These days the highways and backroads are heavily populated with bikes that are as comfortable on the street as they are on the track. Hearing the sweet sound of a sportbike accelerating away from a traffic light is a common occurrence, and one of the bikes that set the standard for today's street legal racers was Suzuki's GSX-R750.When the bike was introduced in 1986 there were other bikes that fell into the superbike category, but Suzuki raised the bar with the GSX-R750. The bike was built to win races, but it was also legal to ride on public roads. The technical specs included a 100 HP in-line four, responsive flat slide carburetors, 18 inch wheels and a dry weight of 388 pounds. Weight reduction was a focal point of the design philosophy and Suzuki did this by using lightweight parts, an alloy frame and an air/oil cooling system that was 10% lighter than water cooling. To increase the bike’s power on the track the factory sold a tuning kit that raised the engine's output to 130 BHP.
The bike was built for skilled riders who could handle the engine's power delivery and light weight. Kevin Schwantz was a factory Suzuki rider when the bike came out, "I rode for Yoshimura Suzuki from 1986-1988 and during that time rode the current year model. The 1986 GSX-R750 handled great, but the problem was getting power and reliability at the same time. It was an awesome bike to ride, though I didn't win any races. The 1987 GSX-R750 bike will always be my favorite. It was so reliable, I don't even remember breaking in a race. The bike was light and actually quite nervous, which I feel like got me ready for a GP bike because it was styled in that direction. Every time I got on it, I felt like I could win".
The GSX-R750 continues to be a mainstay in Suzuki's sportbike lineup, but it's been superseded by the GSX-R1000 and other liter bikes, but there are many who consider the power/handling of the GSX-R750 to be a better package for the street. No matter your opinion whenever you hear the high-pitched scream of in-line four off in the distance think of that first GSX-R750 that was the inspiration for all the sportbikes that followed.
VisorDown wrote about the different iterations of the GSX-R750, and Jamie Whitham talked about his on-track experiences with the bike and added some of his not-so-understated wit to the article.
