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Difference between revisions of "Suzuki XN85"
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Of the Japanese [[Big Four]], [[Suzuki]] was the most reluctant to follow the fashion for [[turbocharger]]s. But there are times when commercial sense dictates that you have to follow the current trend. So, though everything was well conceived, it was with a certain lack of conviction that Suzuki set about turning a classic 650 into a turbo, starting with the addition of a [[Mikuni]]-Bosch L-Jetronic injection system. | Of the Japanese [[Big Four]], [[Suzuki]] was the most reluctant to follow the fashion for [[turbocharger]]s. But there are times when commercial sense dictates that you have to follow the current trend. So, though everything was well conceived, it was with a certain lack of conviction that Suzuki set about turning a classic 650 into a turbo, starting with the addition of a [[Mikuni]]-Bosch L-Jetronic injection system. | ||
==A Far from Ideal Installation== | ==A Far from Ideal Installation== | ||
The turbo was mounted above the gearbox; the position was poorly ventilated and a long way from the exhaust headers. This layout had little beneficial effect on the power output;the XN85 had little more performance than the normally aspirated 650, and its lackluster engine could scarcely claim to offer any sort of "turbo effect." | The turbo was mounted above the gearbox; the position was poorly ventilated and a long way from the exhaust headers. This layout had little beneficial effect on the power output; the XN85 had little more performance than the normally aspirated 650, and its lackluster engine could scarcely claim to offer any sort of "turbo effect." | ||
==Outstanding Frame Design== | ==Outstanding Frame Design== | ||
It was the frame that qualified the XN85 for the history books. The prototype had the benefit of an oil-tight chain case, which was dropped from the production version, but along with the [[Honda VF750F]]-the XN85 was the first [[motorcycle]] with a 16-inch front wheel. In conjunction with a frame design that was highly successful in all respects, this rescued the short career of a machine whose power unit was highly deceptive on more than one count. Shortly afterwards, this excellent handling mix reappeared on the 1983 [[Suzuki GS550E|GS550E]] and [[Suzuki GS750E|GS750E]] models. | It was the frame that qualified the XN85 for the history books. The prototype had the benefit of an oil-tight chain case, which was dropped from the production version, but along with the [[Honda VF750F]]-the XN85 was the first [[motorcycle]] with a 16-inch front wheel. In conjunction with a frame design that was highly successful in all respects, this rescued the short career of a machine whose power unit was highly deceptive on more than one count. Shortly afterwards, this excellent handling mix reappeared on the 1983 [[Suzuki GS550E|GS550E]] and [[Suzuki GS750E|GS750E]] models. | ||