Welcome to Tim's GSX-R Page. It's really just somewhere for me to put words and pictures about my Suzuki GSX-R750RK, but may expand to include other vaguely relevant stuff too. If you've got one of these bikes yourself, please get in touch.
Background
My first brand-new bike was a Suzuki GSX-R750G in October 1986. I'd gone into the shop to buy a GSX-R400 which had been specially imported in very limited quantities that summer to allow them to be raced in the Production TT. I'd only seen b/w pictures of them so I was shocked when the bike turned out to be sky-blue and white, with yellow decals. I changed my mind, walked straight past the RG500 (not sure why...) and stood in front of the 750. £4234. Quite a step up from the secondhand 350LC I'd been used to.
The GSX-R750 had been launched the previous year with the 'F' model, and took everyone by surprise by being a revolution in bike design. It was all about weight, or lack of it, and featured a number of innovations and radical design features. The engine was oil-cooled and the square-section alloy frame took the form of the double-cradle that was to prove so iconic. It was a great Superstock race bike right out of the crate and an instant sales success.
Sadly my lovely new bike lasted only 18 months before I was knocked off it by the usual blind car driver. In 1990 I bought a new 750K, followed by a 750M in 1991 which was replaced by an 1100M in 1993. I kept that one for 12 years, using it for everything from commuting to work, to touring everywhere from the top of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall and attending both the GSX-R Festival at Brands Hatch and the PB GSX-R Day at Santa Pod. I finally sold it to a mate in 2005.
I didn't really miss riding it that much but I kept getting twinges of nostalgia whenever I saw an old GSX-R. In 2007 I almost bought an original 1100G, although the seller decided to keep it for himself in the end. I'd started looking for a nice 'slabside' 750 or 1100 but what I really wanted was a 750RK...
Spec
A what ? Well, it's the "Double R" Sports Production model that was released in 1989 to homologate engine and chassis changes for World Superbike racing. The Suzuki equivalent of the RC30, OW01 and ZXR750R. Only 500 built, with 50 coming to the UK priced at £8999. Differences over the ordinary K-model (which was £4600) include a return to the long-stroke engine (easier to get big power from apparently), lighter valves, stronger crank and rods, 10mm racing plugs, a close-ratio gearbox, 40mm CV (not flat-slide) carbs with quick-release needles, a 4-2-1 exhaust, secondary oil cooler, magnesium cam cover, braced swingarm, adjustable suspension, 5.5" rear wheel, single-seat unit, more aerodynamic fibreglass fairing with QD fasteners, reshaped front mudguard, aluminium fuel tank and chamfered engine covers for increased lean angle. 120bhp/187Kg compared to 112bhp/195Kg.
Despite what some people think, the ordinary wet clutch is standard - due to legalities over noise, the dry-clutch conversion was reserved for the works race-kit which also provided the usual suspension, ignition, gearbox and carb upgrades, lumpy cams and forged pistons etc. There are one or two 750RK's about with USD forks fitted but this was never a factory or racekit option - however the bike was a bit of a sales disaster in the UK and some dealers are known to have transplanted a 750L USD front-end onto brand new bikes to help them sell.
My 750RK
I'd mentioned it to a couple of people but I never seriously expected to find one I could afford. But then in November 2007, someone pointed me at one for sale on the dreaded Ebay. I spoke to the seller and asked as many questions as I could think of, looked at the photos and put a bid in. I thought the bidding would go silly but amazingly I got it for the reserve price of £3000. And he threw in a new MOT and delivered it. But I'm still not sure whether that's a bargain or a lot of money for a 19-year-old bike...
It hasn't seen much use for a few years, although it has got 42783kms on the clock. Sounds a lot but these engines are bulletproof (famous last words). Sadly it came with no history whatsoever, but I understand it was imported from Italy by D&K and used as an occasional trackday bike before being sold to the previous owner who kept it purely as an investment. The speedo maxes out at 180kph (nowhere near enough !) which indicates it was originally a Japanese domestic market bike, as do the GR79C/R715 frame/engine numbers and smaller indicators. I'm assured it's been derestricted (from 77bhp !) though I don't know what this involves. I'm slightly disappointed it doesn't have white-faced clocks though - 80's cool !
It's got a Japanese 'Techserfu' carbon-kevlar end can (maybe a complete system ?), horrible blue anodised footpegs and some ubiquitous red/blue Goodridge brake hoses on the front - other than that it appears stock. There's a few stone chips and dodgy bits of touched-up paint and the 'RR' logo is missing from the bellypan on the left which suggests a partial respray. The frame and forks appear to have been polished and although I wouldn't have done it, it looks quite good. There's a small carbon-fibre tank protector and I'd like to bin that although previous experience suggests it might be better left alone. It also needs a full service - the oil is black and it's reluctant to run on all 4 cylinders until warm, although I've read a road-test where that was true of a brand new bike.
I've got nothing against modified bikes and there are plenty of stunning GSX-R specials out there, including some based on RR's. As this one is close to standard though, it really deserves to be left as Suzuki intended so I'll be swapping those footpegs for something more original and maybe the brake hoses too. I don't like the exhaust so if it was possible to find an original (or original-looking) one then I'd be keen to do that. A Yoshimura would be an acceptable alternative (the only appropriate bolt-on for a Suzuki). I'd love to find an original brochure for one, also any other spares, race-kit parts, dry-clutch conversion, manuals, parts-books etc.
First thing I did was fit an Optimate lead to keep the battery topped up, swapped the nasty anodised/carbon tax disc holder for a more subtle one, removed a couple of superfluous stickers and fitted some paddock-stand bobbins to the swingarm. I also replaced a blown headlight bulb and fitted some proper 750J footpegs instead of those tacky blue ones.
A freak dry/warm January day provided an opportunity to finally see what I'd bought. I topped up the tyre pressures, filled the tank and set off towards my favourite local road. First impressions were of how loud the exhaust is, and I became instantly paranoid that all the local police were being scrambled in my direction. Luckily I didn't see any but the intention to swap the end-can for another one is even more keen now. I headed home before the weather broke and didn't get the chance to check what the top speed is, but I hit 160kmh with plenty more to go. After the sulky two-strokes I've got used to over the last couple of years, the RR seems like a big pussy cat and very easy to ride.
I'd emailed a few aftermarket exhaust/silencer manufacturers to ask if any of them would be able and willing to make me a one-off end-can in the style of the original Suzuki one. Only Martin from MTC Exhausts bothered to reply, and when I subsequently spoke to him at the Donington Classic Japanese Show, he understood exactly what I wanted and said he was happy to try and replicate the original silencer as best he could. Sadly (for him), I won't now be taking that path because I've managed to get hold of an actual original 750RK silencer and link pipe instead. Big thanks to Bex - knowledgeable one-time owner of two (!) RR's - for letting me have it, along with the mounting brackets, a pair of new fork seals and an original factory workshop manual. She also gave me a copy of the parts book and plenty of other useful info and contact details.
Using my new parts book knowledge, a quick search on the Robinsons Suzuki online spares site found that the genuine 'RR' bellypan decal is still available new. I ordered one and it arrived just a couple of days later. Probably cheaper than having a repro one made up too. Following that, I asked them about touch-up paints for the big scratch in the seat unit. The parts book lists lots of different paint codes for some reason, but Michelle from Robinsons was pretty certain that the three I needed were Marble Parsec Blue (33N), Pearl Still White (0JW) and Marble Italian Red (28V) so I ordered them. They took quite a while to arrive, although she kept me informed as to the order status, and I was surprised when they arrived to find a total of 5 little paint sticks. Seems the blue and white have separate base and top coats. That goes some way to explaining the £40.95 bill...
The summer's here ! I haven't done anything to the bike yet, but it was about time I took it out for a proper ride. I disappeared off into the countryside and had a great time, despite the heat. I only did 100kms or so but it behaved perfectly. The rear bump damping needs backing off a bit though, and I need to calibrate the speedo against something 'cos it seems a bit undergeared to me. Or maybe I just need to get used to riding this sort of bike again. I went straight round to a BBQ on it and it was dark when I went home. Parked up hiding in the shrubbery were the local Police in their Impreza/M3 traffic cars - I wasn't speeding but I thought I'd get a pull for the pipe. They left me alone so I'm taking that as official approval !
OK, so it's not strictly a GSX-R, but it looks like one, it's dead cute and I couldn't resist it. It's a 1986 RB50, a 4-stroke aircooled single with 10" wheels, although this one is 120cc now. Completely road legal, it's registered on a C-plate and I should be able to ride it into the pub...
The RB50 was tidied up a bit and polished, and taken along to the VJMC Uttoxeter Show in July to display on the Diff'rent Strokers stand. Working on my other bikes meant the 750 was neglected for a bit, until a mate came round and wanted to hear what it sounded like. Firing it up, it was only running on 3 and fuel was pouring out of somewhere. It was pushed back into the garage and ignored again. A few weeks later, a quiet afternoon found me investigating the problem. Turning the fuel tap to PRI made the fuel come splashing out again, but it seemed to be leaking from somewhere quite high up, not a carb overflow tube as expected. Taking the seat unit off revealed the source to be the vent pipe from carbs 1 & 2, which exits above the airbox on the left hand side. Strange.
I've worked on my fair share of carburettors over the years but they've all been on two-strokes and were easy to get to individually - a bank of four CV's were not exactly inviting. I decided just to take a look at carb no 1, which was relatively accessible. There's a drain screw on each float bowl, but I used a 17mm spanner to remove the threaded plate instead - these are unique to the RR and allow access to the main jet without removing the bowl. The fuel that came out looked quite clean, but when I removed the bowl (just 2 screws) it was coated in a fine layer of grey dirt and old fuel that had turned to varnish. I cleaned this off as best I could, and pulled the float mechanism off the carb too. It seemed quite loose, and having cleaned this up too it was refitted but remained a poor fit. Looks like the O-rings need replacing. At this point I had a quick look at the needle too - there's a sprung cap on the top of each carb (unique to the RR again) which undoes with a 1/4 turn and lets you take the needle out for adjustment or replacement. Nice racer touch.
All back together and not particularly confident, I switched the tap to PRI and waited. No leak. I started the bike and it ran nicely on all 4. Result ! Flushed with success, I gave the whole bike a bit of a clean and polish. The VJMC Show at Lotherton Hall was a couple of days later - I'd pre-booked the RB50 but didn't fancy the 160km round trip on it now so decided to take the 750 instead. They ask you to get to the show and park up before 10am when the public get let in. To be honest it's not exactly a full day out, so I arrived at 12 and threaded my way through the crowds and parked up with the rest of the Suzuki's as instructed. There was a nice 1100L (with a 'for sale' sign on) plus 750's in G, K and M variants. The weather was incredibly hot so after a quick trip round the autojumble, I flaked out on the grass near my bike and listened to what people were saying about it. Most seemed to know what it was, and various people were peering inside the fairing, no doubt in search of a dry-clutch. I left during the prizegiving, drowning out the announcer with my antisocial exhaust. It made it home OK, although it started to run a bit fluffy at one point which was cured when I brimmed the tank. I think the whole fuel system needs a good clean. I still haven't got the bike serviced, nor have I got round to touching up the paint or applying the RR sticker. I have managed to get one of the original brochures from Japan though (which even came with the acetate sheet advertising the 1989 launch meeting) and one for the 1986 750R 'Ltd' too. Anorak ? Guess so...
Having missed the 'pb' magazine track evening back in May, I was determined to go to the all-day one in September. Not to take part of course, just to spectate. Well, it was 90's bikes only anyway. Giving the bike a bit of a check over before I set off, I realised that the silencer was loose. A bit of alloy strip and some PTFE tape soon fixed that, and with a full tank of fuel it was off to Cadwell Park. It ran quite happily in the cool weather, and was joined by a local guy on an SRAD 750 on the way. At the circuit, a selection of cool bikes (not all from the 90's though !) were lined up in the paddock or out on the track. Fellow homologation specials included a pair of ZXR750R's, R7, Ducati 851, RC30 and several RC45's including some priceless Honda UK racers. Some people seemed to be taking the whole day a bit seriously though - very few of the bikes on circuit looked road-legal and there were plenty of tyre-warmers on show. Maybe next time...
Links
Feeling similarly nostalgic for old GSX-R's ? Check out the Old Skool Suzuki site.
Klaus in Germany runs a site covering all of the LTD/RR/SP homologation GSX-R's. See Racing-Show for details. He also arranges meetings for just these particular models - the last one was in July 2008. Maybe next year...
I've recently found a great site devoted to the 750RK - if I'd known about it sooner then I wouldn't have bothered creating this one ! Have a look at Andy's 750RK Site for model history, specs, pics and more.
James/SickPup's bike seems to be the most common RR spotted on the web - see his 750R page and Spart Specials for great pics including the dry-clutch kit.
Also have a look at Gixerboyz, the Suzuki Owners Club and Gixxer.com for more GSX-R info and discussion.
If you know of other sites or forums that cover the RK (or the other RR models) please let me know.
Pictures
Here's a few random 750RK photos I've been sent or have found on the web somewhere. They include standard bikes, specials and race bikes. If you have any more interesting pictures, please let me know.
GSX-R's for beginners
First generation 'slabside' models are GSX-R750 F/G/H (1985-1987) and GSX-R1100 G/H/J (1986-1988).
Second generation 'slingshot' models are GSX-R750 J/K/L/M (1988-1991) and GSX-R1100 K/L/M/N (1989-1992).
Watercooled 'slingshot' models are GSX-R750 WN/WP/WR/WS (1992-1995) and GSX-R1100 WP/WR/WS/WT/WV/WW (1993-1998).
Third generation 'SRAD' models are GSX-R750 T/V/W/X (1996-1999) and GSX-R600 V/W/X/Y (1997-2000).
Fourth generation models are GSX-R750 Y/K1/K2 etc. (2000 onwards) plus GSX-R600 and 1000 K1 models from 2001.
Across different world markets there have also been numerous 250's, 400's and 600's with legitimate claim to the GSX-R name. I (along with lots of other right-minded people) consider only the oil-cooled, cradle-framed 750 and 1100 bikes to be 'proper' GSX-R's. I will however make an honourable exception for the 1989 GSX-R400RK, a scaled down version of the 750RK for the Japanese market. And if anyone knows where there's a mint one for sale...
Other Homologation Models
There were both earlier and later attempts by Suzuki to make limited edition models just to homologate a bike for racing. The 1986 GSX-R750RG 'Ltd' used the original 'slabside' 750 as a base, and featured a dry clutch, single-seat unit, steering-damper, radial tyres and electronic anti-dive. 1000 of these were built, in either red/black or blue/white/red colours. In 1994, another version was developed from the then-current watercooled model, christened GSX-R750WR-SP and featuring a close-ratio gearbox and smoothbore carbs. Although it looks disappointingly similar to the standard model (twin seats !), there are many tiny differences designed to make it a better racing prospect. In fact they only made 200 of these so they are the rarest of all. Split between the German and French markets, they were limited to 100bhp.
Wanted : RR/Ltd/RK/SP brochures (scans, copies or originals) to expand this section. Thanks to Hans for providing these German 750RK ones :
What about other manufacturers ? Well Honda made the RC30 (VFR750R) of course between 1987-1990, along with its 1994 replacement the RC45 (RVF750R). They seem to command the highest prices and desirability these days, but are relatively common and easy to get hold of if you have the money. Yamaha made 500 each of the 1989 OW01 (FZR750R), 1993 YZF750SP and 1999 OW02 (YZF-R7). Kawasaki also made special versions of their 750 inline-4 in 1991/2 (ZXR750R K1/K2), 1993/4 (ZXR750R M1/M2) and 1996 (ZX7RR). And while it's difficult to keep up with all the minute variations of Ducati's 851/888 range, there were definitely some special SP models made between 1987-1993.
I want to expand this section with more details of the models/specs - please get in touch if you can help.
