UPDATE
Sold for $10,000 on December 9, 2023
The Quarter-Liter Sportbike Class
If you weren’t a dyed-in-the-wool two-stroke fan, or didn’t read British biking magazines back in the 80s and 90s, you might never know that there was a war going on back then between the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to dominate a category that didn’t even exist here in the US: the quarter-liter sportbike class. Today’s Suzuki RGV250Γ SP represents one of the last and most exclusive examples of the category before it faded away in the late 1990s.
These bikes were absolutely cutting edge: lightweight, powerful, and packed with technology designed to optimize the performance of the small, twin cylinder two-stroke powerplants. Power was restricted in their home market of Japan, but as much as 60 or 70hp was available with tuning, and weight was around 300lbs dry. Handling was the biggest selling point of the 250cc class however, and they were considered to be the closest you could get to riding a MotoGP bike on the road.
VJ23
Introduced in 1988, Suzuki’s entry featured a 249cc v-twin backed by a six-speed gearbox hung from the expected twin-spar aluminum frame. Known as the RGV250Γ “Gamma,” the bike progressed from the original VJ21 model through the VJ22 and finally the VJ23 version seen here, with only 2,218 VJ23s ever built.
While the VJ22 was an evolution of the earlier VJ21, the VJ23 represented a significant redesign of the bike, and included a change from a conventional 90° v-twin to a more compact 70° design, meaning few if any parts are interchangeable with the earlier bikes. It was also the only bike in the class to feature an electric starter!
All of the 250cc two-stroke sportbikes are exceedingly rare here in the US, particularly the very desirable bike seen here, the RGV250 VJ23, which represented the ultimate evolution of the class before its demise. In addition, this particular RGV is the more trick SP version of the bike that included a close-ratio gearbox and the very desirable dry clutch.
From the Bring a Trailer listing: 1996 Suzuki RGV250 SP for Sale
This 1996 Suzuki RGV250SP is a Japanese-market example that was imported to the US prior to the seller’s purchase in 2021, and it is powered by a liquid-cooled 249cc two-stroke V-twin mated to a six-speed transmission. The bodywork is finished in blue, white, black, and gray and equipment includes a pair of Mikuni carburetors, carbon-fiber mufflers, triple disc brakes, adjustable suspension, and 17″ alloy wheels as well as a clear windscreen, a black solo seat, a passenger pillion, and a side stand. Work under current ownership included changing the transmission oil, rebuilding the front brake calipers, and fitting braided stainless-steel brake lines and EBC front brake rotors as well as replacing the drive chain, front sprocket, upper fuel line, exhaust-header gaskets, and spark plugs. This RGV250SP is now offered at no reserve with parts receipts and a clean North Carolina title in the seller’s name.
The fully faired bodywork is finished in white, blue, gray, and black with red and orange graphics. Features include a twin-spar alloy frame, an integrated clear windscreen, and a black vinyl-upholstered solo seat joined by a matching passenger pillion in addition to black fairing-mounted mirrors, a side stand, street lighting with turn signals, and a storage compartment in the tail section. The right-front turn signal stem has been repaired and the passenger foot pegs have been removed. Close-up photos provided in the gallery show scratches and cracks in the bodywork.
Three-spoke 17″ alloy wheels are finished in black and are mounted with 110/70 front and 150/60 rear Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires. Adjustable suspension consists of a 41mm inverted fork as well as a monoshock connected to the aluminum swingarm. Braking components up front include a pair of four-piston Tokico calipers along with drilled EBC rotors installed by the seller, while a two-piston caliper and a single disc are fitted out back. Additional reported work under current ownership included replacing the right fork seal, fitting HEL braided stainless-steel front brake lines, and rebuilding the front calipers with replacement pistons and seals.
Clip-on handlebars are secured below the upper triple clamp and frame a 190-km/h speedometer and a tachometer with a 12,500-rpm redline and an inset coolant-temperature display as well as a column of indicator lights. The digital odometer indicates 26k kilometers (~16k miles), approximately 3k of which have been ridden by the seller.
The liquid-cooled 249cc two-stroke V-twin features a pair of Mikuni carburetors and an expansion-chamber exhaust system with dual carbon-fiber slip-on mufflers. The engine is further equipped with the Suzuki Advanced Power Control (SAPC) system that electronically varies the power valve and ignition timing. The seller reports replacing the upper fuel line, exhaust-header gaskets, and spark plugs and notes that the engine can be difficult to start following longer periods of inactivity.
Power is sent to the rear wheel through a multi-plate dry clutch and a six-speed transmission as well as a drive chain said to have been replaced by the seller along with the front sprocket. The transmission oil was most recently changed in 2023.
This 26,000 km example looks to be in clean, well-maintained shape, with the minor cosmetic blemishes, scratches, and surface corrosion one would expect of a nearly 30 year old bike. It represents a very solid example of a very desirable and collectible motorcycle, that also just happens to be a hoot to ride and is only recently eligible for import into the US.
-tad
