In those days, Kawasaki and Suzuki both got away with making brakes that took a couple of seconds for the pads to bite the disc. Anyway, enough rambling, back to the 21st century and the GSR600; what do we know about it? Well, It goes like hell, feels a bit like a narrow, lightweight 250 Honda Hornet and the brakes are superb.
Even the fuel injection worked almost faultlessly, just spluttering a little after resting at a junction in traffic for a minute or so. Is the GSR600 the perfect all-rounder? Nope, because it lacks any sort of screen or fairing, and the underseat exhaust system, plus assorted bracketry and shock-mounting gubbins, all looks set to suffer from road salt/crud/usual northern weather.
GSR600
In fact, I would fit the biggest "hugger" and undertray I could find if I bought a GSR600, as some parts look poorly finished and unable to withstand all-weather biking. But what a great bike to razz around the back lanes on a summer Sunday, or commute on £10 of unleaded all week.
The de-tuned Gixer 600 four cylinder motor makes loads of mid-range oomph, the seat is nice and low, the bike's oddball indicators and styling make it stand out from the crowd and the handling is novice-friendly.
With the GSR600 costing just £5,200 OTR, this has to be worth considering, if you're the type of rider looking for something practical, stylish, yet with enough performance to put a daft grin on your face on Sunday mornings.
Rivals include Suzuki's own Bandit 650, the Kawasaki Z750S or new ER6n and the Honda CBF600.
