2000 Suzuki GSX750F

Suzuki GSX750F – styled like a teapot, they say? Righty-oh then. Have you ever – I mean EVER – seen a teapot that looks like a GSX-F? You have? Can I have half a gram of whatever you’re on?

The bike is marketed as a sports tourer, but it’s certainly more tourer than sports. It really is exceptionally comfortable, although the well-padded seat may be a bit too tall for " vertically challenged " riders.

Once onboard, the stretch to the bars strikes an almost perfect balance such that at anything over 40mph there’s virtually no weight on your wrists. The chassis, brakes, and suspension are all perfectly adequate for weekday commuting and some weekend fun, and the gearbox is just perfect.

Beware of the weight though – all 211kg of it. Most of that disappears as soon as you’re moving, thanks to the miracles of rotary physics, but it can be a handful to push or paddle around tight spaces.

That bulk combined with the old oil-cooled GSXR engine trying to put 93bhp onto the tarmac through a silly 150-section rear tyre, means it’s fairly easy to spin up in the wet, or get a bit vague in fast bends.

Sure it’s frightening the first few times, but eventually you get to know what it’s telling you – that this is a big bike that really should have more rubber on the road. BT020’s are the best I’ve found for this bike, giving excellent wet and dry grip and decent wear.

The rear rim will take a 160 tyre, but it really needs a 170. With all that weight to haul up, the front Tokicos take a pounding, so regular checks on the pad, disc, and calliper condition is a must. Munching miles on the motorway the GSX-F is like a fish in water.

It’ll sit at a steady 70mph (ahem) all day, all night, all week, forever, without complaint. And when the traffic really snarls up, the bike is sleek and manoeuvrable enough to filter confidently between lanes.

Okay, it doesn’t have the highest top speed in the world, nor the fastest acceleration, nor the greatest agility in the twisties. If that’s your goal then buy an R1 or the like, then try to insure it – snigger…fnurk.

The GSX-F is a real bike that works in the real world. Poor man’s VFR anyone? Maybe. Ideal first " big " bike? Definitely!