Well, our long term GSX-R has seen us through into the New Year. Dirty, a little battered (more on that later) and with rather more mileage than before, but still very much the same bike as just won our 2004 Bike of the Year award.

Over the last few months our relationship has matured. And though I have to admit that during the last eight months I have ridden bikes that tugged harder at my heartstrings, have been faster, have handled better and have been more fun. But I've ridden nothing that is so fast, so fine handling, so much fun and makes me feel so good all at once. Because right now, today, I don't believe that there is a single bike that will do all that for me. And, judging by your votes in the poll, I'm not alone either.

There's been a lot written in some of the press about GSX-Rs and their setup. Some people reckon that they are far too soft at the front and too low at the back. Personally I'd say that these people are talking out of their hats. Riding as hard on the road as a vaguely sane person would and as hard on the track as a vaguely competent lunatic would, I can honestly say that I've yet to find any problem with the setup as it came from the box. The steering damper may be a little intrusive and I'm sure that this year a replacement will get fitted. Perhaps we'll go see a suspension guru to get tweaked. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the setup as it comes. Nothing at all - it's still quicker than I am.

There's also been a lot of hot air spouted about how Suzukis fall apart in the winter. Well, having ridden this one almost every day since mid October, regardless of the weather, I can confidently say that, in fact, they stand up to rain, salt and general road crud as well as anything else out there. Like any other machine, the GSX-R benefits from being cleaned and oiled occasionally. I try to wash my bike weekly because it gives me a chance to check it over properly as well, lube the chain and so on. But that's the limit of pampering it gets. During the week it gets ridden hard and put away wet and dirty. And the pads haven't seized, the bolts haven't gone furry and the suspension still works. So if you have a Suzuki, just ride it and ignore the doomsayers who tell you it won't survive.

Looking back over the plans we had for our baby, it's all been really rather quiet. We're still rather light on the alarm/immobiliser front (we don't have one fitted) though we do have crash bobbins and have recently fitted an end can. Other than that, though, the last 5000 miles (yes, that's all) have seen something very unusual. A GSX-R that has remained almost totally unmolested in terms of aftermarket accessories.

We still haven't fitted a hugger, which we really need to do with the onset of winter. And a louder horn would be a very good thing as well. There's nothing wrong with the one fitted as standard, but it lacks expression when used in anger. And that's important.

Let's do the reverse chronological thing and run back from here to when she came onto the fleet back in May.

3rd February 2005

Most recent addition is a pair of Michelin Pilot Power tyres to replace the original BT014s that had their profile and performance ruined by too many miles of commuting. In fairness to the Bridgestones, they were pretty good tyres, offering a good balance of real performance grip and all weather flexibility. But the combination of a couple of really aggressive track sessions which overheated them and made them a little unpredictable at the limit and four months of commuting flatting off the crown at the back meant that it was time for a change.

Despite the lack of good weather, initial impressions are very favourable indeed. There'll be a full and complete test elsewhere, but in short they are grippy as anything in the dry and seem to be surprisingly good in the wet, in spite of looking like hand cut slicks. I ran the previous Pilot Sports on my last GSX-R right up until the end, and they were very good indeed. The next generation just seem as though they may be even better, especially at handling greasy roads. Not a bad thing this time of year.

1st January 2005

Well the rest of the family got a treat for Christmas, so it seemed only fair that the newest member should as well. In this case, a pair of headlight bulbs. I'd tried Tri-Plus bulbs both in my car and in my old GSX-R, and had been staggered at how effective they were. But they are not easy to get hold of, so an alternative was needed. And I found one, believe it or not, at Halfords. Their own brand Xenon filled bulbs aren't especially cheap at around £15 a piece, but you can buy them as singles, they are easy to get and they really do the job. The original headlight isn't bad but fitted with a pair of 100W Xenon bulbs you literally get daylight in front of you. The light is very white, maybe slightly blue, and penetration, especially on unlit roads, is phenomenal. Definitely worth the trouble.

Christmas 2004

The beginning of this month saw a brief and enforced rest for the GSX-R after a collision with an idiot in London left me with a cracked rib and very sore neck and the bike with a stove in headlight and broken upper fairing. Needless to say, when the bike landed it landed on the right and scuffed the can up as well. And the car driver wanted a fight. And it appears that he wasn't insured. However, Premier Suzuki did a grand job, sourcing the parts in double quick time and getting us back on the road before Christmas. And we found a few things out, as well.

First of all, GSX-R 750s have stupendous brakes. Another metre or so and I'd have stopped before hitting the car. As it is, I was stoppying all the way to impact and actually hit with my head, getting my helmet between the bike and the car. I think. Second, unlike some of the earlier incarnations, current GSX-Rs are extremely crash worthy. Despite looking somewhat second hand, the bike was perfectly rideable, albeit with a headlight pointing at the ground and a floppy mirror on the right. Third, we found that Suzuki spares are surprisingly reasonably priced. Damage which a few years ago would have been an economic right-off came in at just £1500, with the majority being the hideously expensive end can. Even the dented tank (that'll be where the rib got cracked, then) was a reasonable price. And finally that crash protectors are worth every penny. The R&G protectors fitted back in August were rather scuffed but did exactly what they were supposed to do - engine cases, fairing lowers, bars and pegs all survived unscathed.

Oh, as a slight aside, we also discovered that Arai RX-7 helmets may be expensive but they also withstand being crushed rather well. My trusty four year old Arai is written off, of course, but damn it did the job nicely. Smashed all the vents off and broke the visor pod on one side but that's it. Looking at the foam inside shows how well the impact was absorbed...

Replacing the can gave me the excuse I needed to get rid of the enormous and slightly unattractive stock can and fit something altogether more appropriate. Now I live in a quiet residential area and I like my neighbours. But I also have an affinity for products made by Mr Yoshimura. Happily, a compromise is now available in the form of road legal Yoshi cans. So we fitted a very nice CE stamped Yoshimura Cyclone in titanium. It's a little louder than stock but not much though the sound has a harder edge to it. Fuelling, already good, has cleaned up even better following a few minutes with the Yoshi box, and I'm guessing that we're a kilo or so lighter as well. Plus the looks have improved. So a result all round, then.

1st October 2004

Cleaning bikes is a pain. Fortunately, needing to review the new Swissol bike kit meant that the GSX-R got a full treatment. And what a result. Though already pretty shiny, the cleaner and wax brought an extra lustre to the finish, which was nice. But even better and far more important, suddenly all the crud thrown up from the road, the suicidal flies and pre-processed bird food just rinsed off with no fuss. Yes, the application took a while and yes it means that I can't use any old rubbish shampoo any more because it'll strip the wax off, but oh boy it's worth the effort...

22nd August 2004

So much for priority purchase. It took another two months for us to find and fit some R&G crash bobbins. Not cheap at all at £49 but very solid, very well made and very easy to fit. No cutting or other faffing around required, and the final result is something that looks as unobtrusive as you could reasonably expect but still manages to be businesslike as well. You need some large Allen keys to undo and replace the top engine mounts and you need to read the instructions properly. Because they are not the same on each side, and you're guaranteed to fit one, spending ages doing up this huge bolt, and then discover that the other side is too short to fit...

17th June 2004

300 - 1150 miles

Running in took an age as the manual kept me below 10,000rpm for another 400 miles after the first service. But more of that later. The first service was carried out at Premier Suzuki in West Wickham at 526 miles. A little early but a forthcoming trip meant that it needed to be done before going way over the 600 mile recommendation. First service doesn't cost anything, by the way. Not unusual but worth mentioning.

I'd noticed that the brakes weren't as good as I expected - still loads of bite and feel but a little more lever movement than I remembered from the previous 750's I'd ridden - so the evening after the service I decided to have a fiddle. The radial master cylinder means one more bleed nipple than usual, on the master cylinder itself, and this looked like a likely place to start. To my surprise I got quite a lot of air out in a few minutes and the result was a brake lever with far less movement and far more bite. Nice.

At the same time as my brake maintenance I needed to address the one criticism I truly have of the new GSX-R. Both the 600 and the 750 have benefited from an extensive tidying up of the back end, which is great. Suzuki have given practicality a nod by including cast in bungee hooks on the rear peg hangers. Which is well and good except for the fact that they haven't included any others. And 2 bungee hooks are no use to man nor beast, especially as the newly tidied up back end has nowhere to hook onto as the undertray hides all the normal subframe rails. So I added a pair of bungee hooks from an old bike, using the subframe bolts to secure them just in front of the mudguard. Easy enough to do but should I really have needed to?

GSX-Rs may be ever more civilised but they weren't meant for pootling around on. The track was beckoning, and where better to go than Cadwell Park - the circuit that got me re-acquainted with just how good GSX-Rs are back in 2000? To be honest it wasn't just a trackday for me. I'd not been getting on that well with this bike. The handling didn't feel right, the forks were crashy and harsh and the tyres felt as though they weren't to be trusted. So the track excursion was intended as a bonding session as well as chance to iron out any problems.

The night before, however, it all changed. I have recently acquired a new tyre pressure gauge, but being the type of guy I am I couldn't find it when I wanted to do my night before a trackday checks. So I used my old one and discovered something very bad. My tyres were at 47psi rear and 41 front instead of the recommended 41 and 36. That'll explain a few things, then. No criticism of the PDI mind you - my fault for farting around with the pressures in the first place.

Leaving home at 0400 to ride to a trackday has little to commend it. The lack of traffic, beautiful early morning skies and a bike that suddenly felt exactly right with the correct tyre pressures certainly helped, though. The ride to Cadwell was uneventful other than being dispatched as quickly as prudence would allow. Road handling is spot on - predictable and stable while as nimble as you like - and comfort was not an issue. It's still a long way, though. The good thing about the distance was that I was able to get most of the last running in out of the way before hitting the track.

So our first trackday started slowly. We needed time to get used to each other and to relax into it, as well as to remember that there is a new chicane after Mansfield that rather spoils the line. But after a couple of sessions we were starting to enjoy ourselves and the confidence levels were building nicely. Indeed, I was certainly as quick round Cadwell on this totally standard bike as I was on my previous, personalised, GSX-R 750. End of the day and as well as being rather fried myself the tyres were well and truly scrubbed in, the brakes were working brilliantly, handling was as accurate and confidence generating as I could possibly want, my right knee slider was worn almost down to the backing and all in all I was a very happy chappy. Even the ride home, down the interminably boring A1, went smoothly and passed as quickly as I could reasonably hope.

So there we are. One trackday and a thousand miles later, the only cost so far incurred is a new set of sliders and a tyre pressure gauge. There are a few things on the list, though. Hopefully in the next few months we'll be able to report on a new exhaust to replace the acceptable sounding but far too large and heavy standard can, some suspension and braking tweaks and other bits and pieces. Priority acquisitions are a set of crash bungs and an alarm/immobiliser.

18th May 2004

0-300 miles

The sheer excitement of getting a brand new motorbike doesn't diminish with time. Not at all. Well, not in my case, anyway. After getting all the paperwork and everything else sorted out over what felt like an age, and after driving family, friends and colleagues to distraction by making like an excited puppy for the days prior to collection, the actual pickup was a bit of an anticlimax. I trailered a GSX-R 600 back down to Suzuki in Crawley, expecting to be driving an empty trailer home again, only to be told that I could take mine back with me as well. It was a pleasant surprise, but I'd have preferred to have ridden home than had the first triumphant arrival on the back of a trailer. Still, at least it gave me the chance to get a picture of the first bike I have ever seen with no miles on the clock. Not even delivery or test mileage.

Running in is a drudge. Not above 7000rpm for the first 500 miles. Although that equates to slightly over 90 in top, the engine doesn't really get exciting until a bit over that, which becomes a bit frustrating. Still, booked in for a first service next week and should be fully run in by then. Oh, I have found a real use for the shift light, though. It's perfect for setting at your running-in threshold to remind you to change up or back off...

As far as additions go, a tank pad seemed like a good idea, as did a nice tax disc holder. Motrax came up with both, one of their very neat carbon fibre tax disc holders and a Rubber Ronnie tank pad in yellow and black to match the bike.

The tax disc holder is simply an improved version of their older model. It's light and looks trick, and how has more 'o' rings to keep the rain out. The only trouble was finding somewhere to fit it because it's quite thick. Fortunately there is room between the fairing and frame on one of the front mountings.

The tank pad is a disappointment. It looks great but the adhesive has already come off the back leaving great smears on the tank and allowing the corners to flap around. It was probably a one-off duff one, but for now I can't really recommend it...

2004 Suzuki GSX-R 750 K4

Acquired 18th May 2004.
Mileage to date: 4852

Warranty issues: None.

Cost so far:
Tyres £217 fitted & balanced (Sones Tyres, Croydon)
Servicing: £160 total (Premier Suzuki, West Wickham)

Items replaced in crash:

Tank, upper fairing, screen, fairing bracket, headlamp, right mirror, end can

First impression: Brilliant.
Current opinion: Even better. Richly deserved Bike of the Year.