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Revision as of 02:08, 10 November 2019
Racing Bikes Suzuki XR69 North West 200 Racer | |
Class | [[:Category:Racing motorcycles|Racing]] [[Category:Racing motorcycles]] |
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Weight | |
Recommended Oil | Suzuki ECSTAR 10w40 |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Photos
Overview
Suzuki XR69 North West 200 Racer
The Suzuki XR69 was an underdog of sorts, it was a joint project between the
Japanese motorcycle maker and motorcycle tuning icon Pops Yoshimura.
Honda was the king of the hill when it came to Japanese four-strokes, but what
Suzuki and Pops managed to do in a few short years was turn this dominance on
its head beating Honda and all comers in top flight races around the world.
Up until the release of the GS series in the mid-1970s Suzuki had been almost
entirely dedicated to two-stroke motorcycles, with no small amount of success.
The GS-series was the first full series of four-stroke motorcycles in Suzukis
history, the first models were the GS400, the GS500, and the GS750.
The larger Suzuki GS1000 was released in 1977 fitted with a larger version of
the inline-4 cylinder engine from the GS750. This air-cooled DOHC engine
featured a 5-speed unit gearbox, two valves per cylinder, and a chain final
drive. It would be the GS1000 engine that would form the basis of the Suzuki
XR69, though very few parts would actually be carried over.
The project to build the XR69 actually started in 1976 when Yoshimura
approached Suzuki as he needed some help from Suzuki engineers on the new
GS750-based racing motorcycle he was building. This was heaven sent for Suzuki
as they had very little experience with high-performance four-strokes, so
Yoshimuras development work was invaluable.
Yoshimura and Suzuki would closely align working on a new GS1000-based racing
motorcycle designed to compete against the best in the world, and although they
didnt have the resources or experience of Honda they would soon be nipping at
their heels.
Pops and his team managed to tune the GS1000 engine to the point where it was
producing 134bhp at 9,500 rpm and 72 ft lbs of torque at 8,000 rpm. This was far
too much for the original frame, suspension, and brakes.
It became clear that a new frame was going to be required, so Pops and his
team developed a new tubular chrome-moly steel chassis that as far stronger than
the original. This frame was paired with the Kayaba front end off the XR-series
500cc Grand Prix bike with Kayaba suspension in back.
This new motorcycle was named the XR69, Graeme Crosby joined Suzuki for the
1980 season and his initial rides on the new four-stroke race bike impressed him
so much he claimed it was one of his all time favourite race bikes. Within weeks
he had taken the XR69s first win at Daytona before proving to be a dominant
force for the rest of the year.
His development work was put to great effect and within weeks took the
machines first win at Daytona before going on to be a dominant force in all
major race meetings during that year including a second place at the Isle of Man
TT and a win at the Ulster Grand Prix, winning the TT F1 World Championship
title for Suzuki.
Mick Grant joined Suzuki in 1982 forming part of a three-rider team with John
Newbold and Roger Marshall. Grant finished 2nd behind Crosby at the Isle of Man
and 3rd behind him at the Ulster GP, tragedy struck at the North West 200 when
John Newbold crashed and died after clipping Grants rear tire. Grant won the
race and immediately dedicated the victory to Newbold and donated his prize
money to Johns widow.
The XR69 would take a few more wins and podiums but in 1984 the TT Formula 1
category reduced the engine size limit to 750cc. This ended the reign of the
Suzuki litre bike but its spirit lives in today, Yoshimura and Suzuki still
enjoy a very close and very successful relationship.
Source