2022 Suzuki GSX-R750 Performance and Capability

It's the beating heart on the GSX-R750 that really steals the show. The transverse mount, four-banger engine runs a significantly oversquare ratio with big, 70 mm forged pistons and a 48.7 mm stroke.

Shot peen-hardened conrods resist the surface fractures that lead to catastrophic failure. The Finite Element Method (FEM) forging techniques provide similar protection for the pistons, all technologies developed to meet the demands of the MotoGP circuit.

By keeping the reciprocating mass low and venting the case to reduce pumping losses, Suzuki ensures more power makes it to the pavement. As always with short-stroke engines, torque takes a backseat to horsepower, but there are plenty of ponies to go around here.

At around 11 grand, the Suzuki GSX-R750 produces 63 pounds of torque, but wind that bad boy out to 13,000 rpm and you have a screaming 150 horsepower. In case it still isn't obvious, this ain't for entry-level riders, not even close.

Displacement lands exactly on the 750 cc mark, but as you can see, this thing punches above its weight. Dual over-head cams time the 16-valve head with lightened, 29 mm titanium intake valves and 23 mm exhaust poppets.

Ignition control falls to the MotoGP-inspired Engine Control Module that enables the Drive Mode feature. This allows for push-button control over the power curve, one for road and one for track. I'd like to say “and ne'er the twain shall meet,” but I think we all know better than that. Wink, nudge.

A butterfly valve in the exhaust allows for variable backpressure control. It's a feature that opens up the powerband a bit so it isn't as narrow as a fixed-backpressure setup.

Finally, we have a slipper clutch to couple the six-speed transmission to engine power. Not only does this provide a lighter left-hand pull, but it offers some wheel-hop prevention during aggressive downshifts.

Good thing, 'cause a bike like this has a tendency to incite bad behavior. It's way too easy to get going way too fast without realizing it. The GSX-R750 top speed is 170 mph.

Design

The GSX-R750 runs a carefully crafted, wind tunnel-tested full fairing complete with a vented engine cowling and chin spoiler. The paneling leaves a little bit to the imagination and lets only a bit of the mill and transmission show.

This is a form-follows-function bike with little of the superfluous in evidence. An attractive cyclops headlamp housing leads the way in the blunt nose of the fairing. It has an over-under, high- and low-beam configuration.

Rather than mold the front turn signals into the front fairing, (or even worse, mount whisker lights up front) the factory went with option three and set the lights in the mirrors. This setup keeps the front end clean while spacing the signals well away from the bike where they are most visible to the cage-driving public.

Soft angles play across the fairings, fuel tank, and subframe trim for a look that strikes a balance between the super sharp and completely round. Personally, I prefer the fully rounded look myself, but this is a nice compromise. With jockey-mount footpegs and short handlebars on a bike like this, the rider's triangle allows you to tuck right into the pocket and out of the slipstream.

The subframe carries a little rise for the p-pad but doesn't have too much of that dramatic nose-down look in vogue right now. A tucked-away taillight and minimal tag-holder/mudguard complete the rear end and keep it as tidy as the front end.

All this is fine and dandy for street use, but the factory took steps to simplify the process of modifying it for actual track use. It's almost a plug-n-play, closed-circuit bike.

Chassis

This is where things start to get interesting. An aluminum, twin-spar frame serves as the bones of the GSX-R750. The factory went to great lengths to keep things light and compact with only 54.7-inches between contact-patch centers.

Centralizing the weight of rider, engine, and fuel maximizes cornering abilities. An electronically-controlled steering damper helps stabilize the steering with speed-dependent variable resistance. Suzuki pulled suspension components off the top shelf to further that objective.

Showa's race-tastic Big-Piston Forks support the front end with a piggyback monoshock in back. Both ends come fully tuneable with adjustable spring preload as well as compression and rebound damping. Sure, it could be better with some electronically controlled Ohlins forks or something similar, but the price wouldn't be as it is, and that's a fact.

Radial-mount Brembo brakes bite the dual front discs sans ABS protection/interference for honest, straight-up brake control and feedback. Yeah, that's right, no training wheels here folks, so if you're more interested in looking like a racer than you are in actually being one, you'd better stick to the “safety-scissor" bikes. Just sayin'.

Suzuki GSX-R750 Price and Availability

The 2022 Suzuki GSX-R 750 costs $12,599, which is up just a skosh from last year. This year, the choice is between two fetching two-tone colorways, Glass Blaze Orange/Glass Sparkle Black or Glass Matte Mechanical Gray / Pearl Brilliant White.

Suzuki GSX-R750 Competitors

You could argue that the 750 cc class launched a genre. Of course, the rest of the market has caught up to Suzuki, and the supersport segmenthas several similarly capable rides and a good number of more capable sleds. However, the most race-tastic of them are far more expensive than the $12k-ish GSX-R750. It's against this backdrop that I draw on Kawasaki's Ninja 650 for my head-to-head with the GSX-R750.

Kawasaki Ninja 650

As one of the Big Four, Kawasaki is a long-time domestic foe that will definitely appeal to the same sort of rider. Kawasaki sticks to its usual design philosophy with super-aggressive angles that gives the overall look a rather hard edge that the Gixxer lacks.

The embedded front turn signals are in the edge of the cowling scoop instead of in the mirrors. That places them higher and more visible to the cagers in front of you.

Like the Gixxer, the Ninja comes with passenger accommodations, The focus is more on making the accommodations low-profile and less on comfort across the board.

Kawasaki scores in the chassis area for a slight edge with ABS protection that the Suzuki lacks. However, Suzuki gets a win with adjustable rear-end height and tuneable rebound- and compression-damping values.

Size matters and so the Gixxer wins again with its 750 cc mill against the Ninja's 649 cc plant. While both brands keep the power figures close to the vest, it's a given that Suzuki wins in the power column.

The flipside to that argument is that the Ninja 650 ABS rolls for $8,099 against the Gixxer's $12,599 sticker. That kind of money can buy a whole lotta' brand loyalty.

He Said

“Yeah so, it's a Gixxer, and not just any, but the displacement that brought the family and genre to the world. It feels like a direct connection to the original as long as you ignore the lack of steel frame and air-cooling, which seems to give it a little extra coolness.”

“Anyone looking at this bike should remember that it rides more like a liter and less like a 600 in spite of a displacement that falls closer to the lower bracket. So yeah, be careful 'cause this bike will surprise you.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, "The GSX-R750 is a bike for an experienced rider. It is definitely on the (GSX-R)1000-powerband side rather than the 600, and oddly enough, the sensation of speed isn't there. Without looking at the speedometer and just judging by feel, you could end up well over the speed limit and get yourself in trouble in a heartbeat, so be aware."