Suzuki Debuts the New Middleweight GSX-S750

But is the naked inline-four streetfighter really all that new?

Suzuki is tossing its hat into the US middleweight naked ring. Late last week, the brand announced the introduction of the GSX-S750 and slightly upgraded GSX-S750Z to the American market. According to Suzuki, the GSX-S750, will bring “a new level of performance to inline four-cylinder street bikes that are sure to shake up the popular ‘streetfighter’ class.”

To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, we’re not sure that the word new means what Suzuki thinks it means: Those looking for a “new” Suzuki inline four aren’t going to find it on this bike, as it’s powered by an engine that’s been in production for at least four years. And those looking for an ABS option will be disappointed (as is this author, who feels that there’s no reason not to give street riders who want ABS the opportunity to have it).

Nevertheless, there’s definitely some appeal here for riders who are looking for a midlevel streetfighter.  Its claimed curb weight of 470 pounds and seat height of 32.1 inches, along with presumably manageable power (Suzuki has not released performance data for the bike’s engine) make it approachable. Those who like the angular styling found in Yamaha’s FZ models will like the looks of the GSX-S750 and 750Z; we’re suckers for gold-anodized fork tubes. 

The big draw here for those looking to choose between this bike and the FZ-09 might be the price: MSRP for the GSX-S750 will be $7,999, and will be $8,149 for the S750Z. (No performance difference between the two: The S750Z simply sports the blue-and-white color scheme.) That’s right on par with Yamaha’s pricing for the FZ-09. We’re eager to see how the GSX-750 performs and if it’s going to give the popular Yamaha bikes some real competition. What do you think? Does Suzuki have a potential winner with the GSX-S750?

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