It’s not every day that you find a racing motorcycle for sale with the sporting pedigree that this one possesses. GS1000R XR41. It is also not common for a historical piece of this magnitude to be fully operational so that it can be enjoyed at any motor event.
That is why this copy, the same one that piloted Mick Grant for the official team Heron Suzukihas become one of the main protagonists of the next auction to be held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on July 22. Along with it we can find such special pieces as Allen Millyard’s Viper V10, “A true Guinness record-breaking device with 500 HP of power and more than 700 Nm.”
Suzuki GS1000R XR41: member of a winning lineage
It is not the first time that we come across one of the winning Suzukis that elevated Mick Grant himself at the time. Approximately 7 years ago, the official XR69 of Team Heron, the winner of the North West in 1982, was auctioned. A motorcycle that unfortunately was forever surrounded by tragedy, since in that same race he would die. John Newbold (Grant’s teammate) after touching Mick’s rear wheel and crashing into a wall.
Our protagonist today is precisely the successor of that XR69. In the description of the auction announcement itself, they echo the history of the model’s evolution based on the basis provided by the 1978 GS1000: “It was Suzuki’s first one-litre motorcycle, using a four-stroke, DOHC, air-cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine, developed from the GS750.”
“Often known by its factory code. Its main difference with respect to the previous version lay in its chassis.
In this regard, they explain from the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull: “The motorcycle offered for sale was prepared by the factory in Hamamatsu for Mick Grant to ride during the 1984 season with Heron Suzuki, following the retirement of the steel-chassis XR69 he had ridden the previous year.”. Alongside McElnea, Grant competed his GS1000R XR41 in many of the biggest Formula 1 and TT races in the UK and Isle of Man.
Over time the GS1000R the GSX1100 enginealso used by the brand to compete in the Super One category of the British Superbike Championship. Associated with the chassis number GS1000R-84-1includes historical certification from the FIM. Additionally, this unit has competed at Goodwood in recent years.
A piece of history ready to be enjoyed
With an estimated sale price between 45 and 55 thousand pounds sterling, around 60,000 euros in the best of caseswe are looking at a motorcycle that is prepared to become the center of attention at any motor event or festival. From H&H Classicsthe auction company in charge of the bidding, are clear: “Owning such a machine could open the doors to prestigious events around the world.”
They give us as an example the Goodwood Festival of Speed or historic Grand Prix giving its future owner the opportunity to ride on some of the most legendary circuits on the planet. This is the result, among other things, of having been maintained in its time and in recent years by Paul Boulton (who joined Heron Suzuki as a mechanic in 1982).
H&H Classics lets us know that the legendary GS1000R XR41 that will be auctioned in just a few days, “It is ready to run and comes with several spare parts, including a large capacity fuel tank as used in the Isle of Man TT and other endurance races”and conclude by explaining that “already has a connection with Goodwood, having been driven at the Festival of Speed by its previous owner, Ian King.”
