Suzuki turbo motorcycles? Those were the Suzuki XN85s that were made from 1983 for around two years. And that entire production amounted to 1153 units.
There is therefore only an unofficial site: www.xn85turbo.com.
The Suzuki XN85 turbo was Suzuki's contribution to the short but powerful Turbo era, the era in which every Japanese manufacturer had a turbo engine in its range, because the others had too… The XN85 was groundbreaking in many ways. It was not a commercial success, but he already gave its rider a glimpse into the future. The future of sporty motorcycles, motorcycle technology, Suzuki and the motorcycle in general. And that future looked very promising! The XN 85 was more than just a turbo engine.
Mechanically the Suzuki XN85 was based on the GS650. The engine shared the block with the GS650. But a turbo was installed on the Suzuki XN85. The IHI turbo was mounted behind the four-cylinder block, so that it lay in the wind shadow of the cylinder block. That location was therefore not so well chosen. Below 4.000 rpm not much happened, above that the IHI went to work with a speed of up to 14.000 rpm. From test reports from that period we know that the turbo functioned almost without 'lag' - the response time before the turbo starts. The Suzuki XN85 thus distinguished itself positively from a number of competitors.
Electronics
The Suzuki XN85 was also the first fuel injected Suzuki. Suzuki developed the system itself for this. The Suzuki Electronic Fuel Injection (SEFI) system was similar to Bosch's L-Jetronic system. The implementation of that system involved quite a bit of electronics. For example, sensors popped up everywhere. Sensors for throttle position, for air supply and engine temperature. And that in itself was very remarkable in an era when electronics on motorcycles still 'science fiction"seemed.
A great bicycle part
Anyone who compares the performance of the XN85 with that of the Suzuki GSX1100E Katana will probably be disappointed. With its maximum power of 111 hp, the Katana far outstripped the XN85. Even compared to the GS650, from which the Suzuki XN85 was derived, the turbo bike turned out to be only slightly faster. But the XN85 had other qualities. Its small front wheel (16 inches) made the bike turn briskly. Contrary to what was common at the time, this rear no longer had a stereo suspension but a monoshock. In Suzuki's case, the rocker-type suspension system was called 'Full floater'. It came straight from the successful Suzuki RM factory machines from the Motocross World Championship. The handling of the Suzuki was fine.
Like the rest of the Turbo era motorcycles, the Suzuki XN85 proved not to be a commercial success either. The sale was slow. The machine was probably too complex for the motorcyclists of the time. Maybe. In 2017, the XN85 has become an interesting collector's item. You now pay around 6.000 to 8.000 euros for a copy in good condition. If you already find one for sale… The arrival of a new generation of supercharged motorcycles is already announced. And with their entry into the motorcycle market, interest in the original Turbo's from the 80's will also be rekindled. And that will of course have repercussions on the prices ... And the parts? They are scarce. Very scarce ...
The other Suzuki turbo
But that Suzuki Turbo's have also been made in the meantime? You can read that in AMK number 12.
Want to know more about AMK? Look at www.amklassiek.nl or in the kiosk.
