The GSX-R. There must be considerably more than a handful of us around the world who remember in the mid-eighties lusting after the awesome GSX-R750, a bike that smashed it (as the kids say) on a number of levels. The engine smashed it. The frame smashed it. The looks smashed it. It really was rather smashing.

Let’s turn the clock back a few years to the 1970’s, the era of long hair and even longer drum solos. Back in them days, Japanese engines were taking over the world. The extraordinary effort of a multitude of Japanese engineers and workers was paying off and they were producing the fastest, torquey-est, most reliable engines on the planet. For all the boom and bang in the combustion chamber, however, the frames were just a bit meh. Steel double loop frames that were just too heavy and flexible to enable to bike to deliver the power the engine put out. In fact much of Japanese bike design was so samey and uninspired it earned the mildly derogatory moniker UJM “Universal Japanese Motorcycle.”

Then in 1985 the Restoftheworld was introduced to the era-defining GSX-R750. It was built around square section aluminium tubing which not only reduced weight and increased rigidity, but gave the bike a totally different look. Something startlingly new had happened.

Or had it? One year before the 750 was released globally, Suzuki gave its compatriots in Japan the GSX-R400. This, not the iconic 750, is actually the bike that started it all. A pure JDM bike but most decidedly not a boring old UJM. The 400, like the beautiful example we have here, is the bike that paved the way for its larger and more famous descendants.

We are delighted to be able to share this bike with you. It is a wonderful bike and holds a particularly special place in motorcycle history. While not mint, the overall condition is excellent and she would make a remarkable addition to anyone’s collection. We would be happy to show it in person or via video. Please get in touch to make an appointment or request further details.

This bike has been through the NOVA system. We can arrange registration and delivery. Registration is a 3-step process: obtain a dating certificate from a DVLA accredited dating officer; MOT; registration with DVLA. This costs £150.