A truely special and limited edition race replica motorbike: the 1986 GSX-R 750R LE:
This bike is one of the most exclusive Suzukis ever built. These days a few of them in close to new condition have appeared on the market and I was lucky enough to grab one myself. The above sample is sold via eBay in France but the bike is located in Sion in Switzerland. It is a Swiss edition which included a few adaptations to be able to be imported in Switzerland. These include 2 restrictions, one on the carbs inlet and one on the exhaust. The easiest way to recognize that it is a country special version is by checking the RPM counter: the Swiss edition starts with the 0 RPM at the bottom end instead of the 3k mark used on other versions:
To me, the Limited Edition is just as prestigious as an RC30 and while an exact number of models produced worldwide is not known, it is believed to be in the range of the 500 samples.
What is peculiar about the LE: to start with the bike has a competition derived dry clutch. It is said that the discs are the same as the ones used on the actual 2 stroke GP bike and therefore have always been very expensive (that is 2000 $ for a complete set !). The clutch isn’t built anymore by the OEM and collectors have been piling up stock and grabbing any clutch set they can find on the market. Few and I mean few, are still available if you look in the right places. The LE also features a hand made rear glass fiber single seat unit which, together with the seat itself, was made for this model only. Headlights were upgraded and the front fork anti-dive system is now electrically controlled through the front brake lever sensor instead of the previous hydraulically actuated system as used on the Katana. Want to hear how a dry clutch Suzuki sounds like ?
Here is a demo with a Schüle exhaust system (still available form Mr. Schüle himself in Germany today, check his website) fitted on (look for the last bit of the video and listen… just listen to this amazing combination of GSX-R engine sound with the mechanical rattle of the dry clutch !):
Back to item on sale…as you might have noticed form the picture of the tacho above this model has just 1520 km ! The pictures below further sustain the seller’s short description:
Comme neuve Km 1520 toute d’origine
If you wonder how one of these feels to drive I can give you an insight: basically unlike modern bikes you do not sit on top of it rather you sit “in it”. The seat is comfy and you arms are stretched toward the clip ons. Bikes of this age used 18inch wheels, add to it a long wheelbase and this adds up into a different riding style to what you might be used to nowadays. Basically you need to start entering a corner earlier and foresee a generally more round trajectory. Forget hard brake, turn in, square out and full gas (if you have traction control) of a modern let’s say RSV4 or Panigale. Nevertheless I love the feeling of driving the Limited. First of all you feel back in time with your head fully protected from the wind by the large bubble scree Being stretched along the bike when turning into a corner you are part of the bike and tend to move much less around the seat as you’d do on a recent super bike. Also the fact that you need to think and focus as you draw larger and more linear trajectories and having much less braking power, this all contributes to a truly involving and greatly rewarding experience. Add to it the amazing sound (not with the original exhaust though which is ultra quite), the view of the rev counter in front of your eyes, the light weight of the bike and the smooth and quick gearbox and you are in for a unique experience.
The bike on sale has currently a bid at 10.500 EUR and the reserve
price is not indicated.
If you are a collector…buy it.
If you are a bike enthusiast…buy it.
If you even don’t care about bikes, you should still buy it
as in these times of Euro crises this will be your best investment !
Suzuki GSX-R 750 LE 1986 1500 km
only 1 day left…
Claudio
http://www.schuele-maschinenbau.de/index.htm
