Stealing Speed: 1967 Suzuki TR50 Production Racer
It sure doesn’t look like much but bikes like this made your RG and RGV’s possible. Before reading the book Stealing Speed I wouldn’t have given this fragile thing a second look. After reading it I’m totally captivated by it. It is hard to imagine but Nazis, the Iron Curtain, corporate espionage and defection are all wrapped into the little Suzuki two strokes of this era. The book also points out that these damn things were widow makers. Full throttle seizures were common place back then. Safety equipment of the day didn’t help the matter
The concept for the expansion chamber came from work done on the Nazi’s V1. Who would have thought you were riding around on WWII tech? The cliff notes of the story go like this: Suzuki was having a hell of time keeping bikes running in the Grand Prix’s and MZ had a rider/engineer that wanted to get out from behind the Iron Curtain. Suzuki hatched a plan to help said rider/engineer in exchange for the MZ design secrets he had. Then fast forward to us smiling while riding our RG’s and RGV’s.
This particular model was a customer race bike with apparently only 20 built. The seller is in Japan so go easy on his English:
At 1967 British Suzuki ordered TR50(MR43) and Suzuki made 20 of them but they didn’t sale.
1967 I.sleof Man GP T. Rob finish at 3rd place(honda musium have it)Bike was restored 20years agoI never try to start but Bike has real good comression, spark and all gear are engage.All the parts looks real nice and original include aluminum rim & tires.brake lever ball end broke offI just gat original fairing without screen and it’s need new paint.I can help to make new screen with additinal cost.Also I will help world wide shipping with buyers costbill of sale only
Technology has advanced just a little since 1967. If you are intrigued here is a nice webpage with info on Suzuki’s munchkin racers from the era.
So how much can a spindly frame and a glorified moped engine cost? How about $32,500 for a starting bid and a BIN of $36,000! History aint cheap. Do we have a RSBFS reader who is tapped into the vintage market and could comment on the price and bike itself? I for one would love to know more.
Simply bad ass, 17.5HP and revs to 17,300! This is the works 50cc racer from 1963.
http://youtu.be/v5SIh9Q2new
Same 1963 works bike. Turn up the audio.
Ian
I initially was impressed by the bike as I have an old book with alot of the neat old racebikes ….many really small displacement bikes , but after having seen it was based on a production moped I am a little less impressed , especially for the money he is asking ! Man , you can buy yourself a sweet RC30 or RC45 for that kind of loot + chock full of HRC parts to boot . Good luck to him ….but I think he is living in a heavily medicated dream state ! And that’s my 2 cents !