Project Up-To-Date

Project Up-To-Date

"New" just means "untested"

'95 SuzukiRF900R$4700

Do BIKES WITH ZERO MILES SCARE you as much as they do me? I mean, how can you possibly put any faith in something that’s got absolutely no track record of actually getting somewhere? That’s why I like used bikes so much: Mileage is proof they’re ready to roll, because, clearly, they’ve rolled in the past.

Okay, so maybe you don’t want too much proof, but this 1995 Suzuki RF900R’s 26,000 miles is barely a thorough break-in anymore, yet shows this aging sporttourer is a goer. And you can get one pretty cheap, too, which is the point of this whole used-bargain-project-bike exercise, as you’ll see in the following pages. The Kelley Blue Book puts retail value for an excellent-condition RF at just above $4000. But if you’re a bottom-feeder looking for a slightly beat bike to upgrade with cool parts like we were, you can pick up one of these babies for about $3K. Why pay for fresh stuff that you’re just going to change anyway?

A quick test ride on our ruby-red rocket proved general soundness, although there were some handling issues, and the engine was a little soft on throttle response.

First things first, however: Cleanup was top of the list, as the whole bottom half of the bike was covered in slime, much of it flung from the mung-caked chain. Liberal application of degreaser and pressure washer handled the grime below, Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish (the best such product on the planet, we’ve found) took care of the top. Save for paint scratches down to the primer on the gas tank, of which there were plenty, the RF then looked pretty good. You don’t want your bike to be so nice somebody might be tempted to steal it, right?

Styling has held up pretty well for a design penned some 10 years ago. At the time of the bike’s introduction in 1994, the shape was said to have been inspired by some combination of stingrays swimming in an aquarium and Ferraris-or maybe it was stingrays driving Ferraris to an aquarium? Anyway, it still looks good, even if the tailsection is so wide it always seems like a car is following you.

But back to the task at hand, which is refreshing this old Suzuki. The cool thing about cleaning the chain and sprockets was discovering that they both had been replaced recently. Score: free fresh stuff! Which meant more budget for other things.

Such as a bolt-on Yoshimura RS-3 Zyclone silencer ($300), Dynojet jet kit ($122) and K&N air filter ($46). The 937cc mill cranked out 101 horsepower when we first brought it to the shop. That’s way short of the 118 bhp our first testbike delivered eight years ago, but this one here is a California model with less camshaft lift and altered timing, plus a less aggressive ignition curve. And the fact that, well, it’s got some miles on it. With the mods (and the out-of-whack carbs synched), power jumped to 106 bhp and 60 foot-pounds of torque, with nice gains over the rev range and nary a peak or valley in the curves. Throttle response is better, too. Very nice results. The Zyclone silencer deserves mention for its nice, mellow tone, letting the engine note shine through without being obnoxiously over-decibeled. There is a “race” version of this bolt-on, but it’s just too loud, especially for the sport-tour/commuter-bike nature of our project.

With the engine sorted and oil and filter changed, our attention turned to the chassis. The stock shock was whacked and sacked-quite boingy on the rebound and a little harsh on compression.

This leads me to spiritual observation number one: There is nothing better than the UPS truck showing up around here. Just when the papers on your desk are piled so high that you can’t see the door and deadline looms, a brand-new aftermarket shock shows up, promising a better future. The shock in this case was a fully adjustable Works Performance Ultra ($709).

Which then leads me to spiritual observation number two: Wrenching would be therapeutic if it weren’t such a pain in the ass. Actually, it wasn’t so bad once I figured out that you simply had to bite the bullet and drop the linkage to make the shock swap. In so doing, I made a pleasant discovery: needle bearings in the pivots. A nice quality touch, so I greased them up and finished the install.

At the front, the preload-adjustable stock fork was also harsh on compression and lacking rebound damping.

Plus the springs felt a little soft, having lost their battle with gravity. Based solely on the smell when we removed one of the fork caps, we’re betting the fork had never been serviced! So we sent the tubes off to Race Tech for Gold Valves, fresh springs and fluid ($378). We saved a few bucks because the original seals and bushings were still in good shape.

The steering-head bearings, however, were tragically notched, ruining what would otherwise have been very fine neutral steering. These taperedroller pieces (quality again) were about as smooth as a ratchet from a near total lack of grease, which weirdified the handling in a very disconcerting way. Our local dealer, Orange County Suzuki, had the bits in stock for $72, so while the fork was out, we made the swap.

That was about it on our end. We considered new tires and braided-steel brake lines, but the Dunlop D207s were still in pretty good shape and the braking system had been recently upgraded with cool six-piston calipers from a late-model Bandit, a straight bolt-on (figure $125-$ 150 from a wrecker). Also non-stock was the Lockhart-Phillips smoked “Euro” windscreen. We ditched the tank bra shown in the “before” photo in favor of the sexier bra-less look.

Our simple changes resulted in a truly sweet motorcycle. Handling was much improved, with none of the oncenter stickiness and wandering caused by the bad head bearings. Ride quality was enhanced, as well. The shock was plush (we asked for “sporttouring” damping specs) but well-controlled, and both compression and rebound damping adjustments made a marked difference in rear suspension response. The fork, while better controlled than stock, actually had a little too much “Race” in its Tech, with excessive rebound damping, making for a harsher ride than we would have liked. Luckily, Race Tech has a valving guarantee, and so the tubes are on their way back for a little relaxation at the suspension spa. The damping would have been cool on a GSX-R, but this ain’t no Gixxer.

Which isn’t to say the RF doesn’t turn, because this thing is good fun on backroad blasts, its stability in highspeed sweepers excellent, with reasonably quick tum-in through the tight stuff. The supportive stock seat is quite comfortable and the riding position is on the sporty side of sport-touring, making a good compromise between aggressive riding and commuting work. At high revs, the “straightintake” dohc engine becomes a little vibey and thrashy, but it’s thrashy in a punk-rock, musical kind of way. At an 80-mph cruise in fifth gear, it’s smooth as you’d want it. Overall, a very pleasing, useful liter-class cruise missile for about $4700, ready for at least another 26K on the odo.

A cheap goer is clearly the way.

-Mark Hoyer