Post Sale Update: sold for $14,200 after 39 bids on eBay in Los Gatos, California.
Suzuki GSX-R750? Good. First gen? Even better? First gen that’s done up as a Skoal Bandit tribute? Very hard to pass up.
The specific combination of “GSX-R” and “750” doesn’t do much to excite motorcyclists anymore – Suzuki still has a new model though it hasn’t been meaningfully updated in years. But when it was first released, the 750 was an absolute game-changer. For more on the first generation of the GSX-R, check out this retrospective from Rider.
This example (VIN: JS1GR75A9H2101031) “has just been through a 3-year frame off, nut and bolt restoration” and was done up to match the Skoal Bandit livery made famous from Suzuki race bikes of the time. Suzuki Great Britain actually had a limited run of Skoal Bandit bikes – the seller alludes to a commonly-shared tale that there were a few unsold GSX-R’s at the end of 1986 and so approximately 50 of them were repainted in the Bandit livery to get them out of dealerships. “The base for this restoration was an early 87′ GSXR-750 with clean California title, but I converted it to an 86′ layout to be faithful to the original. The restoration is 99% OEM, with only a few fasteners that were remade due to lack of availability, and aftermarket screen/mirrors.” There are about 100 shakedown miles on this bike since the restoration was performed. The shock was rebuilt with a GSX-R1100 body and remote reservoir, and it has a GSX-R1100 steering damper as well. The seller also provides a photo album of the restoration and finished product here on Flickr.
Find this Skoal-inspired Gixxer for sale in Los Gatos, california with bidding up to $7,500 and the reserve already met here on eBay.