Demo Days (again)

[patw]

Previous threads:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44767
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=46964

I have a history of attending MC vendor demos and having some unkind things to say about some of the machines, but today was different: Today I rode 3 bikes that were truly great.

Suzuki had the local demo running, and due to my completion of the Ontario graduated licensing system, I was allowed to sign up to ride anything. When given a choice of anything from Suzuki, the choice was simple an obvious: GET ME A GIXXER 1000!



The model I drove looks identical to the one in the picture above, except it had an OEM Gel seat and a tank guard. While sitting on the bike, it feels a lot taller than the 600/750 from last year, so much so that I had trouble flat footing it. The riding position is also seems more aggressive. I noticed the shifter was angled a bit to make it easier for shifting while crouched over, a feature I didn't see on the other models.

After starting the bike, I noticed that it was very quiet at idle, and the engine seems to have a pretty interesting sound to it. I described it to the Suzuki guys as sounding like a diesel engine. That didn't go over well. Twisting the throttle generates the extreme noises you'd expect from an engine this size.

Shifting into 1st, I experienced something unexpected: You need almost no throttle and a hair amount of friction-zone to get it moving forward. Like the FZ1 I reviewed last year, the GIXXER engine is smooth as ice at low speeds. I'm guessing this is a characteristic of larger displacement engines now. Rolling through the parking lot at low speed, while crouched, is easier than expected thanks to the power.

Riding out on the street, one thing was pretty clear: This machine is feral. Very small amounts of throttle and steering input produced some pretty dramatic results. It wasn't uncontrollable by any stretch, frankly it felt like it was completely in control at all times, but the range at which you operate the controls shrinks to a very small amount. The bike seemed to reward you for doing everything with a minimal amount of effort and movement.

In the few times that throttle was called for, I was given vision blurring, mind bending acceleration. This madness happens in any of the lower gears, with the upper gears reserved for mildly terrifying acceleration. I'll be honest and say that I have *never* been on a machine this fast. This is the one and only time I've been on a bike and seriously worried about the front tire leaving the road.

For kicks, I decided to see how fast it would go in 1st gear, engine screaming at 14k rpm... No numbers will be posted. It was insanely fun to try, and equally life affirming to stop. In any gear above 1st, it seems 5-6k rpm was all the power required to propel the bike at sane and logical speeds with the rest of the group.

Would I buy the bike or recommend it? Yes, and maybe. It's hard work to ride this bike, and it's pretty uncomfortable. You know it can eat you while riding it, and it's just waiting for you to do something stupid. But, for someone who wants more than relaxing scenery and has some serious adrenaline issues, this bike rocks. But it might eat you...

And now for something completely different:



In blatant disregard for my own safety and the property of Suzuki Canada, I drove a demo machine at top gear, full throttle, redlined for an extended period of time... and no one noticed. Ok, I noticed. I was smiling ear to ear the whole time!

The TU250X is a bit of an oddball bike. It's a 250cc single, with fuel injection styled like a retro standard (or cruiser, someone will correct me here). I'm guessing it's marketed to new riders as an urban cruiser because it can't seem to exceed 120km/hr. It has a reasonable amount of torque and felt very similar to our Ninja 250, but not nearly as much top end.

Despite it's lack of speed, it was a complete blast to drive. The seat borders on ultra-comfortable, the riding position is fully upright and in-control. The positive throttle response makes the whole experience enjoyable, but the real star is the clutch. The friction zone seems to take up the entire range of the lever pull, making it the most user friendly bike I've ever had the pleasure to demo. It may be a bold statement, but I think you could teach anyone, even the most timid drivers how to ride a motorcycle on this machine. It's that easy to ride.

The engine sounds very much like a single, and the gearing seems reasonable for the power output. My only complaint was a mismatch in power between 3-4th gear: It felt like 3rd was too engine-screamy and 4th almost felt boggy at certain speeds.

Would I buy one or recommend it? If I lived someplace urban, maybe. For a new rider it's a good alternative to the Ninja 250. Especially if you don't want a sporty look. (But screw those people, they're not us

And finally, my favourite of the three:



I'm not sure why I didn't sign up to demo this one last year, I'm kicking myself now. This is easily one of the best bikes I've tried from Suzuki. The V-Strom is a bit intimidating due to the seat height (I can't flat foot it), and there are usually a bunch of sport bikes to try, (Gixxer 600/750/1000 GSXF650, SV650S, Gladius) so I guess I ignored it.

If you can get over the height issue, you are rewarded with one of the most comfortable riding experiences from any machine. The long suspension travel eats any road bumps and cracked pavement, while the seat seems to be filled with actual foam (not rocks like our bike -- ask in the tech section, how to replace your seat rocks!).

Besides the comfortable ride, you also get a wickedly torque-y engine that seems to go from stop to "holy crap I'm going fast" in a fairly short period of time. As well, you get some panniers! The model I rode had a top box, and 2 side boxes which looked pretty useful. Despite it's un-motorcycle like practicality, it was still amazingly fun to ride.

The biggest complaints I heard about this bike, from the assembled experts, were: You can't lane-split with something that wide (it's completely illegal here, so no biggie) and chains suck for long trips. I guess at this price point, shaft drive is not practical. Some also believe the machine to be under-powered. It went very fast, and got there very quickly. I'm not sure what more it needs.

Would I buy one or recommend it? Hell yes. I'm starting to think dual sports are well suited for our imperfect roads.

---

Thanks to the rain today, we only had 4 group rides, and I only got in 3. Next time I want to try the DRZ400, Busa, M109 and a few others.

Check your local dealerships to see if they're holding demo days. You get much better idea of what other bikes are like.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by patw

Previous threads:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44767
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=46964

I have a history of attending MC vendor demos and having some unkind things to say about some of the machines, but today was different: Today I rode 3 bikes that were truly great.

Suzuki had the local demo running, and due to my completion of the Ontario graduated licensing system, I was allowed to sign up to ride anything. When given a choice of anything from Suzuki, the choice was simple an obvious: GET ME A GIXXER 1000!



The model I drove looks identical to the one in the picture above, except it had an OEM Gel seat and a tank guard. While sitting on the bike, it feels a lot taller than the 600/750 from last year, so much so that I had trouble flat footing it. The riding position is also seems more aggressive. I noticed the shifter was angled a bit to make it easier for shifting while crouched over, a feature I didn't see on the other models.

After starting the bike, I noticed that it was very quiet at idle, and the engine seems to have a pretty interesting sound to it. I described it to the Suzuki guys as sounding like a diesel engine. That didn't go over well. Twisting the throttle generates the extreme noises you'd expect from an engine this size.

Shifting into 1st, I experienced something unexpected: You need almost no throttle and a hair amount of friction-zone to get it moving forward. Like the FZ1 I reviewed last year, the GIXXER engine is smooth as ice at low speeds. I'm guessing this is a characteristic of larger displacement engines now. Rolling through the parking lot at low speed, while crouched, is easier than expected thanks to the power.

Riding out on the street, one thing was pretty clear: This machine is feral. Very small amounts of throttle and steering input produced some pretty dramatic results. It wasn't uncontrollable by any stretch, frankly it felt like it was completely in control at all times, but the range at which you operate the controls shrinks to a very small amount. The bike seemed to reward you for doing everything with a minimal amount of effort and movement.

In the few times that throttle was called for, I was given vision blurring, mind bending acceleration. This madness happens in any of the lower gears, with the upper gears reserved for mildly terrifying acceleration. I'll be honest and say that I have *never* been on a machine this fast. This is the one and only time I've been on a bike and seriously worried about the front tire leaving the road.

For kicks, I decided to see how fast it would go in 1st gear, engine screaming at 14k rpm... No numbers will be posted. It was insanely fun to try, and equally life affirming to stop. In any gear above 1st, it seems 5-6k rpm was all the power required to propel the bike at sane and logical speeds with the rest of the group.

Would I buy the bike or recommend it? Yes, and maybe. It's hard work to ride this bike, and it's pretty uncomfortable. You know it can eat you while riding it, and it's just waiting for you to do something stupid. But, for someone who wants more than relaxing scenery and has some serious adrenaline issues, this bike rocks. But it might eat you...
.

I love the GSX-R1000 too. I've had numerous Suzukis and never had one I didn't like.

I find the 1000 very comfortable to ride around town or on long distances. The bike has the torque to ride in town at low RPM (under 4000) and be so quiet that it doesn't bother anyone but also has the HP to outrun about anything on the road. It is great on the track also. The front end will come up on you during full-on acceleration but not more than a few inches off the ground. Once you get used to it there isn't much difference than riding a smaller bike (just more fun). It handles supurbly and stops very confidently.

I've always had a thing for litre bikes. Now they are as light as a 600 and handle just as good.

[patw]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I love the GSX-R1000 too. I've had numerous Suzukis and never had one I didn't like.

I find the 1000 very comfortable to ride around town or on long distances. The bike has the torque to ride in town at low RPM (under 4000) and be so quiet that it doesn't bother anyone but also has the HP to outrun about anything on the road. It is great on the track also. The front end will come up on you during full-on acceleration but not more than a few inches off the ground. Once you get used to it there isn't much difference than riding a smaller bike (just more fun). It handles supurbly and stops very confidently.

I've always had a thing for litre bikes. Now they are a light as a 600 and handle just as good.

After trying out a few litre sized engines, it's really hard to love the 600's and 750's. They're equally uncomfortable, and don't have the same low end torque and icy smooth power delivery that makes this one such a pleasure to drive.

[wtfh4xx]

maybe a few years from now ill sit on that gixxr... o.O