K8 Technical Discussion

[ROD]

K8
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[DjPete]

I'de like to know what these 3 engine settings are all about.
Apparently they are on the Gsxers?
Any beneifts or?

[abusa]

DJ you could use the lowest power settings for wet conditions like Jindy or maybe if you were doubling, then run around town or tour maybe with the middle setting and when you want to open her up go to the top setting.

With an extra 20HP or so on tap its probably not a bad idea!

[DjPete]

And the benefits would be fuel saving Shayne?
Because the Bus has good all round power anyway so I am wondering why they added this.

[BUSGO]

It is a form of traction control that appeared on the K7 GSXR1000.
On the town setting you get lower HP and better torque in the low range, On country setting, you get mid range torque and increased HP and on the Track setting, you get full bang top end.
Sort of gets rid of the need for a TRE and definitely makes it safer around town or in the wet.

[abusa]

Not sure what the power is like on the new one, it is up a lot on the existing model so it might be more of a handful.
Fuel saving would be one of the main benefits that people will see I am guessing.

[mybb]

Ok, no dribble.

Is the three settings really required? How many of us would use them. Ive had turbo cars with boost controllers that include safety modes etc. What I found was in wet weather conditions I would still keep the car running at a higher boost. Of course it would be more controlable with boost down but I think allot (not saying all) ride a bike like a busa or drive turbo cars etc.. because we know when we hit the go button there is more power than we often need and that makes up part of the excitment or thrill of having such toys.

I don't know if its possible or not, but I would like to see say three programmable settings that you might want to setup yourself using a bikes for dummies interface. Allowing for changes in bike setups rather than say road or weather conditions or for whatever reason you choose. Most insurance and financial companies have software these days to evaluate risk based on need weightings. i.e. your a 25 year old woman so your more likely to require medical benefits in relation to pregnancy as opposed to a 50 year old women. A piece of software with 20 simple questions that result in some setting level that is transfered to the the computer to set it in the mode for that style setup, or road conditions or mood. I guess this is a bit off track from the actual features of the 08, but the suggestion of a set of modes could be taken a little further. It might even be something for the electronics gurus mixed with the software engineers to think about.

Allot of the words used to advertise bikes, cars and new features mean squat to the average reader. bore size, displacement, etc. etc.. For those of us who can grasp the concepts if we have it explained to us very slowly, it would be good to look at some of the new features of the 08 compared to the 07 with an explanation from those who understand, what the differences mean to us in laymans terms. Something like the changes in the forks. Are they just lighter? Do they hold more or less oil? Does that mean better rebound, dampening for longer periods, or perhaps shorter? If the forks are lighter then perhaps handling is better, but why is that really the case? Maybe lighter is not better, perhaps its really just done because the materials are cheaper?

I can read a feature list and say bigger engine, more power, grunt a few times, eat some meat and say look at all my power but is it useable power? Why? How? Pros? Cons?

It would be great if those in the know could take the features, compare them and tell us what the real advantages and disadvantages for those things might be. Then we can decide if we are interested in buying a bike for its qualities over looks. Some would still choose looks, some will go the other way but I think the majority of us would do a tim the tool man taylor and grunt for the power, say it looks good and buy it, without really understanding what it is we even own.. we take it for granted. not all of us im sure, but it would be the case for many. I probably fall into that category. I want to be able to explain to people why I do or dont buy an 08 busa (or any other bike) sorry for the post dragging on.. :-)

[BUSGO]

In short myBB. Don't you think the SUZUKI engineers did exactly what you are asking about the traction control mode options?
They have been testing it in Superbikes and GP bikes for a few years now and I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing.

(Just look at how the GP suzukis are doing in the wet).

As for the running gear changes, the same applies, it is all tested and compared by the engineers to improve the product. What more could you want?
The road testers will certainly do the comparos in the real world in the next few months.

[mybb]

To make my own choices ? Suzuki had no idea how I felt when I went out riding today or weather I swapped my exhaust over etc... DO they konw what suspension setup you have ? Exhaust setup etc ?

[tomrux]

it all comes down to racing.
some superbike rules dont allow things that are not on production bikes, ergo production bikes get things they want on race tracks, Ducati have done the same thing on the 1098.
with traction control it is just buried in the ecu just waiting the majic word to turn itself on.

Tom

[mybb]

it all comes down to racing.
some superbike rules dont allow things that are not on production bikes, ergo production bikes get things they want on race tracks, Ducati have done the same thing on the 1098.
with traction control it is just buried in the ecu just waiting the majic word to turn itself on.

Tom

This is the sort of thing im talking about. Understanding the reasons behind the decisions and how they effect us as riders and consumers..

Ray goes out, sticks a carbon kevlar tank on his busa and rides around with it for however long and however many kilometers on whatever terrain and comes back and says, these are my findings. This is what I think of it, or the changes it made, differences in reactions to the bike. We then say, interesting, want it, dont want it... Some people say yeah whatever, 6 or 7 kgs as a percentage of 215kg would make no difference and call him a salesman.. but then the suzuki sales team tell you all something and you accept it without understanding or knowing why ?

[commando]

yes all good facts, but you must ask yourself how many of us would actually run it on the low setting? i now i wouldn't.

[BUSGO]

I'll find out as soon as I can and let you know.

[abusa]

I would in wet conditions especially if doubling. Most of the time I would leave it on Max Power setting though.

[DjPete]

i agree with Busgo in that the 08 sounds like it will go like a new bike with slightly diff tendancies. What that will be we will have to wait for by reading reports or by actual users.

I like the bike a lot and to be honest i am stoked that they have finally made some decent performance/cosmetic changes.
Ok none of us are rapt with the backend but that is a small part of the overall package and we havent seen it in the flesh as yet either.
Imo the positives far outweight the negatives from what I read on the specs and I can't wait to see the ride reviews in the press.

I think you will find that this bike will be talked about quite a bit in the next 12 months or so.
And it won't be about it's arse.

If the specs are right, it will obviously have more horses, less unsprung weight, and when delimited possible more top end...who knows.

I have faith in Suzuki that they took care when modding the beast to uphold it's reputation.

Time will tell...