2024 Suzuki GSX-R600 First Look Preview

In the latest batch of returning model announcements, Suzuki revealed that its storied 599cc Gixxer middleweight sportbike would be back on the books for 2024. Some riders might be breathing a sigh of relief given the fact that other road-legal 600cc supersports have jumped ship in the face of stricter emissions controls and rising insurance premiums; Yamaha’s YZF-R6 has gone the way of the dodo, and Honda’s CBR600RR has exited the European market (with only the 2023 model listed for the US), so for the 2024 model year, we’re left with Kawasaki’s updated 2024 ZX-6R and now, Suzuki’s durable GSX-R600 in the once-mighty 600 supersport class.

That said, Suzuki has opted to not give the Gixxer Six any major (or even minor) updates—in fact, the bike hasn’t seen any meaningful changes since 2011 when it got a new chassis design, upgraded brakes, and minor engine revisions. In short, the 2024 GSX-R600 is running the same 599cc liquid-cooled inline-four engine stuffed into a lightweight twin-spar aluminum frame, suspended on either end by Showa components and packaged in distinctive race-inspired styling. As before, dual discs with four-piston calipers slow the midsize rocket up front, with a single-piston caliper acting on a single disc out back.

Of course, all that well-known, rip-roaring capability is still there, starting with a powerful 100-plus horsepower four-cylinder mill, electronically controlled steering damper, fully adjustable Showa Big Piston Front Fork (BPF), and twin Brembo front brake calipers with floating stainless steel rotors married to a responsive chassis all wrapped in iconic GSX-R bodywork. As before, the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (S-DMS) lets the rider adjust the engine’s power delivery to suit riding conditions, making this midsize supersport equally at home on the track or tackling the tarmac.

But otherwise, the GSX-R600 lacks more involved rider aids like traction or wheelie control, and sophisticated electronics like a TFT dash are notably absent; there isn’t even an ABS option.

Related: 2023 Suzuki GSX-R600 First Look Preview

Which brings us to the differences on the 2024 model year bikes. It comes down to what Suzuki is calling “three eye-catching paint schemes,” which include the new Pearl Brilliant White and Metallic Matte Stellar Blue combo, the Pearl Brilliant White and Metallic Triton Blue scheme, and the returning Metallic Matte Black No. 2 and Glass Sparkle Black paint combination. (The MotoGP-inspired GSX-R600Z color scheme is not offered this year.)

Hardliners will probably celebrate the GSX-R’s continued lack of “interference” when it comes to onboard electronics, but when most of your remaining peers rock ABS, traction control, and quickshifters as standard features (for not much more cash), we have to believe it becomes increasingly difficult to compete in the class.

It also leads us to wonder if the GSX-R600 (and possibly its similarly unchanged GSX-R750 cousin) might not be long for the American market; the lack of updates and refinements may very well signal that Suzuki is banking its R&D bucks toward an altogether new middleweight design that’ll break cover next year.