1994 Suzuki RGV500 XR84
With Phil Aynsley
This is Kevin Schwantz’s 1994 factory XR84, on which he won the Japanese and British GPs before finishing a close fourth in the championship that year, three-points behind Kocinski on the Cagiva and five points behind Cadalora on the Yamaha – while Doohan was a whopping 148 points in front. The original number 1 plate has been replaced by Kevin’s more familiar number 34.
A broken arm from a mountain bike tumble had hurt his preparation and made him miss crucial pre-season practice and only gave him three weeks to regain his strength. He was quickly back in form by the third race, winning in Japan. With three more consecutive second place runs, then a heroic win in Great Britain with a broken scaphoid and dislocated wrist along with aches and pains from a violent crash in practice, Kevin seemed poised for another shot at the championship.
That was until Laguna Seca where Schwantz went down at the famous corkscrew, dislocating his left hip and fracturing his right scaphoid. He therefore decided to sit out the remaining races in the ’94 season and have an operation as soon as possible to be able to begin winter testing earlier in preparation for the ’95 season
The 1994 motor was a reed valve V-4 with a 70º V angle (later motors had various angles, up to 80º) and used a dual power valve system.
The earlier Pepsi liveried bikes had a single guillotine exhaust power valve, this bike added a rotary valve for improved low end power.
The ’94 bike also saw the introduction of a basic quick-shifter, and Mikuni 36mm flat slide carburettors were fitted. Output was about the 190 hp mark, with a weight of 135 kg, allowing for a top speed of approximately 320 km/h.
The team used three or four different chassis during the season to suit each circuit. In addition there were numerous adjustments available including steering head angle (via inserts), triple clamp offset, swingarm pivot position and ride height.
