Mine's an Earl Grey - read on.... (Suzuki GSX600F)

Member Name: martinlross

Product:	Suzuki GSX600F
Date:	05/04/01 (5069 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Comfy, Practicable, Tough

Disadvantages: Image, Cheap

The GSX600F. To some folk the very name elicits smirks, winks and nudges and conjures up images of teapots - apparently owing to its sculpting. To others it means real value for money biking with low buying and running costs. So how do I rate this questionable piece of motorcycling heritage? Read on!

This was my first bike after passing my bike test in 1996. I bought it for £2500 back then and that was a bit over the odds but I didn't know better.

It had a lovely paint scheme (metallic blue with Lucky Strike logos) and was mistaken, even by hardened sports bike fanatics, for something more than it was. But this paint scheme was there for a reason! Once home my prize and joy was stripped to see what lay beneath that vast expanse of plastic. Exhibit A - two majorly patched up and stitched together panels. Beautifully done no question but please please - if you ever see a bike in non-standard colours ask yourself "Why?". Few folk rarely go to the bother of repainting bikes for the heck of it. The same goes for wheels that are non-standard colour. It usually means they've been in a collision and either had the wheel powder coated and resprayed or they got it from a scrappy's.

But back to the bike.

The bike is actually a real peach. For the money you get sheer comfort (I went to the south of France and rode back 800 miles non-stop and could still grin inanely at the end of it), you also get decent fuel consumption at 40 to 45 miles per gallon, a top speed of circa 140mph on a long straight, realistic hour long cruising at 120mph and, for those willing to use a bit of muscle, exciting cornering antics - you get round but each corner is imprinted on your grey matter.

Running costs: Cheap cheap cheap. Forget your Dunlop D207's and BT56's. This thing will run on Dunlop Arrowmax's very well and they last for ages compared to the softer compounds on offer. Brake pads are cheap too as
are chain and sprockets.

Useful mods: The original exhaust system rots and mine was replaced with a Motad chrome system. The poor man's choice, sure, but it looked nice, it polished up well and it lasted. The only other mod was a flip up screen which was useful for touring and high speed blasting (I use the term "high" loosely since today's 600's can do 160mph).

Cons: The image is probably the biggest let down. There's a lot of plastic there and the aircooled engine is noisy. The performance is nothing like the CBR600, GSXR600 or ZX6R but it is by no means a slouch. Ridden enthusiastically I could keep up on windy A class roads with my friends on their ZX-9R's and CBR600's. This bike is not for small people. It is very heavy and bulky. The finish also wasn't the best – brake rotor bolts went rusty and the fluid reservoir fittings were a bit soft like a fine Brie. The bike is basically a parts bin special where the components are as cheap as you get from Suzuki and sourced from earlier models in times past. This was evident in the suspension which was limited in adjustment and pretty soggy when pushed to the limit.

Other points: For me this was an ideal intro to biking. I learnt a lot about how a bike works - it's like a an old car where you can actually tinker with things without being hampered by space age electronics. It's also good to work on (I replaced the rear shock and I am no mechanic). For comfort it was great - good for pillions too.

Conclusion: A cheap way into real biking without getting into wheezy GS500's or ER500's.

NB I have written this in the context of the version before the current model. Maybe the new model has improved but if my memory serves me right I suspect it is pretty much the same.

Summary: