It started at racetracks far from Suzuki’s Hamamatsu, Japan headquarters. A group of dedicated Suzuki engineers on an overseas fact-finding mission wandered through paddocks and spectator parking lots, looking at motorcycles and watching races. The racers at these events didn’t have factory contracts, and were not paid to race. They came because they loved the competition, the sport, and they rode motorcycles they bought themselves. The race classes were defined by engine size, rider skill level and allowable modifications. The grids for 1000cc machines were packed with GSX-R1000s. The grids for 750cc machines featured row after row of GSX-R750s. But the 600cc grids were no longer completely filled with GSX-R600s. After years of trying, the middleweight competition had finally caught up, again. The engineers worked stopwatches, talked to riders and mechanics, filled notebooks with observations and comments. They compared what they had seen at these regional races to what was happening in World Superbike and AMA and other national Superbike series, and with the results from endurance series in Europe and the U.S. By the time they returned to Japan, the engineers had a clear plan: Take everything Suzuki has learned from building and racing the dominating GSX-R1000 and use it to again leapfrog the would-be 600cc competition. Apply the cutting-edge technology inherent in Genuine Suzuki Engineering, and build a new middleweight machine that defines the concept, The Top Performer. In other words, produce a racer replica that delivers “the outstanding power-to-weight ratio, powerband and throttle response?. A sportbike that also establishes the 600cc state-of-the-art in terms of throttle response, suspension performance, braking power. A motorcycle with the type of overall handling that inspires rider confidence and leads to quicker lap times. A machine infused with lessons from the racetrack. Build the 2007 Suzuki GSX-R600. And Own The Racetrack. Again. Engine: 599cc,4-stroke,four-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve Bore Stroke: 67.0 x 42.5mm Compression Ratio: 12.5:1 Fuel System: Fuel Injection Lubrication: Wet Sump Ignition: Digital/transistorized Transmission: 6-speed, constant mesh Final Drive: #525 chain Overall Length: 2040mm (80.3 in.) Overall Width: 715mm (28.1 in.) Overall Height: 1125mm (44.3 in.) Seat Height: 810mm (31.9 in.) Ground Clearance: 130mm (5.1 in.) Wheelbase: 1400mm (55.1 in.) Dry Weight: 161 kg (354 lbs) CA Spec: 162 kg (357 lbs.) Suspension Front: Cartridge-type, coil spring, fully adjustable spring preload, rebound and compression damping Suspension Rear: Link-type, gas/oil damped, fully adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping Brakes Front: Dual hydraulic disc Brakes Rear: Single hydraulic disc Tires Front: 120/70-ZR-17 Tires Rear: 180/55-ZR-17 Fuel Tank Capacity: 16.5 liter (4.4 gal.)