1988 Suzuki RGV250 – the closest thing you could get to a GP bike on the road in 80’s

Suzuki RGV250 is one of the most popular 250cc 2-stroke bike in the world. It is staged with other interesting machines like the Honda NSR250R and Yamaha TZR250SPR. This particular bike is RGV250K-L VJ21 that gives out 58PS at 11,000RPM. Made from the 1988 and all the way to 1990. It comes in iconic Suzuki blue and white colour that sets it apart from the competing bikes.

The engine fitted to this bike is a 2-cylinder 90-degree V-configuration in 2-stroke mode cycle. It is forward inclined at 20-degree for lower center of gravity. The crankshaft is 180-degree and made to be strong and compact. To reduce the friction from the piston to the wall of the cylinder block, SBC cylinder plating is applied to replace the conventional cast iron sleeves. SBC stands for Suzuki Boron Composite that plates the aluminium cylinder inner walls with a special alloy plating that consists of nickel and phosphor alloy carrying boron bromide. This reduces the friction and increases the durability of the piston rings. 

The chassis is DC-ALBOX frame that refers to dual-cell design that have an inner rib that gives rigidity but at the same time is lightweight. In the world of superbikes, Suzuki are known to make lightweight and strong chassis. This DC-ALBOX also contributes to a low seating position that is only at 755mm.

Brake system used is called DPBS that works out to be Deca Piston Brake System. After thinking for a while, Deca there actually means 10. So, it means 10 piston brake system. Yes, 10 piston in total. The front brake uses double 290mm diameter disc plate and each one is accompanied with 4-piston Tokico caliper. That is 8. Another 2 more piston are used at the rear that attached to the grip the 210mm diameter disc plate. The technology does not stop there as the front 4-piston caliper comes in 4-pod staggered diameter configuration. The piston in front of the disc is 34mm and the piston located behind the disc is 30mm. This configuration gives a more uniform braking power and stable damping power. That is a massive braking power for this powerful bike.

One more thing that cannot be left without mentions is about the transmission. It got the 6-speed transmission that we all expect, but what great is that this transmission is straight from the GP technology that uses cassette-type gearbox. This is a one-piece configuration that is designed for easy replacement and maintanance, but this thing doesn’t comes cheap.

Looking back at the history, here are the models that has been made:

1988 Suzuki RGV250 Technical Specs