GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 1 7/27/15 11:33 PM TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: 1985: THE FIRST GSX-R “Everything’s different now…”

CHAPTER 2: GENERATION GSX-R A spotter’s guide for GSX-Rs through the years

CHAPTER 3: ’S RACING DNA The race track – the GSX-R’s birthplace

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 2-3 7/27/15 11:33 PM Revolutionary. It’s a perfect describer of Suzuki’s first-generation GSX-Rs. Because if ever there was a ‘radically new’ , or one that was ‘beyond established principles,’ it was Suzuki’s 1985 GSX-R750 – and the GSX-R1100 that followed in ’86. As one motorcycle journalist wrote in 1985, “Sportbikes will soon be divided into two categories: before the GSX-R, and after.” Nicely put. The instant it debuted in late 1984 at Germany’s Cologne show, the GSX-R750 electrified the motorcycle world. Few in attendance, or those who read about the bike in motorcycle magazines in later months, could fully absorb the bike’s radical full-fairing look, its astounding dry weight, or the idea that careful and conservative Suzuki had built – and planned to sell! – what was basically a road racer with lights. It certainly looked the part. With its clip- ons, dual headlights, ultra-lithe aluminum chassis and purposeful, business-only stance, the GSX-R appeared as if it might have rolled into the viewing hall after an hour-long endurance-race session at LeMans or Suzuka. Some wondered if the narrowly focused GSX-R was too extreme, too uncompromising. Others saw the bike’s stripped-down, bare-knuckled and track-spec look and rubbed their hands in gleeful anticipation. But no one could miss the obvious and unimaginable technical and moto-cultural significance of the GSX-R750. Here, in aluminum, steel, rubber and plastic, was nothing less than a completely new way to design the sporting motorcycle. When the GSX-R750 appeared in showrooms Even today, the original Although available in and magazines across GSX-R750’s look and stance Europe and Canada Europe in the first half of brings goosebumps. It was light, in ’85, the first-gen 1985 (it was not available in it was fast, it didn’t break, and GSX-R750 didn’t come enthusiasts fell madly in love. to the US until ’86. It quickly became the class leader, however, and proved to be a 1985 track weapon.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 4-5 7/27/15 11:33 PM the U.S. until ’86, along with the then-new GSX-R1100), it transfixed the motorcycling public like few machines had. You knew it was different the instant you laid eyes on it, and just standing next to the bike was a FORCE EQUALS MASS TIMES ACCELERATION revelation. It was tall and thin, yet muscular where necessary; beautifully conceived, with luxurious paintwork and detailing; 1986 also brought the GSX-R1100, which re-wrote the rules for open-class purposeful, with huge brakes, lightweight sportbikes. Nothing came close wheels and a minimalist racer’s cockpit. performance-wise, on the street And it had beautiful – and lightweight and on the racetrack. – aluminum castings and forgings everywhere you looked. No sporting motorcycle had ever looked this focused, this radical, this light, or this serious. But the GSX-R750 didn’t just look light. It was light. Amazingly so. At just 429 pounds with an empty fuel tank, it weighed nearly 90 pounds less than ’s VF750F, and more than 60 pounds less than Yamaha’s 20-valve FZ750, which debuted that same year. Open-class sporting of the day were at least a hundred pounds heavier than the GSX-R, and even 600-class middleweights outweighed it! Indeed, drastic weight reduction was the primary focus of engineers on the GSX-R team. The racing-derived concept of lightness with strength regulated every sector of development, from individual engine components to each and every frame section and body part. Nothing escaped scrutiny. In the end, the 750 and 1100 GSX-Rs that were ridden and raced by enthusiasts in Europe, Asia and the Americas during 1985 and ’86 changed the design parameters and orthodoxy of the entire category almost overnight.

Stripped bare, the GSX-R750’s minimalist, light-is-right design is obvious. Every part was rethought, and designed to be as light as and strong as possible, so durability and strength wouldn’t suffer.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 6-7 7/27/15 11:33 PM Racing Forward Suzuki’s light-is-right GSX-R concept came directly from racing, and racing had coursed through Suzuki Motor Company’s veins since the early 1950s, when its 60cc Diamond Free won the company’s first race in 1953, and its 90cc Colleda won the Mt. Fuji Hillclimb in ’54 – just 24 months after Suzuki introduced its very first motorized two-wheeler, the 36cc Power Free. Grand Prix wins and championships in the 50cc and 125cc classes Yoshimura Suzuki’s Wes Cooley won the ’79 and ’80 AMA Superbike championships followed in the 1960s, including prestigious Isle of Man aboard radically modified GS1000 . Here he’s shown exciting turn one at victories and Grand Prix championships in both ’62 and Daytona during the ’81 Superbike race, which he won. Cooley was bested in the ’81 championship by and . But Cooley would go on to put ’63 with Ernst Degner and Hugh Anderson. And when won the 1976 500cc Grand Prix world on a dazzling show aboard the beautiful blue and white GS1000S all season long, championship on a fearsome RG500 two-stroke, it was and help establish as the class to watch from then on. clear to anyone paying attention that Suzuki was at the top of the racing game. As Suzuki’s two-stroke streetbikes began to be retired design straight from Suzuki’s XR23 500cc GP effort – a during the middle and late 1970s due to ever-stricter double-cradle steel-tube assemblage with dual rounded emissions regulations, four-strokes became a priority. In tubes running over the engine and curving down to the ’76 and ’78, respectively, Suzuki launched the legendary swingarm pivot. GS750 and GS1000, which became class leaders in The 130-horsepower GS1000R won many international their very first year of production. Suzuki’s roadracing races, including the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour in efforts began to be more four-stroke oriented as well, 1980 with Wes Cooley and aboard. It and with help from legendary tuner Hideo “Pops” was eventually replaced in late ’82 by the XR41, which Yoshimura, Suzuki built the GS1000R, aka the XR69, used an aluminum frame of similar shape, but with a TT F1 Endurance racer that featured a unique frame square, extruded members intricately welded together. This alloy frame wasn’t only lighter than the steel unit, The engine-equipped, but also more rigid, as it tied the steering head and 36cc Power Free bicycle swingarm pivot areas even more directly together. The was Suzuki’s first powered XR41 continued where the XR69 left off – winning races, two-wheeler, and set the stage for the 60cc Diamond including Suzuka again in ’83 with Frenchman Herve Free, which captured Suzuki’s Moineau and Belgian Richard Hubin in the saddle. first race win in ’53. The 90cc Colleda came next, Suzuki knew it was onto something special with its and won the prestigious Mt. Fuji Hillclimb in ’54. alloy-frame design, and moved quickly to implement it into its sporting streetbike lineup. First came a couple of Japanese-market trial balloons: the alloy-framed 1983 RG250 Gamma, and a year later the very first GSX-R, a 400cc inline-4 that blew away its 400-class Japanese competition, and set the stage for what would come in ’85 and ’86 – 750cc and 1100cc versions.

Development During the early 1980s, production motorcycle technology began to percolate more strongly. Racing pushed the changes, as did retail-sales competition, which heated up dramatically at the time. Honda’s V-fours of ’82 and ’83 – including the radical V45 Interceptor – were the first The 130-horsepower GS1000R endurance racer (top) was a powerhouse, winning major advances in the full-sized streetbike arena, with Suzuki captured its first Isle prestigious TT F1 races all over the globe of Man victory and world Yamaha and Kawasaki adding fuel to the fire in ’84 with and helping Suzuki establish itself as championship in 1962 with the FJ1100 and ZX900 Ninja. a legitimate four-stroke player. The German Ernst Degner riding alloy-framed XR41 racer (middle) came a works-spec 50cc machine. Suzuki soldiered on with what were basically traditional next, with the Japanese-market GSX-R400 (bottom) utilizing the XR41’s basic frame Degner defected from East machines in those years, GS750s and 1100s and Germany and helped Suzuki layout to good effect just a year before develop its 50cc, 125cc and 1150s with not a lot of all-new technology over above its the GSX-R750 debuted in late 1984 at 250cc grand prix racing Germany’s Cologne show. machines.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 8-9 7/27/15 11:33 PM Here, Yokouchi uses a garden hose to show his team how their unique oil-cooling system would flow enough oil to keep engine temperatures in check. Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber technology (TSCC). GSX-R750: 100 PS (about 98 horsepower), a top speed The exceptions were the ’81 Katana 1000, which of 235 kph (or 146 mph), and a dry weight of just 176 kg was mostly a styling exercise, and the alloy-framed, – roughly 380 pounds. Although the engine and chassis domestic-market 250 Gamma and GSX-R400, which teams would work separately, each was responsible few in Europe or America were aware of. for the highest degree of performance and weight- reduction. But behind the scenes in , something Many of those engineers were new and unique was already racing, part of an inside- happening, something Suzuki engineering effort very different than what called Team Titan that Honda, Kawasaki and was made up of about The GSX-R’s project leader was Etsuo Yokouchi, a fan Yamaha were doing. 20 streetbike-side of racing and an engineer Those companies engineers. “Because who knew how the crucible introduced all-new we built frames of racetrack competition – win or go home – could big-bore streetbikes in and engines,” improve a streetbike’s ’83 and ’84, ones with remembers performance. That idea new-tech frames and Akinori formed the grounding principle of the entire liquid-cooled engines. Honma, a GSX-R series. But while performance improved, those new bikes were longtime engineer who’s complex and heavy. worked at Suzuki for nearly 45 years, “someone on the - GSX R Project Leader Etsuo Yokouchi wanted none race team said we should of that complexity or weight. Yokouchi was a racer at enter an endurance race. So heart, and understood more than most the benefits we entered one at Suzuka. a racebike’s light weight and dedication to focused The team was made up of performance could bring to a streetbike. “A motorcycle engineering guys and also some doesn’t know whether it’s on the road or a racetrack,” test riders.” Yokouchi-san said at the time. In other words, good handling on the track translated to good handling on “At the time,” says Tateshi Shimizu, the street. Boiled down, this would become the GSX-R a 40-year Suzuki engineer with credo: Make the entire machine as light as possible, and many years of race-team experience, good things will follow. The GSX-R400 had shown that “Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha a 15-20% weight reduction was possible versus one’s all had company teams staffed by competition. “I felt we should be able to do the same engineers, which were different than with a 750,” Yokouchi said later, and pushed his engine the official ‘professional’ factory teams. and chassis teams hard, urging them to challenge the But since we – the engineers – were status quo and do something really special. To help them see the light (so to speak), Yokouchi had his engineers completely disassemble an ’83 GSX750, and mark each engine or chassis part in either red or blue – red for parts that wore quickly or failed, and blue for those with no breakage or durability issues. “When we brought all the parts together,” For this project, Suzuki brought a number of first-generation Yokouchi remembers, GSX-R engineers together “they were almost all to discuss the development blue! We were building process and reflect on the bike’s stunning legacy of the bike too well, being performance. Left to Right: too conservative.” Tetsuro Matsumura, Hidetoshi Arakawa, Yuji Ishioka, Tateshi Yokouchi then set the Shimizu, Chiaki Hirata, Akinori teams’ goals for the Honma. Top: The GS750, aka the GSX750, was the precursor to the first GSX-R750, and helped engineers learn how to make the GSX-R lighter and faster.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 10-11 7/27/15 11:33 PM building the racebikes for both sides, the bikes for each company were pretty much the same. We started with the GS1000, but then changed to our GSX750E when the race regulations changed.” “That 750 racer,” says Chiaki Hirata, a 33-year veteran from powerplant engineering, “became one of the prototypes for the GSX-R. We learned a lot about the limits and strengths of engine and chassis parts through our racing efforts.” At the time of Yokouchi’s power and weight orders, Suzuki was already able to make close to 100 PS with 750cc of displacement. The problem, however, was heat (too much) and durability (not enough). “To me,” remembers Hirata, “it was unrealistic for a production 750 to make 100 horsepower. We’d achieved 97 hp in ’83 on a short- stroke GSX750E engine with special air cleaner and exhaust, but the cylinders would flex and loosen, and the plugs would melt. We could make the power, but we couldn’t put it on the market for sale. Too many things would go wrong.” Water-cooling wasn’t an option at the time due to the added weight it would bring, as casting techniques weren’t yet optimized. So Yokouchi and engine group leader Tatsunobu Fujii came up with the novel approach of an enhanced air/oil-cooling system. First, the pair turned to a fix they’d used a couple years earlier on the XN85 Turbo in order to cool its overheating pistons when under boost pressures: special jets that squirted cooling oil to the undersides of each piston. Further, engineers routed more oil than normal to the valve train, and added extra oil capacity as well, nearly 5.5 quarts total. Dual pumps would move all this lubricant, and special ducting kept the oil moving quickly to dissipate heat optimally. This new lubrication system – Suzuki Advanced Cooling System, or SACS – maximized oil’s own cooling properties, and allowed the GSX-R’s all-new engine to keep cool during the stresses of extended high-rpm running and the above-average state of tune needed to achieve 100 PS. Every part of this all-new engine got scrutinized for weight savings. Compared with the air-cooled GSX750E engine, for instance, the GSX-R’s pistons were lighter by 10%; the connecting rods by 25%; the crankshaft by nearly 20%; the cast magnesium cylinder head by 22% ; and the block by another 17%.

The GSX-R’s ultra-light alloy frame It worked. The all-new 749cc engine weighed significantly (just 8kg!) is a study in simplicity, less than the GS750s mill, and engine temperatures were using only five cast pieces and kept in check even while reaching Yokouchi’s power 21 square-shaped tubes. Compare that to the nearly 100 pieces of the goal through clever bore/stroke and valve-train designs. GS750’s cage! Wheelbase was What’s more, durability was superb, engineers running 56 inches, while rake and trail the bike at redline for more than 24 hours at a time during were 26 degrees and 4.2 inches, respectively – seriously radical for development with no breakage issues whatsoever. the time. Wheels were 18-inchers, with ultra-light radials fitted, just like the GS1000R/XR41 racer.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 12-13 7/27/15 11:33 PM Chassis & Body The chassis team, led by Hiroshi Fujiwara, worked to design and build a stronger and more agile version of the excellent alloy frame used on the GSX-R400. Simplicity was a key to keeping costs in line, so the 750’s frame would be a combination of castings and extruded pieces, and the fewer the better. “We tried hard to reduce the number of components,” Suzuki remembers. “This way, the number of welds is reduced. Fewer welds mean less weight, and reduced labor costs.” Amazingly, just five alloy castings and 21 extruded aluminum tubes were used on the GSX-R750 frame, while the GS750 frame’s had nearly 100! The end result was unbelievably light, just over 8 kg, less than half the weight of the GS’s steel frame. Other chassis parts were similarly rationalized for lightness. The thin-wall 41mm cartridge fork weighed no more than the 37mm tubes on the GS, while the new- generation Full-Floater rear suspension had fewer parts and mated to a box-section alloy swingarm. Lightweight 18-inch wheels spun on hollow axles and were stopped by drilled 300mm rotors. The triple clamps were alloy, as well. Suzuki clearly had all its suppliers working from the same playbook. The GSX-R’s bodywork would follow the shape of the XR41 racer’s wherever possible. “We wanted a racebike look,” says styling chief Tetsumi Ishii. “We spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel to determine the best shape. The small wings on the fairing, for example, came directly from the racebike, as did the bubble windscreen.” Another key takeoff from racing was the GSX-R’s instrument panel, basically a tachometer, speedometer and fuel gauge set into a foam – just like a GP or Endurance bike’s clocks. It was a constant reminder to riders what this bike was, and where it came from.

Above, left and immediate right: The heavier (by 30 pounds) and more powerful GSX-R1100, which was first ridden by the world’s press at Laguna Seca Raceway (left) in early 1986, looked very similar to the GSX-R750, but was a totally different machine. Its frame was of similar shape, but used thicker alloy members and was quite a bit stronger than the 750s 18-pound cage in order to handle its prodigious Also introduced in 1986 was the - horsepower. Its engine, also narrow and GSX R750 Limited, which offered a extremely light for an open-class pow- number special tweaks not available on - erplant, was much more than a bored the standard GSX R750. Among these - and stroked GSX-R750 engine. When was the GSX R1100’s electronic anti-dive tested, it was immediately the fastest fork assembly, unique paint and a production open-classer, and nothing race-derived dry clutch, which rattled could come close on the racetrack. like a racebike’s but gave the bike a serious personality.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 14-15 7/27/15 11:34 PM “The GSX-R is a symbol of what being an engineer is all about.

Testing, Launch, Legacy With this motorcycle, Suzuki During prototype testing, Yokouchi told test riders bikes that simply looked like racer replicas would be laughed and engineers repeatedly to try to break the bike, at. This, everyone knew, was the real deal. achieved the impossible, and it hoping the abuse would highlight weak systems or Of course, it all happened again a year later at Laguna Seca parts, which could then be strengthened. “I wanted connected the entire team, and with the world press introduction of the GSX-R1100, an open- to find the weak spots,” he remembers. “We had to class sporting motorcycle that pushed the GSX-R formula pretend we were making a streetbike. At the end of the company, together solidly. The to almost unheard-of levels. Very quickly, the GSX-R1100 development we had a racebike, and then had to make established itself as the fastest, quickest, hardest-stopping, - minimal changes to prepare it for the street.” GSX R definitely made Suzuki best handling open-class sport motorcycle ever built. After many months of frantic work, the GSX-R was Although it shared very little actual hardware with its 750cc a stronger company.” finally ready for its debut at the Cologne show in late sibling, it remained true to the GSX-R design credo of extreme 1984. And as we know, it created a worldwide stir almost lightness and a racebike’s focus on ultimate handling and Chiaki Hirata, the instant the cover was pulled off. Months later, performance – no excuses, and no holds barred. 1985 GSX-R750 Engineer when GSX-Rs arrived at various media headquarters “For me,” remembers Chiaki Hirata, “the GSX-R is a symbol to be tested, and in customers’ garages, there was of what being an engineer is all about. With this motorcycle, amazement, and near universal agreement that this Suzuki achieved the impossible, and it connected the was a monumental two-wheeled achievement, one entire team, and the company, together solidly. The GSX-R that would literally change the course of motorcycle definitely made Suzuki a stronger company.” development in a thoroughly meaningful way. Sport With that sort of legacy and bond, is it any wonder why GSX-R has become the last word in sportbike performance over the years?

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 16-17 7/27/15 11:34 PM 1985-’87

he original GSX-R750 appeared in ’85 in Europe and Canada, and a year later in the U.S. along with a similarly new GSX-R1100. Both bikes stunned the motorcycle world, and forever changed the way sportbikes would be designed and built. The two were substantially lighter than their competition, which paid dividends everywhere.

The first-gen GSX-R750 was available in iconic blue/white and red/black color schemes, as was the GSX-R1100. Al- though they looked similar, the bikes shared very few parts.

1988-’91

ust three years after the ’85 original came a total rethink of the GSX-R line. Both the 750 and 1100 featured revised engines and completely new frames, suspension and bodywork. The 750 was particularly radical, with a shorter wheelbase, steeper geometry and wider 17-inch wheels with low-profile radials.

With help from and Yoshimura, Suzuki made the 1988 GSX-R750 even more purposeful. The 1988 GSX-R1100 was softer-edged than the 750, with a longer wheelbase and higher-mount bars for added comfort.

1985 I 1986 I 1987 I 1988 I 1989 I 1990 I 1991

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 18-19 7/27/15 11:34 PM 1992-’95 2000/’01-2002/’03

uzuki switched to liquid cooling for the 3rd-generation GSX-Rs, which our years after the groundbreaking GSX-R750 of 1996 came the amazingly now included three bikes: 750, 1100 and a new 600, based on the 750. competent 5th-generation, 2000-spec GSX-R750, at the time the best Liquid cooling was a necessity for the increased power the all-new engines 750 sportbike ever built. A year later came the amazing, 145-horsepower produced. And while the frames were totally new and more rigid, they GSX-R1000 – a motorcycle the sportbike world had been eagerly retained the same basic over-the-top layout as before. anticipating for years. An ultra-competent 600 also appeared in 2001.

The overall shape of the The frames on all three Gen-5 3rd-generation GSX-R750 bikes are very similar, with the wasn’t much different from incredibly powerful GSX-R1000 Gen-2 bike, but every chassis using thicker-walled tubing. and engine component was Amazingly, the 1000’s power- new. The GSX-R1100 continued plant is no wider and only 15mm to appeal to a slightly more taller than the 750’s. GT-oriented customer.

1996-’99 2003/’04-2004/’05

he 4th-generation GSX-R750 was nearly as revolutionary as the 1985 hen a reworked GSX-R1000 appeared just 24 months after the original machine – and that’s saying a lot. With it, Suzuki returned to the concepts debuted to worldwide acclaim, the sportbike world shifted on its axis. of ultra light weight and max power. A new-generation spar frame linked Because not only was the ’03 GSX-R1000 faster, lighter and better the steering head and swingarm more directly, and was possible due to a handling than the original (amazing to consider), it established Suzuki’s narrower engine. A 600cc version appeared in ’97 and, commitment to upgrade its GSX-Rs every two years instead of four. like the 750, ruled the class. All-new 600 and 750s were introduced a year later, with less weight and sharper handling. Lighter and more powerful, the Looking like Kevin Schwantz’s ’03 GSX-R1000 pushed the RG500 GP machine, the 1996 open-class performance bar GSX-R750 reset the perfor- up yet another notch. The ’04 mance parameters for a 750, GSX-R600 and 750 were very nearly achieving 900-class similar, and extremely capable. numbers. That year’s GSX-R1100 was a carry-over from the previous generation.

1992 I 1993 I 1994 I 1995 I 1996 I 1997 I 1998 I 1999 2000 I 2001 I 2002 I 2003 I 2004 I 2005

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 20-21 7/27/15 11:34 PM 2005/’06-2006/’07 2009/’10 – 2010/’11

he redesigned ’05 GSX-R1000 was a styling breakthough, Suzuki designers or 2009, the GSX-R1000 got another round of refinements, most aimed at penning a dynamic and distinctive shape. A heavily revised engine with reducing weight and improving horsepower, rideability and handling. A new lighter moving parts, plus an all-titanium exhaust and slipper clutch, made short-stroke engine featured a stacked transmission layout that allowed it the ’05 bike an enthusiast’s favorite. 2006 brought all-new GSX-R600 to be considerably shorter for optimum positioning and swingarm length. A and GSX-R750s, both with more powerful engines and new frames and new frame, revised banana-shaped swingarm and Showa Big Piston Fork suspension. were also featured.

Rated at 175 horsepower, the All-new wind tunnel- ’05 GSX-R1000 was the most designed bodywork gave powerful GSX-R ever at the the ’09 GSX-R1000 an time. The GSX-R600 and 750 exotic and unmistakable featured an all-new frame with look, while a radical new fewer pieces and optimized frame and swingarm kept rigidity. it on the leading edge.

2007/’08’ – 2008/’09 2011/’12 - CURRENT

xtreme refinement was the name of the game with the 2007 GSX-R1000. ew versions of the GSX-R600 and 750 appeared in 2011, each of which From engine to chassis and from body to brakes, engineers improved received revised engines with more midrange. New frames and suspension performance, durability and owner satisfaction. Suzuki’s Drive Mode Selector helped improve handling even more, while Brembo-built monoblock calipers (S-DMS) allowed riders to choose one of three power-delivery modes, while helped slow things down. The GSX-R1000 got a makeover a year later, dual titanium-core mufflers replaced the single getting more midrange and a refined chassis featuring Showa’s Big Piston unit of the previous bike. Fork.

A longer wheelbase and updated suspension front and rear were important pieces of the 2007-2008 GSX-R1000.

The stunning, 2015 GSX-R1000.

The GSX-R750 offered riders a bike with (almost) open-class power in a 600-sized chassis. Revised GSX-R1000 got lighter and faster – again! – for 2012.

2005 I 2006 I 2007 I 2008 I 2009 2009 I 2010 I 2011 I 2012 I 2013 I 2014 I 2015...TO BE CONTINUED

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 22-23 7/27/15 11:34 PM Well before project leader Etsuo Yokouchi helped develop the 1985 GSX-R750 and Suzuki’s race-on- Sunday, sell-on-Monday concept, racing and competition flowed briskly through Suzuki’s corporate veins. From its early racing efforts in the 1950s, to its early 50cc and 125cc GP successes in the 1960s, to its 500cc world titles in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, and to all the World Superbike, AMA Superbike, World Endurance and National Endurance wins and titles over the decades, Suzuki has been on racing’s leading edge.

And it’s precisely those racetrack successes, and that finely honed competitive edge, that created the GSX-R line – and what has kept GSX-Rs at the top of the heap in the sportbike world.

Suzuki sharpened its racing edge in the decades after the 1950s. Ernst Degner’s dramatic win at the Isle of Man in 1962, and his 50cc world championship that year, was a stunning confirmation that Suzuki had done the unthinkable in GP competition. More success in the 125cc class followed, with Hugh Anderson piloting his RT63 to a win at the 1963 Isle of Man TT, and taking the 125cc world championship in 1965.

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. Far left: Suzuki’s re-entry into MotoGP with the radical GSX-RR bodes well for Suzuki streetbikes in 2016 and beyond. Left: The successful XR41 endurance racer led directly to the first GSX-R750.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 24-25 7/27/15 11:34 PM Above: 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz never won at Suzuka, but he was always a favorite, and always in contention. Left: Schwantz’s 1993 RG500 racer.

A total of eight World Championships Main image: 1980s AMA followed in the 1970s with Joel Robert and Roger Superbike phenom Kevin Schwantz salutes the crowd DeCoster, while 500cc roadracing titles – Barry after winning the 1988 Daytona Sheene’s in 1976, ’s in 1981, Kevin 200 aboard his Yoshimura- Schwantz’s in 1993 and Jr.’s in 2000 prepped GSX-R750. Upper left: Wes Cooley wheelies – provided still more proof of Suzuki’s racing acumen. his Yosh-prepped GS1000S out of Daytona’s West horseshoe Racing, of course, is worth much more than trophies en route to winning the 1981 Superbike race. and championships. Because without racing success Below, top: In its racing debut on a grand scale, as Suzuki enjoyed from the 1950s the GSX-R750 finished one-two to the middle 1980s (and beyond), Suzuki and its at the 1985 LeMans 24-hour. Below, bottom: Jamie James engineers could not have produced the magical backed up Schwantz’s win at GSX-R750 of 1985. Or the GSX-R1100 of 1986. Or all Daytona with an AMA Superbike the legendary GSX-Rs that came in the following 30 title in 1989 aboard another Yoshimura-prepped GSX-R. years – and they are legion.

As production-based, 4-stroke sportbikes, GSX- Rs have been wildly successful in many forms of Superbike, Endurance and production- spec racing over the last 30 years. In fact, Suzuki has won more than 50 National Superbike Championships since 1985, and thousands

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 26-27 7/27/15 11:34 PM Right: won the AMA Superbike Championship a record seven times during his run with Yoshimura Suzuki. Above: John Hopkins, the 2001 Formula Xtreme champion. Left: , a three-time AMA Superbike champion. Suzuki knows championships! of superstock and stock-production races during that period.

In the U.S. between 1999 and 2009, Suzuki won 10 of 11 AMA Superbike championships, with Mat Mladin and Ben Spies riding 750cc and 1000cc versions of the GSX-R. In total, Suzuki has won 13 AMA Superbike titles, with Jamie James and Wes Cooley grabbing the other three.

In the World Endurance Championship, where speed and durability are key, Suzuki has won 10 titles in the last fourteen years, including 10 wins in the LeMans 24-hour, and thirteen in the Bol dor 24-hour. Between the series’s debut in 1975 to 2014, Suzuki captured a total of sixteen World Endurance titles.

The bottom line? No other single motorcycle has won more races and championships than the Suzuki GSX-R. Not one.

That rich legacy continues in 2015 with Suzuki’s re-entry into MotoGP competition with the Suzuki Ecstar Team and riders Aleix Espargaro and

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 28-29 7/27/15 11:34 PM Team Ecstar, Suzuki’s official 2015 MotoGP effort, celebrated Suzuki’s – and the GSX-R750’s – legacy recently with period-era graphics that reminded the world of the machine’s – and the company’s – amazing record of race wins and championships over the last 30 years. Team riders are Maverick Vinales (left) and Maverick Vinales, both aboard the all- Aleix Espargaro (right). Their bikes? Suzuki’s amazing new GSX-RR. new GSX-RR MotoGP machine.

“When we began the MotoGP project,” says Team Suzuki Ecstar project leader Satoru Terada, “we had in mind it would be named GSX-RR. This name at Suzuki means a lot, as it has a strong heritage, and a direct connection to the road version. The two bikes are real sisters, not only because of their styling, but also because the technical innovations developed in racing have a direct application on production models.” Just as before, racing directly affects Suzuki streebikes. It’s the Suzuki way.

The team has done very well for a first-year effort, and has paved the way for great things going forward. More MotoGP success, almost certainly. But also great things for fans of the GSX-R line. Because very soon, Suzuki is set to debut all-new street-going sportbikes, ones that Just as it was during the early 1980s, World Endurance Racing remains a powerful attraction to Suzuki, and GSX-Rs will surely carry the GSX-R torch continue to perform superbly there. Many of the technical proudly in the coming years… just as advances Suzuki learns during these grueling races trans- the original GSX-R did 30 years ago. late directly to the GSX-R streetbikes you can buy.

GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 30-31 7/27/15 11:34 PM GSX-R 30 VERT A4 book 7.27.15 r2.indd 32 7/27/15 11:34 PM