During the 2004 season Crash.net took a trip down to Verwood in Dorset to Crescent Suzuki, the home of the Rizla British Superbike racing team. Somehow our intrepid reporter Adam Arnold blagged himself a ride on the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 road bike, where he managed to scare himself and all those witnessing...
Oh dear, someone has just handed me the key to arguably the fastest production bike in the world, and now I’m about to have a ride.
The Rizla Suzuki GSX-R 1000 is not like any other GSX-R 1000, this one has been modified for the road, and is available for customers to buy.
The paint scheme is the first thing to be noticed that sets it apart, the livery taken straight from the winning British Superbike championship machine.
Futher modifications are there to make a very fast motorcycle- even faster. A full free-flow exhaust system and fuel injection tweeks takes the engines output up on the standard machine, no slouch itself at 150+ bhp. The Rizla Suzuki road bike is in the region of 160 bhp at the rear wheel.
Knowing all this in advance, it’s no surprise I’m a little worried about my first ride of such a fast machine.
0 to 60 in bugger all (just over 3 seconds), a top speed that will take you back in time (around 180mph depending on your natural fear responses) and razor sharp race handing and braking. It’s a package that demands a great deal of respect, and gentleness, like a fine woman.
Now I’m no newcomer to motorcycling. I got my first riding lesson at the innocent age of four and have been riding bikes seriously for the past ten years, with some racing thrown in for good measure.
However, when faced with such an extremely powerful motorcycle, it doesn’t hurt to work out a little game plan, just in case.
In this instance the game plan is simple- don’t drop it. Easy to say, but this motorcycle has more torque than a politician at election time, and I don’t even want to think about the amount of power going through that back wheel.
Oh well, better get going before they change their mind.
Key in and turned, watch the clocks do their dance, giggle to myself in my helmet, clutch in and starter button pressed.
WurrWurrWurr- Blam!
She fires on the third turn with such a deep exhaust note that it vibrates my already fluttering bowels. My god I’m going to enjoy this.
