Tipping Suzuki's new-generation GSX-R600 sportsbike into Darwin's Hidden Valley raceway left-hand hairpin first turn can be heart-in-the mouth stuff: getting the entry speed right into the second-gear corner after doing over 240km/h down the straight can be tricky if you leave the braking to the 150 metre mark.

Back off the throttle, squeeze the new big Brembo brakes and downshift three times before flicking the lighter-for-2011 machine over and into the turn.
Setting up for the corner is easy, in part because the back-torque limiting clutch prevents the rear wheel from hopping about, and the new Italian calipers offer heaps of power and control, even if they don't have the initial bite of some Japanese-made brakes.

Leaving Turn I at Hidden Valley has the machine go light underneath you as the camber falls to the right, causing the machine to want to run wide.
It's easy to push it hard into the corner though and stay on your chosen line, the combination of a short wheelbase, sporty steering and new Big Piston Showa forks all helping to make it easy to get the new machine to do what you want.
A quick change up to third for the right-left combination which can be almost straight-lined on a bike before another second gear turn, but this one's to the right, before a short straight and the tightest corner on the circuit, a left-handed hairpin. I did my first session dropping to first for this one, but three-time Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles didn't think this was a great idea.

"When you get a bit more confidence in the bike you can turn in a bit quicker, which will keep the revs up," he advised me.
"You're probably getting on the brakes too hard into the turn, slowing the bike a lot and needing to punch it out, so you will be going too slow for second. Roll into the corner a bit faster and you can drive out in second."
So I go out again and feel my throat dry out as I try to heed his advice and slow down less into the turn… and after making a hash of it a couple of times, start to come to grips with the technique. Now I'm driving out a gear higher, the bike feels more controlled, easier to ride, and I only need to make one more gearchange on the way to the fast right hander (which is really two turns, but pick your line right and you can flow through, driving hard the whole way). Then it's into the back section of the track, which is a series of S-bends before a left-hander back onto the straight and up through the gears to near redline in fifth before setting up for Turn one and doing it all again.

I wasn't using sixth because the straight wasn't long enough to need it, and the gearchange to be a be notchy – probably because the bikes were only just run in. With a few thousand kays on the clock shifting is likely to be sweeter.

The 750

Suzuki's GSX-R750 has been one of the world's most desirable sportsbikes since it's introduction in 1985. When introduced it heralded incredible advances in technology, featuring an aluminium frame, flat-side carburettors, oil cooling and a full fairing.
Most importantly, it looked like it had come straight from the racetrack.
Since then many 750cc sportsbikes have come and gone, but the GSX-R is still with us, and is the only 750cc Japanese sportsbike left, and these days it's a racetrack refugee with no racing class to suit - SuperSport is for 600s and Superbikes are at 1000cc for four cylinder machines.

This latest GSX-R750 is heavily based on the 600, with similar (but not always exactly the same) chassis, suspension and bodywork. The engine is very similar, but the extra capacity offers more power and torque.
Around the tight and twisty Hidden Valley Raceway, the GSX-R750 was quicker down the straight (by 10-15km/h) but lapped about a second slower for me. It feels heavier into the turns and I couldn't maintain the same corner speed as I could on the 600, and in my last session on the bike, when the track was getting very hot under a tropical sun, a big slide from the rear when the Bridgestone fought for grip meant an increased heartrate and a tempered right wrist.

Control by rider

The big slide had me remembering my last track ride, on BMW's S 1000 RR, the high-tech machine which has shot the German company to the top of the Superstock heap with its traction-control, ABS and speedshift-equipped machine. But with those options the price of the BMW is around 10K more than a new GSX-R600 ($15,690+ORC) or 750 (16,990+ORC), and price represents some of the reason Suzuki didn't equip these bikes with those technologies.
You do get dual ignition maps - modes A and B, selectable on the left handlebar. A is full power and torque. Mode B is for heavy traffic, rain and other times when full power isn't required. It uses intelligent mapping which looks at engine speed, throttle position, gear selection and other factors to determine power and torque output.
I didn't try it out during a dry-weather track test, but previous experience with the systems does point to their benefits in slippery conditions and I sure wish they had been around when I was learning to come to grips with big, powerful machines.
It's only a matter of time before traction control and ABS comes to all sportsbikes, and I'm not convinced that's a good thing. If riding fast is about getting the adrenalin pumping, about challenging yourself to be smooth, fast and find the ragged edge, how much of a safety net do you want? The uncrashable motorcycle - if it can ever be built - will be pretty boring.

Updates

Suzuki's changes for 2011 were aimed at improving handling and performance primarily by reducing weight – nearly 9kg off the 600 and 8kg off the 750. Nearly 3.5kg was shaved off to bodywork and ancillaries like lights, but significant weight also came out of exhaust systems, frame, suspension, swingarm and brake calipers.
Tweaking of the 600's engine has resulted in more torque, which allowed the gearbox ratios to be spread a little: these are the changes which probably allowed me to use second through that hairpin instead of having to drop to first. Smoother, faster, safer.
Both bikes have a fuel-injected inline four cylinder motor which is very similar in design, but certainly not the same - the 750 has both a longer stroke and wider bore, as well as different gear ratios. Both happily revs into the stratosphere on 95 octane fuel.

Detail changes

The bodywork and styling is new: lighter, more aerodynamic and claimed better weather protection. Suzuki's always done a good job of building small motorcycles which can still cater for tall riders like me, and I was very comfortable on the GSX-Rs, especially after moving the rear footpegs to the back position - they are three-way adjustable, giving you the option of lower or back from the standard position. On the street I'd try the lower position for more comfort.
The seat-handlebars-footpeg positioning is great for track riding. There's enough room for me to tuck in down a long straight, and it's easy to move around on the bike when setting up for the corners. At the same time Suzuki has made the seat rail narrower, making it easier for short riders to straddle the bike. Plenty of information is provided by the instruments, which are new for the 600 but we've seen them before on the GSX-R1000. A lap timer is built in - controlled by buttons on the right handlebar - while the drive mode switch is on the right, where you'll often find the headlight flasher (which is incorporated into the highbeam switch).
There's a new, lighter headlight and LED taillight. Indicators are incorporated into the mirrors at the front and into the cowl at the rear.

Stopping the bike are Brembo calipers at the front and a small Tokico caliper at the rear. The new front calipers shave 405 grams off the unsprung weight of the front end, which is always good for improving steering, and offer plenty of performance. I was surprised at the lack of initial bite the Brembos offered though: two finger braking into fast turns required more lever travel than I expected. I suspect Brembo is responding to rider feedback here: plenty of Cycle Torque readers I've spoken too have been finding many modern braking set-ups intimidating when incredible stopping power has been available with just a small squeeze of a lever.
The brakes offer excellent control though, but I'm not convinced the switch the Brembo offers a whole lot more than a marketing edge to Suzuki (or maybe they just got a better deal from the Italians).
The switch to Showa's Big Piston Forks is a good one. Claimed to deliver stable damping even under hard braking - and therefore a smoother action - I certainly like the feedback provided by BPF. They improve feel in a turn, which adds to confidence and reduces fatigue. They are also over 1kg lighter than the cartridge forks they replace.

Improving the handling was an important target for Suzuki's engineers, so they designed a new frame to reduce the wheelbase, which again helps the bike flick into corners better. Being built out of five cast-aluminium sections makes the frame lighter and Suzuki paid close attention to wall thickness to reduce weight.
Weight reduction has also been the recipe for the mufflers. They look and sound fine, but are of course too quiet for most sportsbike owners and will be the first thing switched out, but don't think it's necessary to improve performance.

The packages

Back in 1985 the GSX-R750 was revolutionary. In various guises they won a lot of races. but more importantly for Suzuki many riders chose the machine to take on their favourite winding roads and racetracks.
Today I still think the GSX-R750 is a great choice for anyone wanting a very sporty roadbike.
There's not really a racing class for the bike anymore, but it's increased grunt over the 600 for only $1300 more money makes it an excellent choice.
If your requirements are more track based - as a ride day bike or racer - the 600 offers a lot of bang for your buck.