The saga of the most famous super sports motorcycles in history had its most radical model in the small and tremendous Suzuki GSX-R250R, a brutal quarter of a liter that you will never taste.
From the GSX-R saga in our country only the 600, 750, 1000 and 1100 of different years were imported, models that were also available in the European market.
The small and tremendous GSX-R 250 and 400 were born by and for the Japanese market, since at that time, the 80s, the restrictive Japanese driver’s license made it difficult to drive a motorcycle of more than 400 cc, for which many opted for this pair of displacements.
For this reason it was a very popular segment in the Land of the Rising Sun, so much so that the Japanese F3 competitions, with 400 cc 4T cycle bikes, and 250 cc 2T bikes, were tremendously followed.
And it is that the incentive of seeing a motorcycle compete on the circuit that you could buy at any dealer, and at an affordable price, fed the soul of young Japanese bikers.
The Suzuki GSX-R250R had a track-oriented SP version
And this Suzuki GSX-R250R was no exception, a sporty superbike that drank from the sources of its older sisters, but which it did not envy at all. This 250cc was engaging and addictive enough that, while not as powerful as the 600 or 750, it was tremendously fun to ride and rich in racing sensations.
Suzuki released a long saga of successful low-displacement 2T and 4T sports models: in the 2T the RGVs dominated and the GSX-Rs were the queens of the 4Ts.
It was a decade of domination, but everything comes to an end. In this case, Hamamatsu’s last quarter-liter supercar of the 1980s was derived from the model launched in 1987-1988.
If the previous GSX-R250 were very racing and aggressive, this last one from 1989 was an even sportier motorcycle and, moreover, completely new, to say goodbye to the saga with honors.
In the cycle part it exhibited a new and tremendous aluminum double beam chassis called AL-Box (with new geometries) and a stony double-arm swingarm with upper reinforcement, both more robust than those used in the previous version.
This little super sports car had nothing to envy its older 400 and 600 cc sisters
Another change introduced was a new 290mm dual-disc front brake assembly, with Tokico twin-piston calipers.
The suspensions also changed, with a new -conventional- fork and a rear monoshock with linkage.
The alloy wheels and three spokes were also new, but curiously they were 17″ at the front and 18″ at the rear, whereas in the previous model both wheels were 17″.
In the driving position, the instrumentation consisted of three analog spheres, for speedometer, tachometer and coolant temperature, on a foam racing support.
If in the cycle part there were enough changes where there were more variations it was in its external appearance, since it underwent a more spectacular change.
Immediately you see that the new tank, fairing and tail set are more racing, more enveloping, bulging and rounded, with a surprising “recessed” double headlight front.
This last detail is shocking since the front area shows an unusually strange aesthetic, and never seen in other GSX-R of the brand. It seems even anti-aerodynamic.
The most shocking note comes from the aesthetics of its front, unusually rare
As for the engine -4T, LC, 16V, DOHC- of 248 cc -49 x 33 mm- and its power of 45 CV at 15,000 rpm -an impressive specific power of 180 CV/litre-, they were maintained -although with Slingshot carburettors with a larger diameter-, for a slightly higher weight of 143 kg.
The single, low-outlet exhaust muffler featured one last gadget, a SPES -Suzuki Power up Exhaust System – exhaust divider valve, which improved low-end power.
To further curl the loop, a specific version for the circuit was also launched -although it can be registered-, destined to beat all its rivals, called SP, Sports Production, with a new single-seater tail, rear monoshock with separate tank, and with a box of close relationship changes. The sticker was not missing in the front part of the sides of the fairing.
This closed the story of this small and exciting four-cylinder supercar with only 248 cc and 45 CV, which closed the successful GSX-R family at the bottom.