Suzuki's GSX-R 1000 arrived on the scene with a bang some two years ago with the 'Own The Racetrack' slogan and in Australia, like many other parts of the world, it has done just that.

For 2003 Suzuki have given the GSX-R 1000 a thorough make-over along with more power, less weight, a new frame and a host of other changes which make the 2003 GSX-R heavily revised machine.

The GSX-R 1000 engine quickly established new ground with a level of horsepower out of the crate that the competition could not match, particularly in the area of mid-range thrust.

An interesting change to the motor has been the addition of new ventilation holes between adjacent cylinders to help equalize crankcase pressure.  Suzuki claim that these holes allow air to be pushed down by a descending piston escape through the whole to fill the void left by a rising piston in the adjacent bore.  The new system reduces the distance air must travel to equalise lower cylinder pressure and in turn is effective in reducing internal crankcase pressure, windage and associated mechanical losses. 

New internal oil passageways feed the automatic, hydraulic cam chain tensioner which replaces the previous model's external oil feed lines, saving a small amount of weight and simplifying the design.

The GSX-R's digital engine management system has also been upgraded with a move to a 32-bit CPU with triple the memory capacity of the previous model's 16-bit unit.  The engine RPM sensor wheel now has 22 sensors, 14 more than in the previous design which allows for much more accurate control.  The ECM carries a total of eight fuel-injection control maps, two for each cylinder.  The system's 'light load' maps calculate fuel injection volume using engine RPM and intake air pressure while the 'heavy load' maps use engine RPM and throttle opening.  The ECM calculates ignition timing using throttle position and engine RPM.

New dual-piece throttle bodies are lighter, but the individual throttle body bore diameter and shape is unchanged, tapering down from 50mm at the airbox to 42mm at the engine intake.  Each throttle body throat carries a single fuel injector positioned at a steep 60-degree angle and works with Suzuki's well established SDTV system of throttle butterflies.

While the original GSX-R 1000 exhaust system combined titanium headers and titanium collector with a stainless pipe between the collector and muffler, the 2003 model scores a complete titanium system save for the muffler cover which remains aluminium while the internals are titanium.  The muffler itself is 10mm larger in outside diameter and 100mm longer than the previous model.

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