Kenny's Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9

Kenny Pryde

Suzuki UK has loaned SuperBike magazine a GSX-R1000 K9 to use as a long term test bike through 2009. In the course of the year, we'll be doing all sorts with it, fitting performance parts, new tyres and all manner of tat to it. Needless to say if you've got questions, suggestions or abuse, send it here: Kenny_Pryde@ipcmedia.com and I will respond.

October!

Finally, five months into ownership, I get to take the K9 to a proper track (Castle Combe was fine but it's never going to please the ACU or the FIM when it comes to safety and run-off, is it?). Luckily, given our hit and miss summer, the bike and I arrived at Brands Indy circuit with sunshine and 21 degrees showing.

So I was all set. The Metzeler Racetec Interact K3 tyres needed to be put to the sword and the Crescent-fettled Power Commander and Translogic QS2 quickshifter were in dire need of being tried in rather more testing conditions than the roads of Surrey.

I mentioned previously that the bespoke fuelling map loaded into the Power Commander V down at Crescent Performance in Verwood had made a significant difference to the bike on the road. Which is to say that the throttle response is crisp and accurate, particularly at small throttle openings. On the track, it felt just as good, which isn't any kind of a surprise, is it? In fact, even when you're slowly winding on the gas around Clearways, heading for the start-finish straight, the slightest tweak on the throttle brought about a very precise increase in acceleration – which is impressive.

The sound of a quickshifter banging through the gears on a high-revving bike on a circuit is one of life's aural pleasures and mine sounds lovely. The Translogic QS2 shifter never missed a beat on track and must have been worth – oooh, what – a tenth of a second a lap? Seriously though, it's a flash bit of kit, but if I was forced to justify it on performance grounds alone, I might struggle…

It feels like years since I've been on a trackday. Or that's what it felt like. I've been on track with Thundersport GB participating in club races and test days, but a trackday gives off a different vibe – it's more relaxed, less stressful and overall it's much more 'fun' than a race weekend where the focus is always on 'go as fast as you can'.

So the Suzuki and I had a great time, even if I had to recalibrate my brain to the speed, weight and brakes of the 179.8hp and 202kg missile that I was hanging on to – it's a lot different from the CBR600RR I've spent most time with in recent months! I left Brands Hatch with an increased appreciation of the fitness required to handle a race-prepped GSX-R1000 around Brands Hatch. I was trying fairly hard and each 20 minute session left me in a sweaty lather, arms and shoulders aching with the effort of braking going down into Graham Hill bend. And that was me, going quite slowly for less than half the number of laps that the BSB and superstock riders race around the demanding Indy circuit. Fair play to them all.

I've previously mentioned how underwhelming the brakes are on the Suzuki – the Achilles heel of the package as far as I'm concerned – but reckoned it was no big deal on the road. Well, when you're braking from 220kph into Paddock Hill bend, you want better performing brakes than these. So the quest for improved (less sponge, a bit more initial bite and a more positive feel once you are braking) is on once again so it looks like some new fluid and some braided hoses are on the agenda (although I'm not convinced either will make a significant improvement).

I made some suspension tweaks to the bike after the first session when the back end felt a little loose and vague, with the Showa BPF fork needing a bit more support under heavy braking too. So I added one and a quarter turns to the rear rebound and a half a turn of rebound to the fork. Given the way that the Showa BPF internals work, an adjustment to the rebound also increases the compression damping circuit, so I got what I needed. That calmed things down enough for me to get on with the job of enjoying the track.

Also on the agenda was to see how well the road-spec Metzeler Racetec Interact tyres (33psi front and 29psi rear: hot) would cope with the long right hander of Clearways and the two left handers on the circuit. Clearways exit (onto the start-finish straight) asks a lot of a tyre when it's on a 179hp bike accelerating hard at relatively high speeds. Equally the warm-up required to cope with the (two) left handers, especially Graham Hill bend, means that slips and slides will show up on the exit if the tyre isn't up to temperature. (The second left hander, at Surtees, asks less of the tyre because you're not on the gas as hard on the edge of the tyre as you are at the exit of Graham Hill).

Long story short, I had no problems, taking three laps fairly steady on cold tyres before feeling ready to push on a bit. The overall results were impressive, both in terms of a secure feeling from the front and in terms of wear to the rear right shoulder of the tyre. Through the day the tyres did around 95 laps and had already done a couple of hundred miles on the road beforehand. Two thumbs up, as they say…


Skidmarx screen
The standard screen is, as far as I'm concerned, too low. Aesthetically it might match the front of the bike a bit better than the Skidmarx 'double bubble' design, but in terms of protecting you from wind blast and rain, it's half as good (is that why such designs are called 'double' bubble?)
Seriously though, six wee screw fixings, loosen off the mirrors a bit, slip your new screen in and make sure you screw everything up nice and tight again (unlike me). Everything lines up nicely, there's no need for bending or coaxing and off you go. The downside is that the wind blast that hits you with the OE screen acts as a 'speedo' so now, when you feel less wind on your head and chest, you assume you're not going that quick. That's not going to stand up in court either, is it?

CONTACTS:
Skidmarx: www.skidmarx.co.uk
Metzeler: www.metzelermoto.co.uk
Crescent Performance: www.crescent-motorcycles.com
Translogic: www.translogicuk.com


July 28:
After a couple of months of dicking about, I finally got round to business. Or rather I took the bike and some bits down to Crescent Performance down in Verwood for a serious makeover.

I had a Yoshimura R&D R-77 stainless and carbon full system to go on – its four into two into one configuration looking much better in my eyes (and indeed the eyes of anyone who can see), allied to a new Power Commander V (five, if you will, or Power Commander 5), a Translogic QS2 quickshifter and an R&G Racing tail tidy.

My man Mitchell rolled the bike into the Crescent Dynojet dyno and after a few runs, the stock bike running stock everything (including pump fuel and Metzeler Racetec Interact K3 tyres) produced 166.02hp@11,750rpm and 81.13ft llbs of torque at 10,000rpm.

When the Yosh R-77 system was bolted on, without a Power Commander, running the same stock fuel map, the figures were 174.40@12,000rpm and 82.32 ft lbs of torque.

When Alan 'APC Racing' Cook re-mapped the fuelling and plumbed in the Power Commander V, the bike rolled out of the dyno room with 179.78hp at 12,100rpm and 84.27 ft llbs of torque. I didn't need more power, obviously, but I've got it now and very nice it is too. But, far more importantly, the throttle response is crisp and accurate, there's no fluffiness anywhere and, higher in the revs, small increases in throttle mean incremental increases in speed. The fuelling is faultless, bog-free, responsive and precise.

The other thing you notice is the weight loss. The standard system – even with its titanium header pipes and surprisingly light end cans – is crippled by a boxy lump of catalytic converter (3.8kg on its own!) and losing that lot and replacing it with the R-77 means the bike is 10 kilos lighter. And believe me, you can feel the difference.

I've been laughing like a maniac inside my lid and sometimes – just sometimes – being riding fit to be locked up. In all honesty, there are times when I know that if I saw someone riding the way I had been, I'd have been disgusted. 'It was the bike wot made me do it yer honour, I don't know what came over me'... It's not going to stand up in court, is it?

July 7:
Finally I make it up to Simon Tonge's SNS workshop in the picturesque and roasting hot Surrey Hills (no, really) to get those Metzeler Racetec Interact K3 (yellow) hoops fitted. Praise be to the patron saint of German rubber. Not that I want to be irrational about this, but I'm so much happier on the Metzelers. Short of carrying out a rubbery autopsy, I'm convinced that the construction, the tyre architecture if you will, is softer in the front Ractec Interact tyre than it is on the OE Bridgestone BT-016. That increased feel from the front puts a smile on my face and a bit more confidence in my heart. I fitted the Metzelers with 2398 miles on the clock, let's see how long they last.

July 1:
I was up at Donington WSB last weekend, pestering the Alstare Suzuki European superstock team mechanics and rider Claudio Corti (for an article in the mag) and I was asking the chief tech about the K9 brakes. He agreed they weren't as good as the previous models and, apart from fitting Fren Tubi brake lines, insisted that Yoshimura brake pads were the best on the market and that Corti, who had been a fan of SBS pads, had quickly seen the light and made the switch. I was a bit embarrassed because I had never even heard of them. But I contacted Yoshimura in Japan and, sure enough, they do exist.

Better than that, I learned that in Japan, the pads are known as 'Katsuaki specials', because when world supersport rider Katsuaki Fujiwara was riding with Alstare Suzuki, he had a special batch and compound made up for him and that compound is still made today. They are distributed in the UK by Crescent Performance.

June 30:
In between my last post I had a spin on the Worx Crescent replica (which you can read about here) but since I took this bike to Castle Combe circuit, I was able to compare them with back to back rides on the same OE tyres. After one session I realised that my compression-free road settings were, surprise, surprise, no good at all for the track. So I put the front and rear compression settings back to standard (as per the owner's manual) and the bike was much improved (more composed, less prone to wallowing, better turn-in and steering, just...better).

Which is what you would expect on a track. But I've not changed them since for my road riding. The bike 'handles' better on the road with some damping. Of course it's a compromise. On bumpy roads, it doesn't feel comfy or composed, but on smoother roads, yes, it feels like a taut, responsive bike. Of course suspension settings are a compromise between comfort and performance but the Suzuki has enough adjustability in stock suspension units for you to find settings that suit you, your tyres, your roads and your riding style. Me? I think I'm a stock kind of a guy after all. Or maybe the suspension bushings, bearings, seals and linkagaes have just 'bedded in' after 2,000 miles?

June 15:
In truth, I have nothing to report other than I'm more convinced than ever that the the Suzuki is the best roadbike of the crop of litre bikes (I'll maybe ride the Fireblade later...). I say that because I had Bob's 2009 R1 for a couple of days and it didn't float my boat. It feels like a barge at low speed, it weighs a ton (not really) and I'm not convinced by the throttle smoothness at low revs. In short, I'm still in love with the Suzuki.
I also had a spin on the roads on the new Aprilia RSV4 and, while it is an astonishing bike, as a road bike, it's harder work than the Suzuki. To be fair, maybe with more time on it I'd get my head around it, but it's not a bike I felt able to hop on and get on with straightaway, unlike the Suzuki. Bikes....still great.

June 1:
Oh god, get me, I've turned into some sort of fuel consumption nerd. I rode to Thruxton BSB and back and, since my 'brush' with the traffic police and three-point penalty, I've definitely calmed down. Which means I've been riding like...well....I don't know how to describe it. Maybe like a member of the Christian Sportbike Fellowship with nine points and the threat of eternal damnation? Anyway, long story short, I got 180 miles out of a tank. Stone me, it's a sports-tourer right enough! Mind you, it must have been close, since I brimmed it and it took 16.97 litres.

May 12:
I've been away for the best part of a week racing the MidLife Crisis Chicana Mobile Honda at Pembrey, so had some time off the Suzuki. As an update on the rather dull topic of fuel consumption, I pushed my luck to 24 miles on reserve (mostly first and second gear riding in town) and saw 167 miles on the total trip meter. It took 17.4 litres of fuel, which meant that I had around half a litre left. I reckon that's not bad, although bear in mind there were at least 120 miles of 'steady' motorway miles in that total.

May 6:
I have never bought a bike on the basis of its fuel consumption in my life. It's not something that weighs heavy on my mind. However, in the interests of, I dunno, 'science' or just passing interest, I have to say that my last tank of fuel saw me reach 135 miles on the trip meter before the amber fuel light started blinking at me. 135 miles which involved a chunk of 'steady' motorway riding in top gear. I dare say now that I'm on what car wallahs might call an 'urban cycle' I might get about another 30 miles till I burn the three litres on reserve, but I'm not sure I want to run out and face the push...

And, following my last post here, I've decided to give a set of Metzeler Sportec M3 hoops a run. I was well impressed by them on a recent bike test (the BMW F 800 R) where I was able to back to back compare them on a track with Bridgestone BT-14 and the otherwise excellent Dunlop Roadsmart tyres. It could be that the Sportec M3 is an overlooked tyre that deserves a run out. That's my story. If anyone else has any experience of them, let me have it!

May 1:
The good news is that the K9 survived a wet, cold and windy Anglesey Trac Mon circuit. On the ride home, alas, my driving licence took a bit of a dent, but that's another story.

Since the track barely dried, I don't have too much to say about the performance of the K9 on the circuit, which is probably a good thing. We (the magazine) were up at the track finishing off our 1000cc sportsbike group test and the four test bikes were all put on Dunlop D209GP tyres, which was interesting.

Basically, I rode around and around, trying to get a feel for the track (ie, go slowly and not crash) and stayed out for a chunk of laps. Then I came in and took out the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 with the Dunlop D209GP hoops on. Now, bearing in mind there was only a dry line on some corners, bearing in mind the air temperature was 10 degrees Celcius, you wouldn't have thought that a track/race Dunlop would be significantly better than the OE Bridgestone BT-016 would be, would you? Well, I went out for one session on the Dunlops and never came back in. Miles better. Miles and miles and miles. I'm junking those OE BT-016 hoops asap.

And let's get this straight. I wasn't riding fast, I wasn't really trying to ride fast, I was riding not to crash. In any case, I'm not a particularly fast rider and I'm not always looking for the last scintilla of grip from the rear; but I felt more comfy (and went quicker) on the Dunlops than I did on the OE BT-016 tyres. And that's all I can say. I felt more comfy and I went quicker. The Dunlop felt 'softer' with a more positive feeling when I got on the brakes and I was more confident when turning into corners than on the Bridgestone – and that's what helped me, that feeling.

April 27:
The good news is that crash protection specialists R&G Racing Products has just delivered three (or four) items of crucial importance to the office. There's a left hand side engine case slider; a right hand side engine case slider and two cotton reel swinging arm bobbins to facilitate chain adjustment and lubrication.

The good news is that this level of protection doesn't require the cutting of the fairings, just a dab of grease to ease in the longer bolts and all of a sudden, the bike doesn't feel so exposed anymore.

This is good news because the bike is off to Trac Mon, the Anglesey circuit on Wednesday this week and there's no point in tempting fate, is there?