sits back and enjoys the ride on Suzuki's pocket rocket.

"Try to keep the revs down to 8,000 for the first 100 or so miles," were my instructions as I gripped the keys of the brand new, out-of-the-box Suzuki GSXR 750. That equated to 120mph give or take!

Laguna Motorcycles of Maidstone were trusting me with this pocket-rocket and it was mine for a whole week.

Suzuki's GSX 750 first burst onto the scene back in 1985 and has evolved into the super-quick machine that currently graces the dealers' showrooms. Out of the four major Japanese bike manufacturers Suzuki have, in my opinion, always given really good value for money and tend to be slightly cheaper pound-for-pound. This latest offering is no exception.

It was dry but bitterly cold as I left Maidstone on that initial ride, now where could I go? Ah yes, the A229 to Hawkhurst beckoned with a combination of fast straits and sweeping bends with a glorious set of twisties just before Gills Green that force the rider to swing left/right, left/right, left/right and possibly another set of left/rights! Then turn left at Hawkhurst and swing onto the A268 towards Rye. If you're familiar with the area it's a rider's paradise and, when the timing is right, is fairly deserted.

The riding position is fairly tight with high footrests and narrow bars throwing a reasonable amount of weight onto the wrists. A tourer it's not, but for a blast you could not choose much better … and above all else … the exhaust note from a standard unit is glorious!

I don't think many after-market suppliers will be seeing their units bolted on in place of the standard, it's absolute music, mimicking the GP racer, not as loud but the same tone. Apologies to the residents of Lower Blue Bell Hill as I rode through the underpass several times just to hear the exhaust reverberating against the underpass.

Fitted with Bridgestone tyres on 17in rims they were really called in to ability and performance as the daytime temperature hardly rose much above freezing. So cold was it when riding that on one particular blast the engine coolant hardly rose above 68deg C when in normal conditions it should reach the mid 70deg C. Tyre technology has come on in leaps and bounds; in fact in MotoGP it's probably the most researched part of a bike in attempting to keep the machines on track.

While the tyres performed well, they were no match for the Highways Department's mobile salt cellars spreading their goo on all the main roads. Kent in particular, is using an allegedly improved combination of chemicals to keep roads from freezing, but in essence it's less grippy for biking and I was well within the speed limits when on two occasions had the machine sliding sideways - heart-in-the-mouth times!

Braking is supplied by 4-pot twin front discs up front and a single disc at the rear; the single link type, single coil, oil-damped rear suspension and inverted front forks were set up a little on the firm side just how I like it, giving plenty of feedback to the rider.

The cable-operated super-light clutch performed faultlessly and the six-speed gearbox was par excellence, able to be used with or without the clutch both in changing up or down through the gears, this model also sports Suzuki's version of a slipper clutch making the machine virtually lock-up free when gearchanging and works superbly well.

The GSXR is a slim in-line four cylinder machine, with the traditional Suzuki colours of blue/black/red being offered, although I personally prefer the blue wheel rims of the smaller brother GSXR 600 than the standard black offered on the 750.

Toys in the cockpit even give the rider a brilliant white, adjustable led rev-limiter light to get optimum speed in each gear, with a digital speedo and conventional clock rev counter, digital gear indicator and standard switchgear the Suzuki breaks no new ground; however I did like the built-in indicators on the mirrors.

Top-speed was academic, as at 70mph in top showed around 5,000 rpm with the tacho starting to redline at 15,000 rpm through to 17,000 rpm, trust me its quick! I managed to get 143 miles from the 3.63 gall (16.5 litre) tank. This figure will vary depending on the riders' right wrist. Pillion riders are catered for with a removable padded affair that passes for a seat: don't expect armchair comfort.

The GSXR750 devours corners and fast riding but can equally be at home doing the work-run or on trips through underpasses just to hear that exhaust note!

FACTFILE

GSXR 750

TECH SPEC: In-line 4-cylinder, 4-stroke liquid cooled DOHC 750cc; Fuel injection; 6-speed gearbox; Seat height: 32ins (810mm); Dry weight: 359lbs (163kg).

PRICE: £7,450 otr.

DEALER DETAILS: Laguna Motorcycles, Hart Street, Maidstone. Telephone 01622 681765. E-mail: info@laguna.co.uk.