the office help with 45-tooth sprocket by Driven installation. The guys at OFD Racing suggested it for improved torque and touchier wheelies. Perhaps we drank too much, but this mod took the longest time as it required the rear wheel, brake caliper and chain to be removed. The sprocket was a perfect fit for the stock 525 chain and required only slack adjustment. The black powder-coated sprocket complemented the overall “stealth look” the of the bike.

OFD Racing also threw in a carbon-look rear hugger for my 600 by Puig. Not a bad piece, but doesn’t really do much for the bike. In fact, the aluminum inserts creates an uncomplimentary flash against the black bike.

Unfortunately, after all these mods where installed and a couple miles of testing, my pride and joy was stolen from outside IPM’s office. It was taken on Saturday, December 16th between 11:30am and 1:30pm. Any information provided will be greatly appreciated. We’ll see what happens, but for now, I am bikeless.

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After removing the OEM sprocket, I placed some LocTite on each of the bolts before torquing them to the specified amount with the new sprocket. Here’s what the finished product looks like:

Screen installation was a snap. I removed eight bolts and swapped the windscreens. Here are some windscreen shots:

             
Balanced? I am anal when it comes to my safety, so I like to triple check EVERYTHING.

Hello all! I recently came on board here at Inline Performance Magazine as a Staff Writer. With over forty thousand miles of riding experience (including crashing), my primary role here is as a test rider. I will also be here to report on different products in the sportbike market, testing them on the street and at the track.

After meeting with the editor Alex, he handed me the keys to a new 2006 Suzuki GSX-R 600. Awesome! It’s a nimble, middle weight, and strong bike with tons of potential backed with a pure bred racing heritage. I am quite curious to see what Suzuki will offer me.

Here’s a little bit of a history lesson. Suzuki was introduced to the US market with their line of lightweight motorcycles in 1963. Success came quickly as they offered a great line of reliable bikes. Most noticeable was the two-stroke vertical twins.

In 1986, Suzuki rolled out the first mass-production replica racer superbike: the revolutionary GSXR 600. At the time, this was unusual as never before had a motorcycle manufacturer offered so many race components for their street line. It was such a great bike that Kevin Schawantz signed with Suzuki and won the Daytona 200 in 1988.

Okay enough of the technical stuff. The first thing I noticed about the littlest of the GSXRs was the new bodywork style. Visual similarities to the ‘05 GSXR include the single headlight and the “Suzuki” and “GSXR” logos. That’s about it. Suzuki claims 5% less drag and better ducking angle, with the new bodywork, for your trackday straights. Sure, it looks better and aggressive, but the real innovation is on the inside. A shorter engine allows for the wheelbase to shorten by 15mm, improving handling with weight centralization.

In the past, Suzuki have always been on the chunkier side with its wide front end. This was because Suzuki motorcycles ran hot, and for that, their radiators had to be bigger than other manufacturer’s. The new radiator is curved, thereby more efficient. The frame also underwent rigorous reworking with a new aluminum alloy frame which utilizes five cast sections engineered to deliver the ideal balance of rigidity for improved handling and reduced weight.

Fuel Injection was improved with double injectors per cylinder to help with low and mid range. This keeps the acceleration and deceleration smoother for daily street use. Weight was also reduced and suspension was revised. The front Showa forks are fully adjustable and the diameter was shortened by 2mm (from the 2005 version). I am still tweaking with both the front and rear end to suit my own riding style.

Brakes consist of radial calipers, semi floating 320mm rotors and a radial master cylinder; providing tons of front feel and consistency under hard braking.

For the first couple of miles, I have made adjustment to the controls. A little tweaking with the adjustable levers made my wrists hurt less from constant clutching and braking. I also noticed my legs were hitting the fairings, especially when shifting. Surprisingly, I found that the stock rearsets are adjustable to 3 different positions, with 14mm of horizontal and vertical leeway. Nice feature. It allowed me to bring my feet back about an inch.

The bike currently has about 250 miles on it, with two oil changes (yes, two), which I will go into more detail next month. Winter is upon us so our roads are getting slippery, and people start driving like idiots during the holiday season. I’ll try to take it easy on the bike.

Anyways, keep in touch! More stuff to come in the next months. A pile of goodies have already arrived and is sitting in my office corner. A 45 tooth sprocket, Puig windscreen and shogun frame sliders. Oh baby! Keep it right here!