Suzuki GSR600s k7
Suzuki GSR600s K7 – January 2008 - Present
SOLD! 25/08/2010
Reasons for selling:
Well, the GSR has been a loyal steed for the past 2 years. But the cost of running such a cheap bike through winter has become too much to justify, so it has to go.
Only ever run a cheap (<£6k) japanese bike through winter if you have the following tools readily available every night you get home:
- A garage
- A power washer or at the very least a fresh water hose
- Paddock Stands
- 1 hour to spare
Otherwise your bike will slowly rot in to a mess of seized tangled metal. I eventually grew to like my GSR despite its initial 6 months of hell. But I wasn’t sad to see it go. If I didn’t have another bike I might have been, but I’m not.
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Purchased: 26/01/08
Mileage: 0 miles
Price: £2795 (With ER6n p/ex)
Accessories: None
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Review:
As a last chance bike, I had to choose one that I knew would do me for at least 3 more years. I had looked at the Kawasaki Z750 but after the ER6 deal and reading some reviews in Bike mag, it seemed like the Z was a bit duff. I fancied a FZ6, but Yamaha wasn’t doing 0% finance at the time. Honda was out as well because they weren’t doing the 0% and anyway, Honda’s are too expensive.
So all that was left was Suzuki. My brother purchased a new GSR in November 2007, and from what he was saying it seemed to be a good bike, apart from a dodgy throttle issue.
Anyway, I settled on the GSR and part exchanged my ER6. It seems to have been a good decision so far….
Pros:
- Looks Good
- Fast
- Handles great
- Nice dials
- Decent riding position
- Slick gears
- *Comfortable enough seat* – UPDATE: No it’s not. Especially true on long distance trips.
- Lots of room for 2 up riding
- Smart rear end
- 180 Rear section
- Nice swingarm
- Sounds good
Cons
-
Throttle issue, snatchy-ness @ around 4000rpm. o2 eliminator mod fixes this to an extent
-
Furring on bolts, but this is true on all Japanese bikes
Hi Gordon,
So glad to see you didn’t go down the GSX-R route, otherwise you’d have to dress like a Power Ranger and be ridiculed in the office.
Nice bike, lovely sound.
It seems we have lost the Summer already doesn’t it? Ride Safe ‘ol chap.
-LaZ-
Monday, August 18, 2008 at 13:36
HI GORDON
I BOUGHT A NEW GSR600 LAST WEEK. I TRADED MY BLACKBIRD FOR A GSR
I’M STILL DESIDING IF THIS WAS A GOOD MOVE. MY BIRD WAS GETTING A BIT OLD AND HAD TO MAKE REPAIRS ON A MONTHLY BASIS. I’M STILL RUNNING THE BIKE IN BUT IT SURELY LOOKS GOODS AND HAS A GREAT SOUND.
WE ARE NOW ENTERING SUMMER AND THE RAINING SEASON IN THE SOUTHERN HEMP. RIDE SAFE
VOLKER
Friday, December 5, 2008 at 10:44
Hey I have had my GSR for almost 2 years and thus far have had no issues with it ! other than wearing soft compund tyres fast no complaints . Have fitted a puig race screen and its great , yoshi tri pipes and sound awesome , radiator gaurd , rim tape , and just finished polishing the frame . Could want for a better first big bike . has enugh power , great handling and looks great !
Shame it seems your have had some issues
Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 12:47
Speaking of which, my bike went in today to get a sticky throttle and broken brake switch fixed, and it seems that the problem isn’t as simple as we all thought.
They are now keeping it in “overnight” to delve into the butterflys….excellent.
Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 13:27
Hi Gordon
I am thinking of buying a GSR (It will be my first bike). Would you recommend it?
Or maybe a little too quick for a first bike?
Kind regards
Geoff
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 22:54
Hi Geoff,
As a first bike the GSR is perfect. Unfortunately I seem to have bought a stinker and now the engine casings need replacing. this adds to a list of parts done under warranty that, after totalling it up the other night, has cost more than my bike cost originally.
It’s a shame but YamYam is going to fight it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 12:14
i jus stumbled across your page by accident to be honest, but have sat here on exercise (im in the army) til almost 1 am reading all your reviews on your bikes.
love it, unbiased, straight to the point, and comin from a normal bloke with a job, not some tit that works for a mag and gets ten mins on a bike to judge its decency.
Ive also been riding for years, only legally for less than 6 months though! ive always ridden supersports bikes (illegally) and my first legal bike was a cbr 600, loved it! had to sell it but regrettin it!
i bought this mainly cos all my mates are into bikes and they all have sports bikes, but after riding around, sometimes like an idiot, ive came to realise that i have more of a passion for biking and bikes than i do for speeding on them. in a nut shell, im not gonna get a trophy or a sponsorship for gettin ma knee down on a blind bend, im gonna get dead!
so ive been looking at some other bikes, and realised that sports isnt the be all and end all!
im beginning to harbour a real fetish for naked bikes!
my dilemma, ive looked at everything you can possibly name, er6, hornet, sv, bandit, gladius, versys, fz6, but you know what! i had decided on a GSR 600 cos it looks the dogs danglies, love the rear cans, its the faster version of a bandit, and slightly detuned gsxr.
and ive heard nuthin but good things, til about an hour ago when i first stumbled on your rantings!
i want a simple answer from you, is it worth me booking a test ride or not?
an hour ago i was gettin a test and almost fully comitted before even sitting on it, now im not too sure.
get back to me please
much apreciated
kev
(west coast of scotland)
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 22:38
Hey Kev,
First of all it’s great to hear that you read my stuff. it’s a real pleasure I get from knowing folk actually read what I write, as you say, I don’t work for a mag, I don’t get paid to do it. I do it purely out of passion for bikes and the lack of other things to do! So thanks for taking the time to both read my stuff and write to me.
The GSR is a cracking bike. It’s great to ride, it’s solid, fast, sounds good, decent comfort, nice clocks and everyone thinks it’s either the b-king or an MV augusta (with the 4 circles at the back) The only issue in general with GSR’s is the throttle jerk, which comes in when you introduce the gas or roll off it. A power commander will sort this out for you. I just don’t have £300 kicking around.
My bike seems to be the stinker in the pack, and you do get them. I’ve been in and out the garage over the past year and a bit with issues relating to build quality, longevity and some downright stupid manufacturing issues. You’ll see a lot of negative posts on here about my bike, but if you strip away all that, and indeed when my bike does run problem free (about 3 months out the year) it’s the best thing to ride around on. The power is great, coming in a massive surge at 9000rpm till the redline.
I would say go and get a test ride on it. See if the throttle issue is small enough for you to ride around on till you can get a power commander fitted, or if you are lucky enough, just get one fitted before you ride away your new purchase. This really is a great bike, I just got a houfer.
Hope this helps and please keep checking back, spread the word and ride safe!
Gordon
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 22:46
HI Gordon, nice bike, I am planning on getting one of these next if all goes well when I test ride one tomorrow. I am 25 and passed my test a year ago but I have been riding bikes since I was 12 doing motocross. I ride a suzuki drz400 sm at the minute but I want something more suitable for the road. The drz is basicaly a crosser with road bike wheels, it looks really good, its blue with gold excel rims, gold renthal bars and a full yoshi exhaust that makes it sound really nice. The sound of a bike is very important to me and I do like the sound of the GSR,its also a stunning looking bike and it takes well to customizing. The bike I really want is the Kawazaki z1000 but my older brother put me off the idea of a litre bike, I think hes right, a couple more years road expierience and I will have one of those bad boys. cool site btw,
good luck and stay safe!
Friday, October 2, 2009 at 17:34
Gordon, have to say mate I love the site. I stumbled across it from some of your posts in the gsr 600 street scene forum. I too have a gsr600, love it to bits. Its my 2nd bike, my last being a Harley sportster 883r. I had lots of similar issues to your experiences with your gsr with my Harley in regards to build quality, thankfully the gsr seems better so far (touch wood!). Keep up the quality banter. If your ever down lanarkshire way and fancy a run drop me a line.
Kev, I love my gsr mate. I think its a great blend of sportiness but without the cramped position or the risk to my licence! If you want to have a look at a gsr outside the showroom drop me a line, I’m in the west of Scotland too. I have done a trip round Scotland on mine too and its great. Speaking of how it sounds though its much better with the yoshi cans I’ve fitted to it. I also commute on mine quite a bit so I’ve fitted a Givi rack and top box for practicalities sake, doesnt spoil it in my opinion.
Ciaran, your bro is right mate. The gsr would be a good launch pad for your lunatic career on litre bikes later. A good stepping stone from you 400 I think.
Unfortunately due to a dodgy knee I might have to consider selling my gsr and getting something more cruiser ish, but not for a while I hope.
Keep up the quality Gordon.
My username is bobbertandsammy on http://www.suzuki-gsr.co.uk if any one wants a wee forum chat, its a good resource for gsr potentials and owners.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 20:36
Stumbled across your site while researching the GSR600 Gordon,excellent stuff and very informative.I too ride all year round,been riding for 33 years and never owned a car.I’ve always liked the look of the GSR but negative press comment has always put me off,they’re not popular with trade either as they don’t sell but that’s probably a reflection of the presses influence,which as a smartarse who regularly finds some pretty obvious duff info in the glossies on a regular basis dosn’t really apply to me.
Currently run a 2004 600 Hornet,being a commuter and living on the Devon/Cornwall border something nimble is better than brute power and it’s plenty quick enough for anyone in truth.Local dealer has just cut the price of the mint 2000 mile GSR thye’ve had in for a while to £2995,which has got to be a deal,hence the Googling.What the end result of your throttle woes,and what about that oil? Like you I don’t have a garage but my Honda is in superb nick for a 20,000 miler despite my washing regime being similar to yours,that’s what the rain’s for.I use ACF50 on it and that’s superb stuff,anti-corrossion and protects your electrics from the weather as well.Had my little Honda for a couple of years and grown to love it once I stopped comparing it to my much-loved “old model” 600 Fazer which was a truly awesome machine,my biggest worry is going for that GSR,and dealers are taking old model hornet owners hands off right now because they fly out of the showroom in good nick,and regretting it.From what I’ve read they’re very similar bikes but the Honda dosn’t stutter anywhere and is in fact an exceptionally well fuelled machine,I have dropped it down to 10 m.p.h. in 4th and pulled away cleanly without slipping the clutch while experimenting.Not desperate to change but that GSR’s a real peach and very cheap.
Great thing the net,I was set on an ER6N for a while but loads of horror stories on-line from exhausts snapping off to electrics bursting into flames and cracked frames.Also the MT 03,really fancied one but a mate’s experiences with his XTX and some very negative stuff on the net had that one very quickly off the list.
What kind of m.p.g. do you get?Hornet will do about 42 in everyday use,i finish work late at night and always take the long route home and let her loose,when I first got it despite being an old fart I managed to get the front wheel off the deck at 90 and giving it loads it’s a real fun machine,if a bit too lively for my tastes….and it was doing about 30 to the gallon,seem to have finally outgrown my adolescence at the vast age of 51 though!
Great site mate,ride safe.
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 17:46