Why was the 1986 gsxr750 considered the most important & considered the 1st production racebike???

What's with all this talk about doing wheelies, you can't go fast around a track doing wheelies.

 

It paid Suzuki Contingency...

 

The Katana 600 won every Suzuki Cup 600 race at Road Atlanta, the Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki riders couldn't even get a foot in the door. Total shutout.

 

So, in 1986, to promote the launch, Suzuki executive Hank Ota dreamed up a wild, nationwide contingency program. It paid a whopping $1,500 to win on a GSX-R1100 and $1,000 to win on a 750cc Gixxer. And the cash went down 10 places. Racers could potentially pay for their new motorcycles in as little as five race weekends.

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/american-roadracing-in-golden-age-factory-contingency-money/

 

This was called the 'Doug Polen phenomenon' you just go racing and win money while living in a van.

 

It was the first bike I had seen from the factory without rubber footpegs. They looked like rearsets to me since I had only seen rearsets on racebikes. That and the visibly aluminum frame.

 

All of my bedroom walls were covered on free brochures from the 2 main dealerships.They probably hated my guts! I would go in regularly,ask stupid questions like I was buying,and leave with brochures I would drool over ! My first real job was working at Wallys Honda in Gainesville Ga. Wally was a pissy old yankee,and if it wasn't Honda,he would gladly tell anyone to take that shit on down the road!! He was a hard ass!! I use to ride with him to Tampa Honda warehouse to pickup bikes,and we had to stay in hotels,and he snored like a chainsaw! Crazy shit for a 17 yo.The 600 Hurricane is what got me! Haven't looked back!

 

You’re right. I was thinking backwards.
I only got to try a built endurance 1 that was cobbled up and came down for a WERA endurance race (with little John riding).

 

Partnered with Dave A. Little Johnny was Wes's replacement after he got hurt at Sears Point early that year.

 

I know your bike. Don’t know my age or phone number but I remember that bike.

 

Oh please. Those races may have been open to non-Zuks, but no one was stupid enough to think a non-Suz rider was going to beat the likes of Polen, et al. (the pros chasing the money). So why bother entering?

 

Polen won something like $750k in inflation-adjusted dollars over 2 or 3 years.

I raced an '86 in '91 or '92. It was absolutely yesterday's news by that point. I didn't even have good tire choices by then. It's amazing how fast bikes progressed in that period. The R1 came out 13 years later. IMHO, progress has been incremental every since.

 

Yeah, and I bought one in 86. Then Honda made them obsolete in 1987 with that damned F1 Hurricane.

 

They said it was "cheaper than a girlfriend" i dunno, not if you take it roadracing!

 

Agree.
When the slingshot came out in 88, the 1st-gen was done. By 1990, you couldnt give an 86 away. Dime a dozen.
Imho, seat of the pants wise, the 88 in stock form, was leaps ahead of the 86 stock bike. Motor/chassis/brakes/etc.

 

I had a Hurricane street/commuter/racebike in 87, and hated life because I didnt have a 750gsxr .... I'm still mad about it :/ haha
fwiw, when the FZR600 came out, a slower rider could get in your way for a minute, w/ one of those. They were fast.



Got an 'uncrashed' 1,200-mile 1989 streetbike from a fellow local racer, at the advice of the 'trusted' local race-shop-owner/mechanic, in 1990, w/ the intention of going on the WERA circuit. All my college money was donated to me by my sad parents, every penny spent on the bike, FOX, spare race/used bodywork/tank, Dianese, boots, tyres tyres tyres, etc etc etc.... Unfortunately I would quickly find out the "uncrashed" bike had previously been totaled by the seller, and the race-shop owner had estimated it up just under totaled, then pieced it back together and steered me into it, and his buddy sold it to me as "Uncrashed". Seller made twice his money back. Bike was unraceable....would start oscilating in the top of 3rd, would try to lose control when your shifted to 4th. Frame and swingarm were twisted beyond repair/straightening. I sent the bike to Lee's and lost a bunch of $$$$ on him trying to straighten it, and shipping both ways. No bike and now I was broke. Bike was 100% Unraceable. Scary/Unpredictably Dangerous (even on backroads, you couldnt ride it very fast). Commuted on it, and borrowed bikes to race at the track, that year. Then walked away from bikes for 10yrs out of a years. I still hate the shop owner and seller.

I could tell if it would have been straight, it would have been a hella great bike to race, motor was fantastic (for that era).



I finally got my dream, a 1986 bike (barnfind), but im 38-years behind schedule, haha

 

Huh? In the old days we used to street ride a bunch too

 

Well there's that

 

Poppycock...

Bart Peterson, Greg Tysor, Richard Moore and many others were subsidizing their 'day jobs' earning Yamaha and Honda contingency money in '85, before the GSXR had been released in the US.

Ota San simply upped the ante for the GSXR train in 1986. It worked, with it being a track focused street bike. K.S and Yoshimura learned all of it's flaws as a true racing motorcycle.