You too can have a real 576cc V4 two-stroke or Moto2 trackbike

Ever wanted to own a modern V4 two-stroke like the ones Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan, et al, raced during the “glory years” of Grand Prix motorcycle racing back in the ‘80s and ‘90s? Well, thanks to a partnership between Swiss race engineering company Suter Industries (founded by former GP racer Eskil Suter, supplying various components to MotoGP teams and manufacturer of the popular Suter chassis used in Moto2) and Arch Motorcycles LLC, the American performance cruiser company co-founded by custom bike builder Gard Hollinger and actor Keanu Reeves, you can have your very own Suter MMX 500—a 195-hp, 280-pound track-only beast that is sure to get your heart racing much quicker than any production four-stroke machine.

Think about that for a minute: 280 pounds is 66 pounds less than the minimum weight for a MotoGP bike. The Suter's power-to-weight ratio is basically the same as the 500cc Grand Prix bikes of the '80s and '90s; it's equivalent to your average Yamaha R1 putting out around 300 horsepower, or your average Hayabusa cranking out 400 horsepower in stock form. There's a reason why only a handful of racers through those two decades were able to master the art of ride a 500GP two-stroke at race-winning speeds. And why so many riders have the physical scars to prove how difficult they were to ride.

Of course, there’s a bit of a catch (isn’t there always?): You need to have $139,500 (plus crate and shipping fees) burning a hole in your pocket to get one of the 99 Suters that are planned to be built. And being a “two-smoker,” the MMX 500 is not street-legal, so you can only legally ride it on closed circuits at track days.

We covered the debut of the Suter MMX 500 back in 2015 (although it actually was introduced as the "Factory V4" trackbike some three years earlier, but that project never really got off the ground). The company's original intention back then was to help stock the field of the fledgling World GP Bike Legends series that featured former world champions such as Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Gardner, and Freddie Spencer "racing" the two-stroke GP machines that made them famous. The idea was that wealthy bike collectors or vintage racing teams would purchase the MMX 500 to be painted in the period liveries and then have it ridden by one of the legend riders, sparing the actual historic GP two-stroke racebikes the wear and tear on increasingly less-available parts or the risk of a major crash.

Unfortunately the series didn’t take off as hoped (plus Schwantz officially made a “second” retirement from motorcycle competition on the eve of the Goodwood Revival in September 2016), so that means the planned 99-unit production run for the MMX 500 still has plenty of spots open for the taking. As you’d expect with something as exclusive as this, each MMX 500 is built to order, so once your check clears, you’ll have to wait a few months for your MMX 500 to be hand-built and delivered.

Living the period that inspired the Suter also means living in its world of when men were men as well. Besides not being street legal, like any two-stroke racebike, you’ll need to mix your own oil/gas premix for fuel. Oh, and just like the GP racebikes of old, the traction control is the old analog system known as your right wrist. And those who have raced a two-stroke will remember that there’s a bit more routine maintenance involved with a two-stroke racebike (pistons, rings, reed valves, gaskets, spark plugs, etc. require more frequent replacement, and the crankshaft/rods must be serviced every 1,800 miles). Suter NA will have various spares packages available, and official service via a Suter-trained technician will be offered as well.

For those interested in more current design racing machinery, Suter NA will also be selling actual MMX 2 Moto2 racebikes as well. These stepping-stone-to-MotoGP machines will be the real deal, with the spec Honda CBR600RR engine and racing suspension/brake setup straight off the GP circuit from one of the several Suter-equipped Moto2 teams on the current grid. Prices for the MMX 2 Moto2 bikes begin at $45,000. Yep, pretty expensive, but before some of you cry, "it's just a CBR600RR engine in a racing frame," take note that the Moto2 bikes were turning the same race lap times as the MotoAmerica Superbikes at COTA this past April. The same full mechanical service support as the MMX 500 will be available for Suter MMX 2 clients in North America as well.

Interested parties can go to www.suternorthamerica.com for more info.