Spanning the globe to blog the best rare sportbikes… the thrill of discovery!.. the agony of your bank balance!.. the drama of last minute bidding on ebay!… This..is..RSBFS!
Okay, depending on your age you read the above and either heard Jim McCay or Gerald Butler in your head. The point is that this site is dedicated to blogging about rare sport bikes, whether they are rare due to technology, production, age and/or location. For this particular post I think we have found something that fits all 4 criteria, a Japanese market GSXR400RR SP that is located in the UK, not Japan.
For people who aren’t old enough to remember, during the late 80s/90s Japan motorcycle manufacturers had to deal with strict horsepower restriction laws. Japanese buyers also expected top shelf tech in their bikes, including upside down forks and race replica design. This resulted in Japanese manufacturers creating bikes solely for the Japan home market that were 400cc or less but had the top shelf tech included. Meanwhile in the UK there was a similar great demand for smaller displacement bikes but demand far outstripped supply. This caused a wave of “grey market” imports, including huge numbers of top shelf used japanese model 400cc bikes coming into the UK.
1990 Suzuki GSX-R400 SP for sale on eBay UK
This particular 400cc bike is an uber rare 1990 GSXR SP, which was really a production racer with different suspension and gearing from the standard 400cc GSX-R. To compete in production racing, the manufacturers produced SP (Sports Production) versions of their sports bikes. These usually had fully adjustable suspension, close ratio gearboxes and a single seat but interestingly, didn’t have more power due to Japanese motorcycle manufacturer’s power restriction code.
The GSX-R400 SP model had slingshot carburetors like the bigger 750, polished chrome silencers, a curved/race radiator and Tokico 4-cylinder front brake calipers. While to the casual eye it looked almost identical with the standard GSX-R400, the front suspension was different from the standard model, it didn’t have passenger foot pegs and you could spot a rear suspension gas reservoir peeking out from under the seat. Also the SP version had a single piece rear fairing cowl/tailpiece.
Now before you go and start checking your bank balance, there are some things to consider. The GSX-R400 was probably the least popular of the 400cc machines for a good reason; the other manufacturers bikes were simply better. Consider the following review on VisorDown;
…The GSX-R was never the fastest 400…it was decidedly retro… Below 8,000rpm the little pistons are thrashing up and down the cylinder giving it all they have while the bike seems to be virtually crawling along but at 8000 RPM the whole bike’s character changes from a buzzing noise box to a fairly rapid machine. It’s an almost identical experience to riding a race rep two-stroke. At first amusing, then irritating and frustrating….
….It feels the lightest of the four. Flicking the Suzuki through the corners takes virtually no effort and even at a standstill the bike’s weight seems to disappear. But this doesn’t make it a pleasant bike to corner. The GSX-R lacks the balance in a bend of all of the other three – it’s a case of aim it at the exit and hope all goes well…this could be due to our tester having a tired rear suspension but I wouldn’t rule out the simple fact the chassis is a bit crap….
So whats this one worth? To be honest, I don’t know. Asking price is 2500 GBP which seems a bit high for a 1990 bike with fairly high mileage. Overall it looks reasonably clean but the pics aren’t exactly high res nor are there a lot of them. Also, grey import bikes have a reputation for poor condition due to the limited parts availability which would also impact new owner costs. Lastly, if this really is an SP model (which should be verified before purchase), its reasonable to assume its been ridden aggressively at some point, either in Japan or in the UK. So perhaps it would be best purchased by someone looking to ge a jump on their winter project effort or perhaps interested in getting a good first racebike for someone on a budget. Of course if it was me, I would do a full restoration on it and then just enjoy it 🙂
MG
