The BirotarUK Suzuki GSXR 600 SRAD
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| Photograph taken in May 2015 |
The SRAD has been one of our long-term bikes. We purchased it second hand from a motorcycle dealer in Peterborough in 2009 and we have enjoyed the ownership
from day one.
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| Photograph taken on the day we purchased the SRAD. |
Back in the day of the 25kw (33hp) restriction, it was the
only bike within our budget that suited our requirements. During the hunt for
the ‘perfect bike’ (we now realise that there is no such thing, it should in-fact
be ‘perfect bikes’ but that’s another story), we had a certain criteria:
- The bike needed to fall in the 25kw restriction class and had to be insurable under the restriction law
- It had to be comfortable enough to commute, and have enough wind protection for rides on the motorway
- It had to be fairly efficient
After 3 months of ownership, we fitted heated grips, changed
the tyres to a set of Michelin PR2 and booked a long distance tour. London to
Venice.
With the panniers, tank back and sat-nav fitted, we set off
on a journey that taught us more about riding than any other road ride. On the
morning of the set off, guess what… there was a dark rain cloud above. A rain
cloud that remained above us, all the way from Dunkirk to Stuttgart. None the less, the SRAD
did not miss a beat, averaging 150 miles to a tank and recorded a digital top
speed of 110mph on the on the Autobahn in the wet (with the restrictors fitted)!
With no offence intended, we hope that you ‘fair weather riders’ get to experience how
great it feels being soaked, cold and +1000 miles away from home in a country where
the only words that translate are gasolina and Coca-Cola.
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| Photograph taken in Bolzano in 2009 |
The bike started to struggle at the high altitude in the
Alps (approx 9045ft above sea level) but as we started the descent, the bike came back to life
and surfed all the way down the twisty roads.
The sun was setting as we entered Bolzano. By this point the
bike had been running non stop since 6am (apart from fuel stops). The pain in the backside started to
become unbearable on the Autostrada, and it felt like a relief every time we
stopped for a toll, just because there was an opportunity to sit up and
stretch for a moment.
The plan wasn’t to complete the journey in one day, but the
bike was inspiring confidence. It wanted to be ridden. Many have experienced this, and I'm sure that if you're one of them, It’s hard to explain what
it’s like to be physically and mentally exhausted but have the desire to carry on
at the same time. We had faith in the machine, and that's what kept us going. Oh, and the empty motorways ;). Before we left for this journey, family members and friends bet that the bike wouldn't make it past Munchen but the SRAD was proving them wrong, it got us to Venice in just under 20hrs and
covered over 1200 miles, in one day.
Little did we know, after a week of sun, sea, and beers. She
didn’t want to start up again. We thought that was it, she had retired in Italy! It was the Friday
before a bank holiday weekend and we were due start our return to the UK on the Sunday. There were no garages open and we had no tools other the OEM supplied kit under
the seat. We were stranded.
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| Photograph taken somewhere over the sea in 2009 |
After a last minute flight back to the UK we rented a van to collect
the bike. We brought the SRAD back to the UK and discovered that the long journey had taken
it’s toll. The alternator, battery, plugs, ignition switch and throttle cable
all needed repairing/replacing.
After a strip down and rebuild, we took the opportunity to derestrict the bike. WHOA. Going from 33hp to approx 90hp was a big jump. It wasn’t
just the jump in power though, it was the brutality in which the bike delivered the
power. It took a while to get used to, but we were glad that there was a noticeable difference!
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| Photograph taken in Hertfordshire in 2013 |
Next thing we knew, K&N filter, Micron exhaust, new
brake pads, chain, sprocket and service parts were on order. The bike ran like
a dream, but we still didn’t really understand what it was capable of. Over the next winter, it was ridden in all types of weather and it spent
most of its nights stored in a dry garage, where it was detailed and admired once a week.
We’ve now owned the bike for just over 5 years. Looking
back, there are too many experiences and stories to list. But one that is really worth talking about is the NoLimits track day session we did at Mallory Park in April 2015.
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| Photograph taken at Mallory Park |
As you may have seen on our blog, we carried out several modifications
to improve the bikes handling and braking performance before the track day. You
can see more details about these here.
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| Photograph taken at Mallory Park |
We were nervous at Mallory, with it being only our 2nd
track day on a super bike. None the less, the SRAD performed remarkably, out accelerating and
out handling many other bikes on track. We know the old girl is getting 'on a bit' in terms of technology, but the SRAD was very well matched to some of the more modern fuel
injected bikes. What many would call, a truly 'un-assisted' riding experience.
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| Photograph taken at Mallory Park |
It was the first time that we got a chance to push the
bike to our riding limits. We were pushing the bike hard and trying
our best to shift the bike’s wide ass around the chicanes, and we were truly
amazed in the way the bike handled and accelerated.
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| Photograph taken at Mallory Park |
There’s one thing we keep remembering though, when you own a bike for this length of time, you are able take the bike through most types of riding situations. We believe that it’s difficult
to get a true grasp of what a bike is really like on an hour test ride, or
even over a couple of days.
So, the question is: how do you actually review a bike?! So you
can get an idea of a bike’s capability and performance on a road test, but living
with a bike day to day creates a bond. Which is hard to grasp in just an few hours.
We’ve considered selling the bike to upgrade for a modern
litre machine, but something is stopping us. We believe that it’s this ‘bond’
that’s stopping us. And we’ve come down to this:
At the end of the day, what’s worth more? £1.5k or a
super bike?
We haven’t quite got an answer for that yet, but at the
moment, we are pretty speechless.
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| Photograph by Wil Collins Photography |
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