On the market for less than a year, Suzuki XN85 was the first factory bike to feature a 16-inch front wheel – previously reserved for race bikes. That wheel, combined with low clip-ons and a Suzuki Full Floater rear suspension made it a nearly peerless handler for the time. It also featured a low pressure turbo that helped boost power to 85 horsepower (hence the XN85 moniker). Just 300 of the 1,153 produced were brought to the US, which is why I’m featuring this even though it hasn’t run for some time.
MSRP for the XN85 was $4,700, and it was equipped with Suzuki’s first application of their “Full Floater” rear suspension. Motorcyclist magazine said “Nothing works better in the corners than the Suzuki XN85.” You could expect 200 miles to a tank and a quarter mile time of 12.3 seconds, not bad for a bike that weighed 551 pounds wet.
This example (VIN: JS1GP71T2D2100147) has 33,806 miles but it’s not currently running. Per the seller, “I have not taken the time to bring it back to life but the previous owner rode it to my old dealership. We removed the battery and put it into storage. I’m sure it will need the carbs cleaned, a new battery and tires and possibly other work. I had it in my collection until I sold the dealership in 2022 and now I’m slowly selling off all those bikes I accumulated. It’s not super pristine but it is super rare.”
Find this XN85 for sale in Lincoln, Nebraska with bidding up to $3,550 here on eBay.