Swiss racing firm Suter Racing of Grand Prix fame has announced that it will commence construction of its MMX 500, a 576cc V-four two-stroke powered track bike patterned after the 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycles of the so-called "Golden Era" of GP racing in the '80s - '90s - early 2000s. The MMX 500's existence was already leaked more than a year ago when Suter Racing was undertaking final testing of its prototype at various tracks in Europe. Suter Racing is claiming that the MMX 500's engine puts out 195 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, with the bike having an overall weight of 127kg (280 lbs), and a top speed of more than 193 mph. The bike is said to cost 120,000 CHF (Swiss francs), equivalent to about $123,000 US/€110,000 Euros.
Suter Racing is also hoping that wealthy owners who plunk down the substantial sticker price will also be interested in fielding a bike (or two) in the fledgling World GP Bike Legends series. Created by British promoter Nick Wigley and assisted by former 1987 500cc GP World Champion Wayne Gardner, the World GP Bike Legends series was originally intended to be a racing series consisting of former Grand Prix motorcycle racing legends competing on the same two-stroke machinery that made them famous, and the inaugural event was held at Jerez, Spain, back in June. Former world champions Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, Gardner, Luca Cadalora, Jorge "Aspar" Martinez, Carlos Lavado, and many others were in attendance, and many owners of historic two-stroke GP machinery graciously allowed them to be ridden by the legendary racers that originally made those bikes famous.
While the event was very successful and popular enough to ignite plans to bring the series to the rest of the world in 2016, the problem is that the historic 500cc two-stroke machinery in the premier class was not only priceless, but spares of any sort are scarce or basically non-existent. Suter Racing is hoping that by stocking the grid with MMX 500s painted in the historic livery of each Legends racer, the overall feel and intent of the series can be retained without risking the prospect of permanently damaging priceless historic racing machinery.
The Suter MMX 500 engine uses two counter-rotating crankshafts, with a bore/stroke of 56 x 58.5mm, for a total displacement of 576cc. Induction is by electronic fuel injection feeding into carbon reed valves in the crankcase, and exhaust flapper valves help the titanium expansion chambers manufactured by Akrapovic provide maximum power. A six-speed cassette gearbox made by SRT utilizes a Suter dry clutch (one of the first racing products that made the Swiss firm famous), while an ECU made by Mectronik handles the electronic side of engine control.
The aluminum twin-spar chassis and box-section swingarm look based upon the short-lived Ilmor SRT X3 MotoGP bike of 2007. Top-spec Öhlins suspension components keep the chassis under control, with similar top-shelf Brembo braking pieces bleeding off the 195-hp speed. OZ wheels in either magnesium or aluminum in GP-spec 3.75 x 17-inch front and 6.00 x 17-inch rear sizes are shod with Dunlop racing slicks in 125/75R-17 front and 205/75R-17 rear. The bodywork and fuel tank are made from carbon fiber, and a 2D datalogging system is optional. Interested parties can contact Suter Racing at suter500@suterracing.ch, or telephone +41 52 397 10 60.