SUZUKI RF900 (1995 - 1999) Review

Version: Manta Ray Limited Edition No #71

Year: 1996

Annual servicing cost: £300

For those who like to give the throttle a hefty fistful from the start off, you had better know how to control a wheel stand and how to hang on.

Year: 1995

Annual servicing cost: £100

Is the RF900 the most underrated bike of the 90s? I'd go so far as to say it is, and criminally so. Look, in terms of horsepower it's no Hayabusa, but it's still got plenty of oomph, which starts right from a mere 2500rpm and builds up in a perfectly linear manner to a howling top end rush that will get you to highly illegal speeds faster than you can say "RF what?". It's got oodles of low-down torque, and it's as happy trundling around town doing commuter duty as it is blasting along motorways or eating up miles on country roads. Comfort is surprisingly plush and easy for a bike with clip-ons, although I will say that mine has an upgraded seat, which helps immensely with long hours in the saddle. Overall body position works very well for me (6"0), aside from the pegs, which are perhaps a tad too high for older knees. Although it looks like it has to be porky and has a steel frame, it actually weighs less than most bikes of its era, coming in at a hair over 200kg dry. It's a doddle to push around at standstill, and with the right tyres on (I've got Pirelli Angel GTs on mine) it sweeps effortlessly through the twisties, with predictable, neutral handling that's generously forgiving and confidence inspiring. In terms of looks, it's one of those polarising love-it-or-hate-it designs. Me? I used to think the RF looked weird. Now, after having owned one for close to a year, I love its quirky and unique appearance. Go for the earlier single colour schemes - mine is deep purple with subtle metallic flecks and never fails to turn heads. I think I've got more compliments on this bike than any other I've owned, and I've owned over twenty bikes in the last 15 years.

Buying experience: I got mine for a mere £900 - privately, of course. Granted, it needed a few things fixed as the previous owner had neglected it, but I was able to sort it all out on my own, and now it's as good as new.

Year: 1995

Any

Version: R

Year: 1995

Annual servicing cost: £40

Best features are: bullet proof engine, rideability, workable,good looking (although the rear end is debatable). Worst features: Low seat height, parts are becoming scarce or pricey, lack of tunebility in earlier forks.

Buying experience: Privately

Year: 1995

Annual servicing cost: £50

The cost/value of the bike makes it a great platform for building the perfect bike. Many GSX-R 1100 parts bolt right up, making for significant power and handling gains for little $$$ Amazingly comfortable, and with the slightest effort (locking down the rubber mounted handlebars, and dropping the front a couple millimeters) a great handling bike (I have road raced mine, as well as teaching a racing/track day school with it).

Year: 1995

Annual servicing cost: £50

The cost/value of the bike makes it a great platform for building the perfect bike. Many GSX-R 1100 parts bolt right up, making for significant power and handling gains for little $$$ Amazingly comfortable, and with the slightest effort (locking down the rubber mounted handlebars, and dropping the front a couple millimeters) a great handling bike (I have road raced mine, as well as teaching a racing/track day school with it).

Year: 1998

Annual servicing cost: £125

The previous bike I had was a Honda CB500 and when that got written off, I was on the look out for another bike for my daily commute. The RF popped out on one of the searches and I just fell in love with the looks and had to have one. I preferred the 900. The only thing is the grips are a bit hard and wish it had a slightly more upright riding position. I have fitted 1” risers, though.

Buying experience: Purchased it from a private seller.

Year: 1995

Engine is just wonderful,sounds good and offers 125 hp with 100Nm of torque. Fairly easy to service and simple bolt on mods are available for more power. Decent handling, good brakes and cheap parts / consumables make it a superb and serious bike on a budget. Worst feature? Lack of fuel injection(i hate servicing carbs)

Buying experience: I bought mine privately from a mature owner. I paid £1400 and never regretted this great decision.

Year: 1996

Annual servicing cost: £80

I've owned many many big bikes over the years, I picked mine up for £800 so its a cheap touring bike...If you want a better alternative by a ZX9R! Not as well made but quicker in every way, handles fantastic ect, ect...

Buying experience: Cheap sofa... Can't go far wrong for the money. Don't pay over a grand for you as you can do SO much better

Version: 22U

Year: 1998

Value for money is the best way to describe this bike. And its fast.. very fast. On par with my mates Blackbird up to about 200 km/h. Mine has KN airfilter, Jetkitt and Micron slipon. 125 HP on the rear wheel (Dyno measured)

Year: 1996

perfect bike, with a special design that distinguishes it from all these same looking bikes you see on the street.

Buying experience: Bought privately. Think this bike will have a good increase in value in the next years, because of the special design and the low quantity made!

Year: 1999

Annual servicing cost: £200

I have recommended the RF9 and a couple of friends have purchased and love them.

Buying experience: I bought mine privately from the original owner (also got the original bill of sale). The price was E2000. Bought it for E1600. That was 3 years ago

OK So I am 42 years old and still want to enjoy a bike that has some grunt (preferably 150 MPH+) but at the same time is comfortable enough to allow for my geriatric back and knees… Oh and also it cannot cosy more that £1500, Finally I want something a little “out of the box” and “different from the crowd”! I had a good look on bike trader and slowly the list of bikes that matched this wants list shrank smaller and smaller. Anything that was one or more of these was not the other. To be frank the biggest problem was finding anything that was not rotten and\or just another old Suzuki bandit at this price point, (nothing against Bandits as a bike but they are a bit like the two version of a clitoris, in that every c**t has got one… and the connotations of being a bandit in my era are most certainly not the same as they are now) pardon my French. Finally I accepted that the price had to go up and the speed requirement had to go down… Or did it? Literally just before changing my search criteria to add another £500 (and include the moon and inner solar system as locations in my search) I saw an add for a Suzuki RF900…. For £999. Now I remember seeing one of these back in the day and thinking “my god it looks like a cross between one of the thunderbirds and a wedgewood sideboard, from the rear anyway” but on seeing this one something clicked in my mind. Yes it does have an arse only a mother could love. And yes those vented grills do make it look like a 70’s doctor who robot… but wow its actually quite pleasing on the eye. This one was fettled in the silver, purple and orange (reminds me of the 1995 urban tiger Fireblade). The advert said it had 22,000 miles on the clock and also the photos were showing a pretty tidy bike. I rang the owner in anticipation and sure enough it was still available. The owner was happy to talk through the plusses and minuses of the bike and I got the feeling he was being straight. On arriving to test ride the owner (lets call him Ken, as that was his name) struck me as loving the bike and really would have rather kept it. Also very honest and fair-minded. He was at the senior end of the biking spectrum in age terms and had owned the bike for 15,000 of its 22,000 miles so no need to worry about the owner not knowing the bike well. Clean and tidy ticked over well, minor leaks from the fork seals and a back brake that had too much travel meant that we finally settled on £880. Now up to this point I had broken my golden rule about giving the bike a full test ride and had only ridden it round the local roads close to his house so had not really had a chance to go above 3rd. Money paid I left and spent the next 20 mins getting comfortable with the bike. Now at this point I discovered something rather interesting. This is no soggy old hector pretending to be a bit sporty. I has a massive and gargantuan, torque filled powerband that runs pretty much from 1500 revs in first to 9-10,000 revs in 5th… OH BTW that’s 5th… no 6th gear (mind you don’t need a 6th because your face will be ripped off way before then when you hit the quoted 162 miles an hour top speed, I of course did not do that but I know a bloke that did… AHEM) This bike is very, very VERY quick. But that’s the odd thing. Its not quick as in “Jayyyyyyssssuuuussss Keeeeeeeeeeeriiiiiiiissssssssssssst “ , its much more “good god did I really get home that quickly?” Its never going to really trouble any true sports bikes from its own era too much though I noted its stock torque numbers wee’s like a puppy all over the 96 Fireblades numbers so if you put it on a diet I expect they would not be too far apart. The comfort is OK and the 3 hour blast I took it on left me only a little tired. One thing to note on this bike. Its big and quite heavy so when you get to twisty roads you will feel it and although it’s essentially a sports tourer I did notice my wrists had begun to get that “loaded” feeling near to the end of the ride. Generally speaking the ride comfort is good with the suspension coping with most of the things the UK roads could throw at it. But on one occasion I did feel it begin to fall behind on the most severe C roads. The stock seat is horrible though, if you have a bus ticket in your back pocket you will feel it. I am going to have a Corbin fitted as soon as humanly possible. The whole shebang gets a bit vibey and buzzy around 4-5000 revs but nothing that cant be sorted out I am sure. Also take note. The carbs were way out of balance on mine when I bought it and the buzzing has dropped markedly since these have been synced. Handling. This is where the real and most obvious difference is between a bike like the RF900 and say a Gixxer or Blade from the same era. Nowhere near as flickable and responsive but by no means a slouch. It feels great on long flowing corners but does feel a little punch drunk on quick and tight corners. Mind you a big plus was no scary diving in feeling on the corners and once you get used to the slightly Rocky Balboa feeling nothing that cant be planned for at all but the most extreme speeds. Build quality seems OK. The plastics are all in good order on this example but I can see where little things in general were used to shave cost. The still frame (using the engine as a stressed member) is OK but I feel that a strip down and powder coat is required on mine. Brakes… Hmmm again OK but nothing spectacular. The pots are basic Nissin clunkers so I would suspect an aftermarket upgrade of these will be next (after a Corbin seat). In conclusion the bike is surprisingly fast, very different from the run of the mill, comfortable for extended periods and only cost me £880 (p.s the insurance is hilariously cheap £110 per year fully comp). All in all an awful lot of bike for very little money. If you see one and it has been looked after I would strongly recommend a test ride you might be surprised

Had mine about a fortnight now, after many Kwakkers. So far, VERY impressed - plenty quick, build quality, contrary to opinions, seems to be quite good; and it's easy to work on - you can't say that about many modern bikes, can you! For the money, I don't think much will come close... True, a 6th gear would be nice, but you get used to it. MUCH more comfortable than the current stock of litre bikes, needless to say. Looking forward to using mine for the remainder of the Summer, and then lavishing some TLC on it. Some better tyres, fettling of the springy bits, heated grips, and MRA Vario screen, will all help make a great bike even better! Mine's a '96, with 20,500 miles on at the time of purchase. I didn't set out with the intention of getting an RF9, but I'm more than happy with my decision - if you can find a good one snap it up, sharpish! Underrated? Definitely! A really great bike! :-)

well what can i say iv had the rf 900 for a year now and the wife also has a 900 rs2 , and the 600rf , i also ride a gsxr 1000 k3 , but the rf is one hell of a bike it will do it all super fast goes round corners well , once you set it all up right , i put a gsxr wn shock on the back , suzuki should make this bike again , if you have not rode one then try it ,

It's getting to be an old bike now, but it still turns heads (and snaps necks). Smooth power delivery from under 2000rpm in top, to -- well, nobody knows -- and it pulls from a stop at idle. Great fuel mileage; eats road miles at a prodigious rate, or rewards hard-core attention by blowing a surprising number of other bikes onto the shoulder. I have had one for over three years now (see avatar), and just got a "parts bike" running. It's so pretty, in original purple and yellow, and its controls and bodywork -- everything is so nice, it looks like it's about 2 years old. I'm keeping it together! After 40+ years riding, plus racing, long distance touring, etc., on over 40 bikes, I must say that the RF900R has the best feel and balance of all of them, for what it's supposed to do. There simply isn't any other bike that can deliver the miles so comfortably, so stinking fast, with so little effort and on so little gas, and still be so much fun! Oh -- I have made a few mods: Corbin seat, Heli-bars, one tooth less in rear sprocket, Yoshimura can, Road Attacks, faired turn signals, car horns, LED lights, lots of powder coating and custom candy apple paint, and Hayabusa (Tokico) 3-pot front calipers. I'll never want another bike, 'cuz I'll never be able to outride this one. (Don't snicker, young 'un -- I'll bet you can't, either.)

Originally traded in my 1999 vfr800fi for the 1996 RF900R. Mistake? no!! the RF is faster handles just as well and the turbine like engine noise is addictive.. I must admit I prefered the noise of the V4 on full chat..but thats all I missed in terms of riding performance on the worlds best bike? The RF is fast enough and handles well enough..I just wish it had more aluminium parts (frame) and a clock and fuel guage..not too much to ask, I think.. Sold it to a mate..then 5 years later when I was in the market for a new bike, my heart said buy something different, my head said buy the RF back...and so I did...only thing I need to do is fit some decent tyres... huge fun..even the wife likes it!!

Have had the RF9 for about a month now, it is my first big bike since losing my restriction an upgrade from a gpz5 and my god is it an upgrade. At first glance it looks like a bus but it handles fantastic, having kitted it out with a set of BT021's it handles in the wet and the dry and doesnt skip a beat. the power delivery is so smooth and easy, very confidence inspiring and forgiving bike. Very happy with it and have grown to love its huge arse. however have been told that riding behind it under braking is like riding into the gates of hell. Cant fault the bike, only thing it really needs is a race can.

Smooth, powerfull,comfortable Oh! and I almost forgot, It is a good looking motorcycle and ideal for knocking up miles in one day. Just for reference MCN has it wrong as the RF900 only has FIVE gears

Best bike I've ever ridden in my life. Quick, powerfull (although u've gotta rev it), Strong and nice looking. Strengths: Speed, feel, strength. Weaknesses: 5 gears, lack of torque below 5000rpm, fat arse, handling.

Having owned the Hayabusa and the ZX12R I was wondering what the hell I was doing buying this heap...well I can say the moment I sat on it to drive it out of the sellers garage I thought Mmmm I like the riding position and after another 20 minutes putting it down the country bends on the way home I could not get over the way it handled it was smooth, went like hell, and never even twitched through the bends giving me loads of fun and confidence of ride I never got with the Busa or 12 or even my Blade. Strengths: Its great on the Juice too and I found the brakes no worse or better than my previous bikes. Weaknesses: Only cosmetic looks realy...just the frame would of been better if it was made of aluminum.

I allways wanted an RF900 , but up in Scotland they were quite rare. When I finally found one, the handling was terrible it had Conti Continentals fitted, I put Bridgestone 020's on and it was like a new bike with confident roadhoalding and cornering, next the headlight not too bright, fitted a Philips H4 VisionPlus bulb and that lights up the night. Braided steel hoses improve the brakes. Fitted new chain & sprockets with one extra tooth on gearbox sprocket don't lift front so easy but touring 50ml to the gallon at 3figure speeds is good. This bike is so good that I bought a '99 model. I would reccomend it to anyone wanting a big bike that is cheap to run considering its performance. Strengths: Cost effective performance. Weaknesses: Needs a few improvements to bring out the best.

If you're looking for performance, handling, stability and reliability, look no further. The RF900 has it all. Sure it's not as quick as the latest litre bikes, but you could buy 3 RF's for the price of a new litre blaster, and have all the performance you'll need in the real world, and 2 complete sets of spares for when it goes wrong - which it won't! With the performance and handling to beat Fireblades etc. of the same vintage, the RF is equally at home blasting down the motorway at speed as it is zapping through the twisties. The RF holds a line through any bend with absolute poise, and changing lines is a mere thought away. You'll get the best handling using the standard 170 profile rear - OK - a 180 looks macho, but there's a price to pay. Fuel consumption varies between 40 and 55mpg depending on your mood, and the seat/bar/peg layout means that 200 miles between fill-ups is no problem, either for your rear, wrists or knees. Strengths: Its bulletproof engine. Weaknesses: Brakes - but Hayabusa calipers bolt straight on...

The RF900 is a bit of a suprise. It looks like a big heavy bike, and it is, but it will pull like a highly paid footballer and just keep going. The power it offers it great, lifting the front wheel at a whim (however unintentional). It feels strong all through the full gear range and doesnt run out of steam until the speedo says "You're Nicked". The handling is quite nimble for such a hefty bike and you can get your knee down on most corners. Basically it does whatever a pure Sports bike can do, but with more comfort. The only fault I can find is the pegs are a bit high for me. A long ride doesnt give me back or bum ache, but does knacker my knees. Strengths: Engine - It just keeps going, and as long as you look after it, it will run and run and run! Weaknesses: Brakes - Not actually bad, but for the weight of the bike I would like more bite.

This is my second RF so I must like them. Ballistic engine just goes in any gear at any revs - can be a bit vibey though. An excellent 'Do anything' bike. I've taken it on track days and touring in France and it's great at both. Headlight is poor on mainbeam but higher wattage bulb helps.

Best bike I have owned for its versatilaty for long distance two up touring and fun runs up twisty hilly roads. For the low cost is a bargain!!