If I were a gambling man...

[wvracer97]

... I guess I could wait on pins and needles, sweating profusely, hoping that the '06 Suzuki's would be released before March '06.

I've found myself in an interesting situation where my next racebike is being "provided" to me ;D

But do I get an '05 now, with the plans to race it next season?  Or do I roll the dice and wait for the '06 models to arrive, which could very well have me uncrating a bike in the pits of Daytona ???  Not to mention the availability (or should I say UN-availability) of aftermarket parts for an updated model.  It is rumored that the new GSXR600 is going to be on a whole 'nother level, which would put it quite a bit ahead of the other 600's... something to wait for?  I don't know...

I'm also thinking about the 750, so I can play in the heavyweight and unlimited classes.  But that bike is getting updated as well.  Some of my trepidation is coming from the two model year limit on contingency... I'd like to take advantage of two year's worth, but to do that it's gonna have to be an '06.  Any ideas from those of you out there that have been through this before?

[Jeff]

If there are gonna be major changes, wait...  But don't plan on running it at Daytona..

Honda FINALLY got on the ball and got a major change release bike out EARLY this year.  The 05 was available in Jan/Feb, which made it easy to have it ready for the season.  However, we did have some problems sourcing certain parts.

In my mind, contingency is what you need to look at more than anything.  If you're good enough to get contingency from the MFR, you should wait for hte 06, or buy an 05, understanding you will need to get rid of it early.

[Super Dave]

In the recent past, there has seldom been a new 600 that was so revolutionary that it has completely destroyed the competition.

Yamaha did it in 1989 with the FZR600.  The other manufacturers got mad, and, really, all the manufacturers are careful not to one up each other too much.  Lots of BNG, more HP (3?), revised linkages, etc.  If you believed everything you heard, each new 600 would be going MotoGP times.

[Super Dave]

Oh, and I think that Suzuki provides the biggest rumor mill of them all.

I purchased the first GSXR600 based on the industry rumors.  That was the 1988 600 Katana...which was a good race bike, but it wasn't a GSXR600.