The GSX-R 600 has continued to win races in many 600cc classes across AMA Pro Racing and World Supersport, and for 2011, Suzuki decided on full redesign of the motorcycle. New for 2011, the GSXR 600 shares the same advances as its 2011 brother, the GSX-R 750: race-proven advanced engine technology, with broader power delivery, improved throttle response, lower emissions and about 10-percent better fuel mileage as measured by Suzuki engineers using the standardized Worldwide Motorcycle Test Cycle.

Efficiency

Combustion efficiency, for example, is a measure of how completely an engine burns its fuel. Better combustion efficiency can increase power and torque output across the rpm range; improve throttle response, acceleration and fuel mileage; and reduce emissions.

Mechanical efficiency is a measure of how much of the power and torque produced by an engine actually reaches the rear wheel. Reducing mechanical losses by minimizing internal engine friction, reducing the weight of reciprocating internal parts and relieving crankcase pressure can increase mechanical efficiency, putting more of an engine’s output to use actually moving and accelerating the motorcycle and also improving fuel mileage and reducing emissions.

Performance efficiency is best expressed by the power-to-weight ratio, or, the comparison of a motorcycle’s output to a motorcycle’s weight. The more power and torque the engine makes and the less the motorcycle weighs, the better the power-to-weight ratio becomes. In turn, a better power-to-weight ratio can produce stronger acceleration, better fuel mileage and reduced emissions in many situations.

Chassis

The GSX-R600 model both features completely new chassis designs, each based on a more compact, lighter twin-spar aluminum frame with a 15 mm shorter wheelbase. The GSX-R600s wheelbase now measures 1385 mm. Rotating each model’s engine rearward by 3 degrees around the countershaft sprocket made it possible for the engineers to reduce the distance from the front axle to the swingarm pivot while maintaining the race-proven steering geometry and without losing the needed clearance between the front wheel and the radiator at full wheel travel.

For both models, the shorter wheelbase better centers the combined machine/rider mass between the wheels, improving racetrack cornering and also shortening the reach between the seat and the handlebars. The shorter reach and slightly wider handlebar angle make it easier for the rider to reposition their weight while on the racetrack and also improve comfort on longer highway rides.

Each model’s main frame is built using five welded-together castings. But changes in the size and shape of the main spar castings and the relocation of the connecting welds contributed to a 1350 grams significant reduction in frame weight for each model and also allowed the engineers to adjust torsional rigidity and enhance racetrack cornering. Each frame is also narrower at the seat, making it more convenient for the rider to reposition their weight for cornering on the racetrack.

Engine/Design

The GSX-R600 shares the compact and powerful four-cylinder engine design of the GSX-R 750 that is perhaps best described as a real-world demonstration of advanced high-performance motorcycle technology. The engine is liquid-cooled with Suzuki Ram-Air Direct (SRAD) induction and a digital engine management system. Double Overhead Camshafts (DOHC) are driven by a link-plate chain off a forged crankshaft and open four titanium valves per cylinder through bucket tappets, with shim-under-bucket lash adjustment.

The valves are set at a narrow angle, 22.0 degrees for the GSX-R600-allowing a very compact Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber (TSCC)-with the GSX-R600′s intake valves set at 10.0 degrees from the cylinder centerline. The exhaust valves are set 12.0 degrees from the cylinder centerline. Each model’s engine is oversquare, which means that it has a larger bore and a shorter stroke, producing a race-proven bore/stroke ratio which contributes to better efficiency and allows higher rpm. High-compression, forged aluminum three-ring slipper pistons feature cutaway sides and ride on short wrist pins carried by shot-peened chrome molybdenum steel connecting rods.

The GSX-R600′s revised close-ratio six-speed transmission features a taller first-gear ratio and shorter ratios for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th gear, making it easier for a racer to get a good start and also improving straight-line acceleration and drive out of corners. The overall combined weight of the transmission gearsets is reduced. The race-proven ramp-and-cam design of the back-torque-limiting clutch reduces pressure on the plates during deceleration, producing smoother downshifting and corner entry and allowing the track rider to concentrate on braking and cornering.

The four-into-one stainless-steel exhaust system features four individual head pipes and a single collector. The mid-pipe located between the collector and the under-engine exhaust chamber carries a Suzuki Exhaust Tuning (SET) servo-controlled butterfly valve to match exhaust system back-pressure to engine rpm, throttle position and gear position, maximizing torque and improving throttle response, especially in the low-to-mid rpm range.

Suspension

For the first time, the Suzuki GSX-R600 come with the revolutionary, race-developed Showa Big Piston Front-fork (BPF) inverted front suspension system. Conventional inverted front forks use a cartridge assembly that fits inside the fork leg on each side and typically incorporates a 20 mm piston to control damping. The advanced BPF design eliminates the separate internal cartridge assembly inserted into each fork leg and instead uses a single, 37.6 mm piston riding against the inside wall of the 41 mm inner fork tube.

The BPF design also has minimized change in internal fork pressure throughout the stroke, improving response to small bumps and racetrack surface imperfections. And because the fork springs are relocated to the bottom of each fork leg where they are completely submerged in oil, foaming is reduced and damping performance remains more consistent. Because the piston is located above the fork springs, maintenance on the racetrack takes less time. Rebound and compression damping can also be externally adjusted, using convenient screws built into the fork caps.

The single Showa rear shock features externally adjustable rebound and compression damping, along with adjustable ride height. The threaded spring seats used to adjust preload are now made of anodized aluminum alloy instead of steel, reducing weight by 90 grams. The spring itself is also 200 grams lighter and a new shock linkage is 490 grams lighter. Suspension response is also improved by a 550 grams reduction in unsprung weight, thanks to a 210 grams lighter front and 190 grams lighter rear cast aluminum wheel set and a 150 grams lighter rear sprocket drum assembly.

Unsprung weight-which is the weight of the components between the suspension (or springs) and the pavement-has a huge effect on each wheel’s ability to stay in contact with the racetrack surface. More contact means more traction, which is especially important when accelerating out of a corner on the racetrack, or when trail-braking into the apex of a corner on the racetrack.

Controls

The GSX-R600 both come with 310 mm fully-floating front brake discs and new radial-mount, four-piston Brembo monoblock calipers. The 32 mm caliper pistons are staggered to promote even pad wear, the trailing pistons offset relative to the pad centerline. The monoblock design of the new calipers makes them lighter, and their more rigid construction and increased piston area improve braking performance by providing the rider with more consistent power and better feel at the lever.

The front brake master cylinder uses a 17.46 mm radial-mount piston. The position of the front brake lever relative to the handlebar is 6-way adjustable, using a convenient adjustment wheel. Combined, the new front brake calipers and associated hardware are 405 grams lighter than the system used on previous models.