Suzuki enters our ninth Supersport analysis with a big ol’ goose-egg in all-embracing wins. The Gixxer has enjoyed a acceptability as a solid all-rounder, and while abutting a time or two that coveted allegory win has accurate elusive. The harder luck Suzuki rebounds on this next go ‘round, however, continuing out as the alone abounding redesign of the 2011 600 class. The little Gixxer, and its 750 sibling, appear to this year’s shootout with a trimmer, revitalized anatomy and college blueprint components.

The Suzuki’s 599cc Inline Four does set itself apart, however, as bearing the a lot of able-bodied basal end of the 600s. It has a absitively advantage up to 6K in torque production, the ability ambit circumlocutory briefly afore jetting up top afresh and registering the accomplished aiguille numbers of it 599cc competitors at 44.6 lb-ft (11,600 rpm). Measuring application on the dyno sees the Suzuki abate out at 104.17, with the Kawasaki necking it out by three ponies acknowledgment a bigger top-end hit.

Rolled off the dyno and the Suzuki provides pleasing, street-friendly engine performance. The Kawasaki may get it up at the actual top, and the Honda gives it a run for its money in the mid-range, but the basal end is the Gixxer’s area – at atomic in the acceptable 600 class. Keeping these bikes agreeable up in the meat of the powerband is a claiming on the street, so it’s no admiration the affectionate bottom-end of the Suzuki GSX-R600 becoming it the accomplished engine ratings of the Japanese bikes.

This easy-to-ride attributes is supplemented by the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS). Tweaked for 2011, instead of the accustomed A, B and C modes, there are now alone two engine maps to ascendancy ability output. A benefit for riders, the S-DMS is the alone multi-map advantage begin in this year’s crop of supersports. The truth, however, is we didn’t accomplish abundant use of the S-DMS, as the accepted A-mode is a accomplished alloy of bland ability supply and animating acceleration.

A 10.7 quarter-mile during achievement testing, as able-bodied as a 3.32 in the 0-60 evaluation, prove the Suzuki has some beans in that motor. It rated abaft the Ducati and Triumph, but up foreground in the Japanese abiding (though the Kawasaki just exhausted it in 0-60 at 3.3 seconds). Says Waheed, “Launching the Suzuki 600 is a little easier than the added Japanese bikes because of its hardly stronger bottom-end engine power. You still accept to accomplish abiding you accept the engine rpms up at launch, but aback the powerband is a little added able-bodied you accept some lee-way and can still get off the band adequately able-bodied afterwards as abundant of a adventitious of it bogging.”

It absolutely feels fast from abaft the Gixxer Six controls, and a big allotment of that acoustic acquaintance comes from the stout engine and bankrupt sounds. “GSX-Rs accept consistently been accepted for their absorbing consecration bark and this is no different,” acclaimed Adam at the columnist barrage beforehand this year. And we couldn’t accede added afterwards audition it aback to aback with the competition. The little GSX-R’s able-bodied bankrupt agenda aching it some in the points, the loudest at abandoned (84 dB) and bisected redline (97 dB), but the active tones gave the Suzuki added mojo than its 600 rivals. “I admired the way that affair sounds. It’s fun to get on the aqueduct and ride it,” agrees Simon.

A top-rated drivetrain divvies out ability to the rear wheel. Uber bland and sorted, the Suzuki six-speed is complemented by an idiot-proof slipper clutch. We needled about to acquisition some complaints, there’s just annihilation to beef about with the absorbing package.

The aforementioned can be said of the accomplished braking package. Like the Triumph and Ducati, the accession of Brembo monoblocs is a headlining upgrade. The Brembos display actual endlessly power, which is accurate afterwards getting grabby. Combined with absolute ascribe at the lever, the apparatus bear addition class-leading rank on our scoresheet. This mark is added bolstered by our Road Analysis Editor on the 60 to aught achievement analysis – the Gixxer Six casting a abbreviate adumbration over the acreage with a 122-foot reading.

The Suzuki anatomy got the better facelift in the 2011 redesign. A new 43mm three-way-adjustable Showa Big Piston Fork debuts, with the rear shock reconfigured to plan with the new foreground end. The abeyance is akin to an all-new accompanying batten aluminum frame, which alters the 54.5-inch wheelbase by a bare 15mm. Our scales adumbrated a barrier weight of 415 pounds, which does absolutely trim some fat off the 421 pounds abstinent in our 2009 analysis (though not abutting to the 20-pound claim).

Hustling about on the street, the Gixxer delivers a buried feel in the corners and abating stability. The foreground end acquainted decidedly impressive, our Road Analysis Editor acquainted its adherence beneath harder braking – which acceptable additional the Gixxer’s achievement in that class as well. The Bridgestone BT-016 tires seemed to accomplish a absolute fit for the street-bound Suzuki GSX-R too. While it does amount abaft the Honda and Triumph in the all-embracing administration marks, this is a acclaim to those rides, not a dig on the Suzuki. The 600 and 750 both display all the clue signs of an easy-to-ride bike: point and shoot, effortless about-face it, the bike seems to about-face itself, I looked down and couldn’t accept how fast I was going… all were talking credibility fabricated by assorted testers in commendations to the Suzukis.

The Suzuki’s class-leading artery ergonomics no agnosticism accord to this easy-riding sensation. The 31.9-inch seat, while fractionally everyman to the arena in this comparison, is far and abroad the plushest perch. Riding position is added cocked on the GSX-Rs, as abundant as a SS can be termed upright. The blow on confined feel college placed, and wider. This provides abundance with beneath burden exerted on the wrists, as able-bodied as a skosh added advantage if maneuvering.

The windscreen delivers appropriate wind protection, that is to say a steady, buffet-less airflow to the riders high chest. Abaft it is a functional, advisory dash, with analog tach and appropriate ancillary agenda speedo. The accessory position indicator is prominent, a acceptable affection on a artery bike. The advantage of the S-DMS option, however, is what gets the Suzuki a top mark in the instrumentation/electronics category.

At 35.2 mpg, alone the two-cylinder Ducati sipped ammunition with added ability than the Suzuki GSX-R600. Its 4.5 gallon catchbasin equates to a 158.5-mile range, just eeking advanced of the Honda by beneath than bisected a mile. These apportioned wins are account by the Suzuki’s $11,599 MSRP. Ringing in as the costliest of the 600s, the Suzuki is just $300 added than the Honda but about a thousand added than Yamaha and an even $1600 aloft the budget-minded Kawasaki. Addition ache at the Suzuki was its OEM backup locations costs, which were added than bifold the Yamaha and calmly the costliest of the Big Four entries. But those added bucks do reflect the a lot of adapted annular of SS technology, authoritative us admiration what the next bearing 600s will amount from Suzuki’s rivals.

Even with the high-ish pricetag, the 2011 GSX-R600 comes out a champ on the street. It’s a notable first-ever win for the Gixxer, and while Suzuki advisers ability not be pinning this analysis up on their walls in adoration, this has to be a morale-booster for the Gixxer clan. Afterwards a decade of absolute ascendancy in AMA racing, Suzuki’s assertive sportbike cachet has dimmed of late. While the Japanese manufacturers all got hit harder by the bazaar downturn, Suzuki seemed to get it the worst. This was alternate by the base and acute move to acceptation aught GSX-R sportbikes to the States in 2010. But 2011 is addition year – addition befalling to accomplish or fail. And in our 2011 Supersport Artery Shootout the GSX-R600 is a success – the bright admired as allegory winner.