Back in the late 1980s and early 90s the two-stroke Suzuki RGV250 was the closest thing you could get to a Grand Prix bike on the road. If you were lucky enough to own what we regard as the best RGV250: the ‘N’ model, complete with its twin, piggy-back exhaust cans, upside down forks and a banana swingarm, here was a bike that looked just like the RGV500 Kevin Schwantz rode in 500cc Grand Prix.

The RGV250 ran from 1987 to 1997, but they were only officially imported into the UK from 1989 (RGV250 K) to 1994 (RGV250 R). It was a crime against motorcycling when Suzuki decided not to bring the beautifully curvy 1996/97 RGVs to our shores (or the 1991 SP version), which included the fantastic limited edition SP model, complete with a dry clutch, ram air and 70bhp.

Back in the day 250cc race replicas were the sharpest handling, most frenzied, maddest things you could buy on two wheels. Nowadays the RGV250 is a modern classic and is probably a bit slower and softer than you’d remember. It still looks good, sounds amazing and the smell of burning two-stroke oil will take you right back. Put simply, it’s still sensational. 

As you'd expect from such an iconic motorbike, there's a massive enthusiast scene for the RGV models. After you've read this review, you could join the community at RGV250.co.uk.

Suzuki RGV250: 'It was a genuine giggle'

"It made me an internet star – before the internet was invented!"

First published 23 October 2017 by James Whitham, BSB legend

"I started my race career on smaller bikes but I didn’t know 20 years after I raced against Carl Fogarty on one it would be all over the net. I already knew it was a cool road bike and it had a great chassis, inverted forks and good power – I fancied it from the first moment. On track it was far more nimble than the four-stroke 400s as you could stop and turn them so quickly, but as lovely as the RGV was to ride it was also fragile, which is why I lost out to Carl in that Oulton Park race.

"His bike was faster in a straight line than mine, but I could catch him up on the brakes and in the bends, however after a few laps the RGV lost power and wouldn’t rev on. It turned out it had nipped a ring, which was a fairly typical RGV issue due to them having a cavernous exhaust port that used to catch the edge of the rings! We were having a genuine giggle."

Compared to the best sportsbikes of today, with their fat tyres, stiff frames and racing suspension, the old RGV250 can seem a bit ‘woolly’ by comparison. But, with a good set of tyres and well sorted suspension the Suzuki will keep up with the best of them on tight B roads. The beefy aluminium frame and swingarm is more than a match for the power on tap, so the trick with the RGV is simply never to let off for the corners! Later models handle better than the early ‘K’ and ‘L’ bikes, but are 11kg heavier (up from 128kg to 139kg) thanks mainly to the heavier ‘banana’ and braced swingarms.

From the RGV250K to the RGV250R (the officially-imported UK models) the liquid-cooled, two-stroke, 249cc 90°V-twin remained fundamentally the same. Although they made around 55bhp@10,500rpm, give or take, the motors didn’t have to push much weight along so the Suzuki was still blindingly quick. Like any fast two-stroke, despite the power valves, there’s not much going on at low revs, so you’ve got to keep it revving to get anywhere fast.   

Left unmolested, well-maintained and fed with good-quality (read ‘bloody expensive’) two-stroke oil, RGV engines are pretty reliable. Any deviation from this can spell a whole world of trouble. The chassis parts are all well-built, but the overall finish is lacking, so unless fastidiously looked-after RGVs can look tatty very quickly. Stay well clear of ex-race examples.

We've got two Suzuki RGV250 owners' reviews on the site, and it scores 5 stars out of 5. The only negative comment is around the lack of kit, which is understandble given the type of bike we're talking about. 

Depending on the age and model, a good RGV is going to cost around the £3500 mark, although they don’t come up that often and some can run to over twice that amount. If you do manage to find one in good condition, it’s a little amount of money for a lot of fast, sexy, mental, stinking, two-stroke history.

The Suzuki RGV250 has rivals in the form of the Yamaha TZR250, Aprilia RS250 and Kawasaki KR1-S.

The RGV is an unashamed lightweight no-frills package, there’s no electric start here, you have to kick it into life yourself. But in its day, the ‘M’ and ‘N’ models had lots of technology from 500cc Grand Prix, like upside down forks, 17” wheels, a braced ‘banana’ swingarm and fully adjustable suspension.