1982 Suzuki 998CC XR69 to be offered in Top Lot at Bonhams
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1982 Suzuki 998CC XR69 TT Formula 1 Racing Motorcycle will be offered for sale at Bonhams’ upcoming auction, “The Spring Stafford Sale: The International Classic MotorCycle Show” that will be held on April 28, 2019, in Stafford, UK. The pre-auctio
1982 Suzuki 998CC XR69 to be offered in Top Lot at Bonhams
1982 Suzuki 998CC XR69 TT Formula 1 Racing Motorcycle will be offered for sale at Bonhams’ upcoming auction, “The Spring Stafford Sale: The International Classic MotorCycle Show” that will be held on April 28, 2019, in Stafford, UK. The pre-auction estimate of the present motorcycle is £ 90,000 - 120,000 and it will be presented in lot 483 at the auction. “The ex-works Suzuki XR69 seen here is offered for sale by former Kawasaki, Honda, and Suzuki factory rider Mick Grant, who was given the machine by a grateful Suzuki when he retired from racing in 1985. Mick has owned the XR69 continuously since then. Nowadays a mainstay of classic racing in replica form, the XR69 was originally developed jointly by Suzuki and legendary tuner Pops Yoshimura, who had been running the factory's effort in the AMA Superbike Championship. Suzuki's AMA superbike racers were based on the GS1000 sports roadster, and as Yoshimura steadily increased maximum power the stock running gear had to be up-rated to cope. Suzuki supplied a complete front end from its contemporary XR-series 500cc Grand Prix bike, followed by a braced swinging arm, leaving only the main frame as standard. When it was decided to further develop the GS1000 for the Formula 1 TT category and the Endurance World Championship, Yoshimura came up with an entirely new frame for the resulting XR69,” states the auction house. The present 1982 Suzuki 998CC XR69 was given to Mick Grant by Suzuki and it has been owned since 1985. As Bonhams mentions, it has an extensive in-period race history and it has also been regularly paraded. The auction house gives the side of Mick’s story who said, “My full factory XR69 has been in my possession since I retired from racing in 1985. It is the exact specification as I raced it. It was given to me by Suzuki. To the best of my knowledge there were only five or six of the special bikes made. For some reason my bike seems to be the best specification of them all, it has a dry clutch, magnesium carburettors, billet forks, twin sparking plugs, etc.” Bonhams also added, “In 1982 Shell Oils made a video of the Isle of Man TT featuring Mick's XR69, which some years later was tested by Alan Cathcart for Classic Racer magazine (issue 49). Interviewed for the Classic Racer article, Mick had this to say about this XR69: 'It's pretty near the top of my personal hit parade of bikes I've raced. I think my all-time favourite would be my KR750 Kawasaki, but nowadays when I parade them back to back at Classic do's and such, I prefer to be on the Suzuki. It's just a very nice ride.'” https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more
