My Current Love Is Back: 1991 Suzuki GSXR400R

This entry has been published on April 18, 2011 and links to eBay may have been updated to point to similar bikes of interest.

Update 5.1.2011: Sold!

Oh she is back! You may remember this bike from a few months ago. Well it has surfaced again from that well stocked garage in Cali and still needs a new garage to call home. GSXR400R’s are my current passion, as I am rebuilding a basket case and when I see this one I get jealous. I’ll get straight to the point. It is extremely clean, it is titled, it has low miles, it hasn’t been modified, it is a very rare bike and it is for sale!

Did I tell you they red line at 14,500? How about only 10,700 miles for a bike built in 1991? In all honesty this is a very telling photo of the condition of the bike. GSXR400R’s are notorious for corrosion around the instrument cluster. Mine looked like it came off a bike that had been sitting in the rain since 1950. This one obviously looks great: as does the rest of the bike.

Remember when shopping for a GSXR400R you want the earlier (90,91,92) model years as they were not restricted. It is not a big thing but the after market muffler is a nice touch. Aftermarket parts for these are extremely rare. I’ve been shopping for a full system for mine and I can tell you it is ten times easier finding RGV250 parts than parts for these. One the plus side, quite a few engine parts cross reference with the Bandit 400 which was sold here. Most ordinary parts like brakes, bearings etc are standard Suzuki stuff and easy to get.

One bugaboo on any GSXR400R of this age is the carbs. These carbs are famous for giving owners issues due to about 4 rubber washers in each carb rotting. It’s an easy problem to solve as long as you know it is an issue. If you buy one and it starts running funny that would be the first place I’d check.

Hey, there is no reason not to buy this one if you want a little Gixxer. You say you want an SP? I’ve had multiple people say they aren’t worth it for the street. They say the SP gearbox is a real bear with the tall first gear. You say you want to hold out for an SPII with SP features but better gear ratios? You might be using a walker before finding one. I’ve never seen one in the United States and actually never seen one for sale in Japan either. and see if you and the seller can come to an agreement.