[krishnaprasadgg]

Congrats on your new bike TRR and I must say this is one of the best most detailed reviews possible. The right combination of no of pictures to the detailed text too, sublime!

About the coolant reservoir being under the body I echo your concerns, I have no idea why manufacturers choose to do this. It is the same case with a lot of Honda bikes too, the CBR650 and CBR250 even have a similar placement for the reservoir.

I have a small query, any specific reason you went for Aluminium sprockets specifically? Only asking because this is also your daily rider work/commute bike too, the positives of an aluminum sprocket kind of goes wasted over a regular steel sprocket and not to mention the lower life you will get out of it too(as compared to steel sprockets).

Wishing you many many more awesome miles with the beast. She just looks cracking in that Blue-black finish. Hope to see more updates on this thread.

Cheers
Krishna

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by TRR

To sum it all up, yes, the big bike ownership is not a bed of roses. It comes with its own set of problems.

The infamous saying goes – “You should never meet your heroes” – as you’ll most likely come away disappointed once that halo of herodom is removed.

My hero has always been a big bike with an inline-4 growling between the tires and to be honest, I am glad I met this superbike hero of mine.

That creamy smooth engine with the glorious exhaust note, the comfortable yet aggressive riding posture, the big bike looks that fly under the radar and the basic yet unintrusive safety tech make for a brilliant stepping stone into the big bike world.

Lovely, glad you took the leap and met your Hero! We had GoBlue's white GSX-S750 in our Pune riding circle. It's a rare and pleasing motorcycle.

You should consider an exhaust to unleash the real harmony of the inline-4 symphony. Enjoy your machine and share your experience in the process!

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[TRR]

Originally Posted by krishnaprasadgg

About the coolant reservoir being under the body I echo your concerns, I have no idea why manufacturers choose to do this. It is the same case with a lot of Honda bikes too, the CBR650 and CBR250 even have a similar placement for the reservoir.

I have a small query, any specific reason you went for Aluminium sprockets specifically? Only asking because this is also your daily rider work/commute bike too, the positives of an aluminum sprocket kind of goes wasted over a regular steel sprocket and not to mention the lower life you will get out of it too(as compared to steel sprockets).

Thank you for the kind words!

Yeah, the coolant tank was quite a worry initially. But another annoying part about its placement is the difficulty in figuring out the coolant levels. Plus its quite a bit of a bother for me to top up the coolant by myself. The weird quirks that we have to live with on these bikes

Regarding the sprockets, I bought the aluminium sprockets because there were some tasty deals on Revzilla. The OEM steel sprockets came in at almost double the price and I thought I'd give the aluminium ones a try. I know they aren't meant for my use case, and I doubt I'd notice the lightness even if I were tracking the bike since I'm not even close to that level of skill. But I am willing to live with the lesser life for the amount of cost saving that these sprockets gave me.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Lovely, glad you took the leap and met your Hero! We had GoBlue's white GSX-S750 in our Pune riding circle. It's a rare and pleasing motorcycle.

You should consider an exhaust to unleash the real harmony of the inline-4 symphony. Enjoy your machine and share your experience in the process!

Thank you! Yes, its quite a rare machine here in Bengaluru, have only seen other GSX-S750s at the service center and none on the roads.

I initially planned to do an exhaust change, and GoBlue even offered to sell me his Yoshimura exhaust after selling his GSX-S750. But I didn't want to risk any run-ins with Bengaluru cops, who seem to be actively targeting aftermarket pipes. I might not be able to resist the temptation somewhere down the line, but for now, I think it's safer to stick to the stock end-can till the cops turn their eye to other issues.

[rahul4321]

Superb review. Written right from the heart. For a moment - reading the first 3 paragraphs, I was shocked as i thought I may have sleep-typed (is that a word) my own story.

CA here too. Always had that itch to own a Superbike. Still do. I too have a 2017 Duke 390 which i use for touring and just like you, I feel sometimes what is the point of a Superbike as the Duke has everything I need. But the itch will never die.

Loved it. Brilliant outpouring of words fantastically consolidated into a review. If your writing abilities are anything to go by, i think you must have aced Audit and Law.

Thank you. You have made the itch worse my friend!

[Mik]

Congratulations on the purchase! I have a red version and while its mostly idling away at the garage ogling at the pretty Activas - on the road this gives me so much pleasure.
Hafiz is a gem of a person. A national drag racing champion and a full on petrolhead at heart. He had suggested me the KnN filter and it has made the flat spottedness around 2-4k rpm go down a lot.
I get the bike serviced only once a year as i am not using it much. Somehow have too much confidence on the bulletproof quality and reliability of this Suzuki.

Ride safe!

[neil.jericho]

TRR, congratulations on your pre-owned Suzuki GSX S750, it certainly looks smashing in that blue colour. Your review was thoughtful, thoroughly comprehensive and covered every aspect of the motorcycle that one could think of. Once again, breadth of information covered and the depth of detail, has raised the overall standard of two wheeler ownership reviews on the forum.

Onto the bike, maybe it had something to do with Suzuki's timing, but you rarely see the GSX S750 in the motorcycling enthusiasts community. I dont know of a single person who owns one and was pleasantly surprised to see your review.

A few thoughts from your posts
- I could completely relate to your big bike feel while being discrete mindset. My black Triumph was exactly the same and a couple of years into my ownership, I began to feel that it probably was a little too discrete. Some visual modifications took care of that while retaining its staying under the radar vibe.
- That K5 engine fully deserves its legendary tag. Suzuki made some amazing bikes in the 2000s.
- Not enough people talk about the Low RPM assist and Easy Start System on Suzuki's big bikes. Once you learn about them, you wonder why the other manufacturers do not follow suit and offer these features.
- Since you have preload adjustment at the front and rear, why dont you experiment with the settings and see if you can find a less stiff setting that can make your daily commute more comfortable?
- Get the 90 degree stems for your wheels. It just makes life so much easier, especially if you are touring. Also 36F and 42R are the defacto recommended tire pressures for all big bikes, irrespective of the tires / compounds etc. Check with other GSX owners and experiment with the air pressures. Some Triumph owners have been running 34F and 40R (a few run even lower at the rear) and it makes things a lot better. I have followed suit. Experiment by reducing 1 PSI at the same pump / gauge week by week and see if you find a sweet spot.
- Its very odd that Suzuki doesnt offer the kmpl reading.
- To save the top of your shoe fom wear and tear due to shifting, do consider a clutch sleeve like this. I havent used this particular piece but I do have a similar one on my own bike.
- Im a little surprised by your feedback on the Rosso IIIs in the wet. I have the Rosso IIs and am quite happy with them. The best wet grip tires are the Road 5 ones, though now the Road 6 seems to have been launched abroad.
- Depending on who you ask, Engine Ice or Motul's MotoCool are the best aftermarket coolants that are available today. In my experience, the Engine Ice trumps that MotoCool and you should stick with it.
- Most importantly, good to hear of the positive service experience with Aerolex Suzuki. It is the after sales service that makes or breaks the long term ownership experience and it is refreshing to hear of knowledgeable and professional technicians working on the bikes.

[TRR]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

CA here too. Always had that itch to own a Superbike. Still do. I too have a 2017 Duke 390 which i use for touring and just like you, I feel sometimes what is the point of a Superbike as the Duke has everything I need. But the itch will never die.

Loved it. Brilliant outpouring of words fantastically consolidated into a review. If your writing abilities are anything to go by, i think you must have aced Audit and Law.

Thank you. You have made the itch worse my friend!

It's always great to see another member of the CA fraternity, especially with the shared interest of automobiles.

Thank you for the kind words, but I don't think there's any reasonable way to ace Audit and Law for us CAs

Hope you too scratch your superbike itch as soon as possible. Trust me, there is no other feeling like getting on these beasts and taking them for a spin. The Duke is an excellent motorcycle, but these bikes are something else.

Originally Posted by Mik

Congratulations on the purchase!
Hafiz is a gem of a person. A national drag racing champion and a full on petrolhead at heart. He had suggested me the KnN filter and it has made the flat spottedness around 2-4k rpm go down a lot.

Thank you!

Hafiz is most definitely an excellent person. He's never frustrated with your noob-ish queries and takes the pain to make sure the service and any other work needed is finished as immaculately as possible.

I think I missed out to mention in the main review that the previous owner had fitted the bike with a K&N air filter. Now that you say it, looks like Hafiz must have been the one to suggest that to the previous owner. Used to wonder why the air filter was replaced so early with no change in the exhaust.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

TRR, congratulations on your pre-owned Suzuki GSX S750, it certainly looks smashing in that blue colour.

-snip-

It is the after sales service that makes or breaks the long term ownership experience and it is refreshing to hear of knowledgeable and professional technicians working on the bikes.

Thank you so much for the praise. Means a lot coming from established forum members like yourself.

Yes, I find it surprising too that there are not a lot of these bikes on the roads, even though it was cheaper than the Z900, but came very close to it in power and weight. As mentioned previously, I have not seen a single one on the roads, though the ASC usually has a few specimens in for some work or the other.

- The discreteness was one of the most important factors for me, with my job requirements. I've had to go to client factories on the outskirts of Bangalore for stock counts, where my vehicle would be left outside the factory gates on the roadside. Was necessary that the bike did not raise any eyebrows. I don't have plans to make the bike less discrete. The GSX-S750 makes for a great daily rider in its present state. If all goes well, I plan to buy a proper supersports bike to keep this one company in a couple of years
- The Low RPM assist is very handy, I agree. Makes the bike almost impossible to stall. But the Easy Start system isn't that big a deal really. The KTM Duke 390 had it and I'm sure most KTMs come with them nowadays. Plus the GSX literally takes less than a second to crank so you don't really notice the difference.
- Yes, will have to tinker with the preload settings. I now have some clarity on what I want from the bike and will try to change the setting to see if it helps.
- The 90 degree stems are on the future upgrade list along with the steel braided brake lines. The thing is, I have fitted an external TPMS on the wheels and have noticed that the pressure is usually at 35 and 45 (F and R) psi. Will try taking it down another psi each to see if it makes a difference.
- The top of my formal shoes were already marked by the Duke's gear lever. My riding shoes have the typical protector for that. My issue is the footpeg itself that gouges out the soles on my formal shoes. An issue I have to live with. Need to see if I can replace the footpegs with rubber ones, like on the Z900.
- To be very frank, I haven't ridden around in the rain or on wet roads quite often. But almost every time I got caught out in the rain, the rear tire has lost traction at least once. Maybe I need to improve my throttle control. Mr Hafiz at Aerolex said that the Michelin Road 5s were the best tires for my use case, but I was unable to procure them at that time and had to settle for these. I'm on the lookout for a set of the Road 5s right now so that I don't have to struggle when the time comes to change this set. To be honest, I don't think that the Road 6s will sell here for a reasonable price. The Road 5s are already going at ₹ 45,000-ish for a set. With the hoarders in place, I think the Road 6s will cost at least ₹ 50,000, if not more. Will be happy if that's not the case though.
- Surprisingly, when I gave the Engine Ice to Mr Hafiz, he suggested that I stick to Suzuki's OEM engine coolant. I had already purchased these so he flushed out the old coolant and filled the Engine Ice. I don't think he is trying to push OEM stuff too since he only uses Motul 7100 engine oil (even without me asking for it), over Suzuki's Ecstar R9000 oil. I'm curious and might try out the Suzuki OEM coolant at next change. If not satisfactory, will revert to Engine Ice only.
- Yeah, the service experience has been a big positive of buying the Suzuki. As Mik stated above, Hafiz is a national drag racing champion (the showroom even has his poster with his tricked-out Hayabusa) and is extremely proficient. Doesn't blindly suggest replacing parts unless its necessary. Was pleasantly surprised when he offered to procure the Rosso IIIs for me at a better price through one of his contacts. As long as the servicing set-up stay the same at Aerolex, I will remain a happy customer.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by TRR

- The Low RPM assist is very handy, I agree. Makes the bike almost impossible to stall. But the Easy Start system isn't that big a deal really. The KTM Duke 390 had it and I'm sure most KTMs come with them nowadays. Plus the GSX literally takes less than a second to crank so you don't really notice the difference.

TRR, Ive rather embarrassingly stalled my Street Triple a few times and the Low RPM Assist would have ensured that it didnt happen. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a game changing feature but it can prove to be very handy at the right time.

Originally Posted by TRR

- The 90 degree stems are on the future upgrade list along with the steel braided brake lines. The thing is, I have fitted an external TPMS on the wheels and have noticed that the pressure is usually at 35 and 45 (F and R) psi. Will try taking it down another psi each to see if it makes a difference.

35 and 45 PSI is extremely high! On a week by week basis, try the following for front and rear at the same fuel bunk
35 42
35 41
35 40
34 40
34 41 etc. You can also change your preload in parallel (but youre changing too much in one go) to get closer to the promised land. I found it better to first get the tire pressures right, and then fiddle with the preload until everything is perfect for your weight, riding style and road conditions.

Originally Posted by TRR

- To be very frank, I haven't ridden around in the rain or on wet roads quite often. But almost every time I got caught out in the rain, the rear tire has lost traction at least once. Maybe I need to improve my throttle control. Mr Hafiz at Aerolex said that the Michelin Road 5s were the best tires for my use case, but I was unable to procure them at that time and had to settle for these. I'm on the lookout for a set of the Road 5s right now so that I don't have to struggle when the time comes to change this set. To be honest, I don't think that the Road 6s will sell here for a reasonable price. The Road 5s are already going at ₹ 45,000-ish for a set. With the hoarders in place, I think the Road 6s will cost at least ₹ 50,000, if not more. Will be happy if that's not the case though.

The Road 5s were around Rs 31K a year and a half ago and now they have sky rocketed to around Rs 44K The new and affordable Vredesteins are getting good real world reviews from different motorcyclists, including some on this forum. Hopefully sanity returns to the tire market.

Originally Posted by TRR

- Surprisingly, when I gave the Engine Ice to Mr Hafiz, he suggested that I stick to Suzuki's OEM engine coolant. I had already purchased these so he flushed out the old coolant and filled the Engine Ice. I don't think he is trying to push OEM stuff too since he only uses Motul 7100 engine oil (even without me asking for it), over Suzuki's Ecstar R9000 oil. I'm curious and might try out the Suzuki OEM coolant at next change. If not satisfactory, will revert to Engine Ice only.

Its interesting to see the recommendation of Suzuki's OEM coolant over Engine Ice. Im sure this must be based on their past experience but it will be interesting to learn from your own experience when you move from Engine Ice to the Suzuki coolant.

[TRR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

TRR, Ive rather embarrassingly stalled my Street Triple a few times and the Low RPM Assist would have ensured that it didnt happen. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a game changing feature but it can prove to be very handy at the right time.

Oh no. I absolutely agree that the Low RPM Assist is very helpful. Like I mentioned, makes the bike near impossible to stall. Has definitely helped me avoid stalling the GSX multiple times when I was getting used to the clutch and still saves me these days.

I was saying that the Easy Start System is not a crazy important feature. The Easy Start System is basically a one-touch start system where you don't have to hold down the starter button till the engine cranks to life.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

35 and 45 PSI is extremely high! On a week by week basis, try the following for front and rear at the same fuel bunk
35 42
35 41
35 40
34 40
34 41 etc. You can also change your preload in parallel (but youre changing too much in one go) to get closer to the promised land. I found it better to first get the tire pressures right, and then fiddle with the preload until everything is perfect for your weight, riding style and road conditions.

Oops, my bad. I meant 35 and 41 They're currently at 1 psi lower than the recommended pressures.

Thank you for the guidance on this though. Will try it out in the upcoming weeks and update the results here.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The Road 5s were around Rs 31K a year and a half ago and now they have sky rocketed to around Rs 44K The new and affordable Vredesteins are getting good real world reviews from different motorcyclists, including some on this forum. Hopefully sanity returns to the tire market.

The most annoying part is that most of this is hoarder mark-up. I got to know from my sources that distributers are selling the Road 5s to retailers (who hoard the stock) at sub-₹ 35,000 prices and then they're hitting the market with these ridiculous mark-ups.

Yes, the Vredesteins offer good value for money. My only apprehension is the quality that they offer. If more real-world reviews speak to their quality, then I think I'll settle for the Vredesteins itself. If they give at least 80% of the performance of the foreign brands, then at their price, it will be well-worth it

[VijayAnand1]

Crisp!. A thread fully deserving for a fantastic street fighter. Things said in a simple way, have a deeper reach and it strokes a string or two in one's heart. Hearty congratulations. The photo that I loved was how the bike blended in with the commuter bikes. A constant irritant in a SBK owners heart is, the attention that it gets when parked and if the wrong person gets attracted to it. Reminds me of the R3 friends' tales when they say, how the bike blends easily, specially the black one, makes it look like just another commuter or a modified R15.

Keep your experiences jotted down, subbed.

Cheers!
VJ

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by TRR

Yes, the Vredesteins offer good value for money. My only apprehension is the quality that they offer. If more real-world reviews speak to their quality, then I think I'll settle for the Vredesteins itself. If they give at least 80% of the performance of the foreign brands, then at their price, it will be well-worth it

TRR, congratulations on your GSX! All the best in living with her.

What is the price difference between the Road5’s and the Vredesteins? Tyres being one of the most important or the most important factor in riding these high performance machines, is it worth the money saving on this?

Cheers

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by TRR

Yes, the Vredesteins offer good value for money. My only apprehension is the quality that they offer. If more real-world reviews speak to their quality, then I think I'll settle for the Vredesteins itself. If they give at least 80% of the performance of the foreign brands, then at their price, it will be well-worth it

Initial reviews have been great(Actual user reviews and not media house reviews, I always take those with a pinch of salt. I was shaking my head when they actually did the ST variant review at the track.). But what I'd be more interested in and what I am keeping an eye on is how well they will last over time and usage. That would be the real litmus test.

Cheers
Krishna

[abhi_tjet]

Congratulations TRR on a wonderful bike, colour scheme looks beautiful. This truly is an hidden gem lost further after BS6 update.

How much did you paid for the Pirelli’s ? I am quite keen to get these on my Street Triple.

Happy miles to you!

[TRR]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Crisp!. A thread fully deserving for a fantastic street fighter. Things said in a simple way, have a deeper reach and it strokes a string or two in one's heart. Hearty congratulations. The photo that I loved was how the bike blended in with the commuter bikes. A constant irritant in a SBK owners heart is, the attention that it gets when parked and if the wrong person gets attracted to it.
VJ

Thanks!

Yes, that picture was the first time I had to leave the bike around in such a setting and it was a very pleasant surprise to see the bike effectively camouflaged as I turned around to see it once more when I was walking away. These kind of understated looks just make it easier to decide on using the bike on the daily commute.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

TRR, congratulations on your GSX! All the best in living with her.

What is the price difference between the Road5’s and the Vredesteins? Tyres being one of the most important or the most important factor in riding these high performance machines, is it worth the money saving on this?

Cheers

Thank you. To be honest, there is a pretty massive gulf in the tire pricing between these two right now. A front and rear set of the Vredestein Centauro ST can be bought for ~₹ 27,000 (what I saw recently). The Michelin Road 5 set of front and rear is significantly more expensive, retailing for upwards of ₹ 44,000. That ₹ 44,000 price tag is also dependent on whether you can actually procure the Road 5s at the time of your choosing, since batches are imported sporadically.

Originally Posted by krishnaprasadgg

Initial reviews have been great(Actual user reviews and not media house reviews, I always take those with a pinch of salt. I was shaking my head when they actually did the ST variant review at the track.). But what I'd be more interested in and what I am keeping an eye on is how well they will last over time and usage. That would be the real litmus test.

Yeah, the media house reviews felt dubious, if I'm being very honest. But, like you said, what I've gathered from online user reviews is that they are good so far.

Wholeheartedly agree with you on the long term test. My Duke 390 came with the Metzeler M5s from the factory and I had to change them out at ~17,000 kms. I swapped to the Apollo Alpha H1s, based on initial reviews at that time. They were great initially, but the grip levels started dropping after 5,000 kms or so. I wouldn't say they were bad, but they weren't great either. In comparison the M5s had good grip levels till at least 11,000 - 12,000 kms and then started tapering off.

I don't want to be tied to a tire that becomes mediocre after a short while, especially on these kind of bikes. The Rosso IIIs have been phenomenal in that regard. They still feel very grippy, even after putting down 5,000 kms on this set. I probably have at least 6 months till I'm due for a tire change (my office commutes are going to reduce in the upcoming months) and will wait it out for a bit before I plonk my money on a new set.

I scoured through your Yamaha R1 thread (absolutely delightful thread, by the way) and I couldn't help but notice that you haven't really mentioned anything on the performance of the Pirelli Angel GTs. How do you find them on the R1? Are these good enough tires for someone with my use case on a lower HP bike, especially considering their longer useful lives? Or is the grip level-useful life tradeoff not worth it?

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Congratulations TRR on a wonderful bike, colour scheme looks beautiful. This truly is an hidden gem lost further after BS6 update.

How much did you paid for the Pirelli’s ? I am quite keen to get these on my Street Triple.

Thank you! Yes, I think Suzuki just didn't sell enough of these for them to update the bike to BS6 norms. Further, even worldwide, the bike is not yet compliant with Euro 5, so no hope of seeing the bike back in the showrooms.

The Pirello Diablo Rosso IIIs cost me ₹ 40,000 for a set through my service tech. It was retailing in the market for ~43,000, if I recall correctly. More than I would have liked to spend, but I needed them urgently and I wasn't getting any other good tire (Metzeler, Pirelli or Michelin) for a better price, so I bit the bullet.

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by TRR

I couldn't help but notice that you haven't really mentioned anything on the performance of the Pirelli Angel GTs. How do you find them on the R1? Are these good enough tires for someone with my use case on a lower HP bike, especially considering their longer useful lives? Or is the grip level-useful life tradeoff not worth it?

I had barely put in any decent km with the tyres that time so couldn't really give any useful info at that moment, but now about 9k km later I guess it's a good time.

The Angel GT is exactly what it says it is a GT tyre

Dry Grip

Straight Line: Rideability is great, even sudden acceleration I am yet to break traction with these tyres on the R1.
Corners: Sticks well but I wouldn't lean too much on these, not that I am afraid I will find the limit but I just don't have the need or the intention to find that limit
Braking: While I do feel the braking of the R1 is not that great, I haven't had many instances of fishtail or slipping but it hasn't been zero either.

Wet Grip
Straight Line: It has been great, never felt sketchy or loss of grip in the rain or mucky conditions on-road(I don't mean muck-filled roads or soft road, just the normal rainy sticky situation you come across in cities).

Corners: Held its ground without any complaints. P.S: I usually ride at a slower pace so yeah.

Braking: Decent is what I can say, haven't had any hairy moments in the rain due to the tyres misbehaving.

Mileage: I was expecting the tyre to last a max of 10k km. I am at 9k with what looks like a few more thousand km(2-3k) of life left in them, that's mainly because I always ride with the right air pressure, I always fill and top up the tyre pressure before every ride early in the morning on a cold tyre and this has helped to optimum life out of it, this is my theory I do not know how true it is. But there is a catch, I am slightly feeling the front tyre has started squaring out a bit, can't blame the tyre for that a lot of the 9k km the tyre has run has been on straight roads.

Now from all this it is pretty clear that for someone who uses the bike daily and wants to have a few fun rides during the weekends the Angel GT is a perfectly good purchase, but let me add one more point to this, I had no choice in choosing the tyre, I got a fresh set of Angle GT when I bought the bike, I generally prefer the Michelins t the Pirellis as I feel Pirellis are kind of a nail magnet, I have had a few cases with my CBR, I had 1 puncture with the GT(Within the first week of ownership) while my experience with Michelins somehow feels like it is more resistant to pictures, this theory could be total BS too, but if I had a choice I'd take the Michelin Road 5(or 6 if it is available soon) over the Angel GT 3 (GT 2 has been replaced with the newer model iirc)

Hope I did not confuse you further more.

Cheers
Krishna