For a brief period in the early 1980s turbo-charged production motorcycles came into vogue. There was the Honda CX500 Turbo, the Yamaha XJ650 Turbo and Kawasaki’s GPz750 Turbo. The idea was to have the power of an open-class (1100cc) motor, yet still have the handling characteristics of a middleweight machine. Perhaps the bike that came closest to finding that perfect mix of power and nimble handling was Suzuki’s XN85. This is the GS650-based powerplant of the XN85. The turbo added about 15 horsepower over the normally aspirated GS650 and it reached that peak horsepower at about 7500 RPM versus 9000 RPM for the standard GS650. Ultimately the extra weight, complexity and service intervals of the turbos caused them to fade away. Perhaps the longest lasting legacy of these bikes was proving fuel injection could be downsized and work well on motorcycle engines.

This is the GS650-based powerplant of the Suzuki XN85. The turbo added about 15 horsepower over the normally aspirated GS650. Production turbos came into vogue in the early 1980s and then faded away as quickly as they appeared.

Suzuki XN85