GSX-R Suzuki Gixxer

Before 2001 there was only one 'King Of The Road' - 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1. That was to change though with the introduction of the Suzuki GSX-R 1000. The ‘Gixxer thou’ threw down the gauntlet to the already legendary R1 and many say the Gixxer dealt the R1 a knockout blow. The Gixxer soon became known as 'The King Of The Gods'.

The new bike came with a ground-breaking new exhaust system. It worked by adding a ‘tuning valve’ inside the exhaust pipe which reacted to changes in gear selection, throttle usage and engine revs and changed the exhaust back pressure based on those inputs. Amazingly, this new exhaust system actually weighed in almost 3 kilos lighter that the 750’s by using titanium for the pipe and the inside of the silencer.As wellas delivering a lighter, more responsive bike, the new exhaust system brought with it increased torque, lower emissions and less exhaust noise in the Gixxer 1000 than was produced by the GSX-R 600.

There are many reviews of the original Gixxer-thou out there but I think this one from Motorcycle News sums it all up beautifully:

“The Suzuki GSX-R1000 has always had the strongest engine in the 1000cc sport class – that makes it king of the gods. The Suzuki GSX-R1000's huge power on tap just above tickover, a walloping midrange and a top end rush to make you laugh all the way to the magistrates court. Lower ratios means it outperforms the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K3-K6 models in top gear too. Pleasantly raw with enough gruff edge to excite as well.”

The review above is pretty heady stuff. Maybe when you look at the bare facts and figures you can understand why:

The Gixxer thou engine was heavier than the R750 lump which it was based on but it was significantly lighter than the previous ‘heavyweight’, the GSXR1300.

9,500 revs will belt out 160bhp – measured at the crank and a huge back wheel measurement of 143 bhp. The redlines at 12,000 revs.

The top torque is at 8,000 rpm and gives 80 ft·lbf . Put these impressive figures together with the fact that the bike weighed around 374 lb (170 kg) and you get performance like this:

Zero to 100 km/h time: 3 seconds.

Quarter: 10.3 seconds at 237 km/h

Top Speed: 293 km/h

Rivals of the day aren’t quite as capable. Clean examples fly out of dealer showrooms and private sale Suzuki GSX-R1000s don’t hang around long either.

But don't buy one before you've looked here.