The 1986 Suzuki GSXR-1100 gave the world its first peek into the future of road-going superbikes, showing that big bore engines did not necessitate portly chassis and that outright speed did not preclude sharp handling. Based on the already cutting edge GSXR-750, the 1,100cc Gixxer cut the first mile of trail for today’s featherweight liter-class…
Look, here’s the thing. If you’re buying bikes [or cars, for that matter] that were hyped to be “instant classics” when they were introduced, thinking you can flip them for a profit… You may be waiting a while. Consider all the folks who bought the MV Agusta F4 750 Serie Oro when it was new,…
Suzuki’s RG500Γ “Gamma” is a modern classic, a bike from the tail end of the two-stroke sportbike era, at least here in the USA where lightweight, smoky strokers were gone by the mid-80s. At the time, it offered significant on-paper advantages over something like a GSX-R750: it was lighter and the 498cc engine made similar…
In a bit of reverse mission creep, Suzuki began work on the GSX-R1100R by seeing how similar it could be to their winning 750. The air/oil-cooled machine achieved great power-to-weight and many long burnouts along the way. 1986 Suzuki GSX-R1100 for sale on eBay Suzuki’s 1056cc four uses a two-chamber oil pump with the high…
A world away from the usual design-by-committee UJM, Suzuki’s original Katana set the stage and riding position for a new generation of road-going sportbikes. This largely original survivor is just across the northern border. 1983 Suzuki GSX1100S Katana ( Canada ) for sale on eBay Designer Hans Muth spent the 1970’s bringing aerodynamics and…
This time of year, really interesting sportbikes can be a little thin on the ground, so our online searches naturally take us farther afield. In this case, all the way to Japan for a 1983 Suzuki RGB500 that was the Grand Prix racing inspiration for the two-stroke RG500Γ. This Mk8 version was highly-developed, although the…
On its face, this bike is neither rare nor a sport bike. Suzuki made somewhere north of one billion SVs between 1999 and 2008, and if you include the Gladius and the newly-minted SV, those numbers take another jump skyward. Still, their versatility, low price, buttery, non-threatening torque curve and not-too-shabby performance figures have meant…
The problem with owning classic sportbikes is that even in their best shape, they perform like they would have 30 years ago, which can be a terrifying affair if you’re used to modern suspension and tires. Couple that with a take-no-prisoners 500cc two-stroke powerband, and you’re really playing with fire. This 1986 Suzuki RG500 has…