About the Site Owner:
I am Rose Lacy, the proud third owner of a red and black 1986 GSXR750R. First owner was Don of Scuderia West who raced it, second owner did mainly pleasure rides but also took it to Sears Point Superbike School. I’ve pretty much babied it, just pleasure riding and commuting, to keep it running and looking good. It’s got 40000 miles, 18000 of which are mine. The only after-market piece is a Yoshimura pipe and matching jet kit.
Recently my gixer started burning oil and leaking at a quart a month. This is more consumption than had ever happened before, so I naturally was very concerned. I don’t normally do my own work on the bike, but we’re in a bit of a money crunch right now and my favorite mechanic, Ben Scoble from Cycle Gear, had retired to drive a Snap-On Tools truck. I decided to change the oil, clean the engine off, and replace the valve cover gasket. Everything went well until I was tightening the valve cover bolts and snapped one of the bolts heads clean off. Ben had told me they only torque to 8 ft/lbs. Having no idea how little pressure that is I kept thinking, “it’s still moving I guess I should tighten it some more”. Obviously a big mistake. I now know this is a common problem owners and even professional mechanics run into when first working on the gixer. That wonderful lightness in the bike that makes it so easy to ride also makes it a bit delicate to work on. The previous owner’s mechanic had so badly stripped the valve cover bolt holes that Ben had to heli-coil every one at the first tune up. A very good thing to do, because they’ll never strip again, just the bolts themselves can break. Now I had to not only take the bike to a new mechanic, but also expose my inexperience to the world.
I was able to get some great advice about the oil consumption from Don Lemelin at Scuderia West, San Francisco. Basically it’s an old bike problem and adding the oil every month is way cheaper than rebuilding the engine. Engines for this bike are easier to come by than complete bikes, so at some point I can replace the engine. As gixer enthusiasts know, my 80% perfect fairing is worth way more than a low mileage engine. As for the rest of the ordeal, it’s easy for a shop to remove the beheaded bolt. Scuderia is doing the next tune up for me and will remove the bolt as well as replace all the other valve cover bolts in case I screwed up all of them (my poor attempt at a pun intended).
I haven’t done much long distance touring on the gixer. One 275-mile run with the Women on Wheels just about killed my wrists and shoulders, so I stick to the short rides now. I like to keep the pleasure in “pleasure riding”. Thankfully I live in one of the most scenic riding areas in the world, the San Francisco Bay Area. There are many beautiful clean twisty roads to choose from less than an hour away. Twin Peaks, San Francisco; Highway 1 on the Pacific Ocean; Skyline Highway along the Coastal Range; Highway 9 in the Santa Cruz mountains, to name just a few. The really great thing about loving this bike is any ride is a pleasure. I enjoy the appreciative looks we get on city streets, open throttle on a quiet freeway, clean twisty roads anywhere, and the great sound of the engine as it revs. I especially love how 160 mph feels so close to flying, I wonder if I’m riding it or is it just taking me along. I had a cool “Top Gun” moment a few years ago with a Blue Angel* plane. The Blue Angels give an air show here once a year for the Navy’s Fleet Week in San Francisco. They practice over the city for a week up to the performance. One time I was on an elevated freeway in the middle of town and I heard this huge engine close by. I look over and there’s a Blue Angel flying so low it looks like he’s right next to me! What else could I do? I revved my engine and raced to keep up! It’s a gixer moment I’ll remember forever.
*Blue Angels are like the Red Arrows, fighter jet acrobatic team.
Collectors
ahmad 750-GSXR hi alll every bady i wont to tell you about my motosik i live in lebanon i like the bikesss very much
alan 86 gsx750 just bought it needs work but i always wanted one .gonna do it original ,i think they got them right from the start..would appreciate any helpfull advice and comments..regards al
BritFighter Got an old 86 slabbie that i have just had streetfightered usd front end from a 91 rgv solo seat 17" rims from a 92 new paint discs lines etc looking way cool too
Clyde 86GSXR 1100 Bought my gixxer approx 12 yrs ago and absoulutely luv it. Its in excellent shape but unfortunately because of money problems I have to sell it. Anyone interested?
Jeffrey 1986 GSXR 1100 There is nothing on the market that I would take in it's place. I get offers for it every single time I ride it. The only part I hate is trying to insure it. Nobody wants to insure it for anything more than liability. If it were totalled they wouldn't even give me 2 Grand. Awesome pull and handling plus you can't go out and simply buy one off the street. Be safe!
John 86gsxr750 i have a question to anyone who recognises what i say. my wiringsystem has a leakage,i don't know where, but it looks like the wire from the startbutton.when i try to let the motor run, the startrelais doesn't work, but i am sure the thing is ok. i don't have an ownersmanual to help me find out the system's failure, so is there anyone in gixxerworld who could maybe send me a picture of the wiringsystem.
i'm still looking for a complete manual, but for now i desperately need the schedule. my address is: streetfighter.john@gmail.com thanx and God bless
Jonn I recently sold my 99 turbo busa. The continuous money bleeding of owning a 300 hp bike got to be too much. It seemed to be all work and no riding. About two weeks after I sold it I saw a ratty and tired red and black 86 GSXR 1100 on Craigslist and it looked so sad I felt I had to save it. I should tell yo that I have wanted this bike (year, make and color) since it first came out. Long story short, I bought it. I paid less for it than I had planned to spend on my next Busa upgrade, and insurance for it is 180 per year. The Busa was 1000 p/year (with a clean record).
I've only had it two weeks but in that time I've polished the frame, forks and about a zillion nuts and bolts. It's a lot more fun to ride than my old busa. The Busa felt big and had insane horsepower that could kill you in the blink of an eye. The 1100 seems to love to be rung out' and then thrown into corners. I can't get enough of it. It is an all business, no frills bike.
I also have a friend that loves the old GSXR's like I do. He also happens to be a bike mechanic with his own shop. He wants to build it: pistons, porting, nitrous. Sounds like fun to me.
I'd still like to locate a mid-right fairing piece and a header, but until then I'm happy just to ride it around and stare at it when it's in MY garage, and know that it has found a loving home, where it will be turned into the bitchin piece of machinery that it longs to become.
Mark 1986 GSXR 1100 I loved it when i first seen it,Had to have one once I rode it. It took me 19 years ,2/Honda CB700SCs,9/ 85-86 GSXR 750s,Misc. dirt bikes before I found an 1100 Gix that had not been on the ground. My insurance co. says that the life expectancy of the GSXR 1100 from NEW to TOTALLED is only 6 months.
Michael 1986GSXR1100 Bought my first one new in 86. Still have it but its set up just for drag racing. Bought my second 86GSXR1100 in March. This one is just for the street. Almost done restoring it. Both of them are blue and white and look so cool next to each other. Gotta love those old gixxers.
ramon 1986 gsxr 1100 currently rides 1986 gsxr 1100 (bought new 1986 gsxr 750 brand new but crashed after 6 months) and love it.Light and full of torque and simple and easy to maintain and insure.At age 44 and still riding after 28 yrs having a mortgage and a boy in high school and lots of bills to pay this bike keeps me smiling and hope to keep it for many more years
Samuel Gsxr 750 1986 A very solid Bike
Tiny 1986 gsxr 7-11 I have a 1986 gsxr 750 Mgf date jan,, with 1127 built to 1216 motor 91 front end suspension 91 rear wheel 6" extended swing arm,,All stock blue an white plastic ,Iam the original owner i have drag raced this bike for 15 years and it is called old faithful ,,, I alson have a 1986 gsxr 750 Mfg jan,, All stock blue an white Third bike in the states title and documented with only 674 origanal mileage
Wayne 1986 GSXR1100G Had my 1986 GSXR1100G model from new is now 1216cc flowed head 38mm carbs from a 750L full 4 into 2 into one Akrapovic system modded to fit , 17 inch dymags 750 RR seat unit from a 89 750RR , Maxton suspension further modified with longer EMC Race rear shock , 1100L Calipers and Discs , Under seat head oil cooler , Titanium and Alloy bolts everywhere for weight saving inc smaller battery , 150 honest Rearwheel Horsepower Loads a Grunt , Love this bike even after 22 years , can be seen on WWW.Roadracers.co.uk
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