Post Listing Update: This SW-1 was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown.
I’ll be frank – I did not know this bike existed until I was sent this link. I almost made it a “Guess That Bike” feature but I couldn’t wait to just share the listing with you. This is a Suzuki SW-1, and it was only released in Japan for one year. Despite the bodywork, this is not a scooter. It’s a 370 pound, 249cc motorcycle with a 5-speed transmission, designed to be a stylish city commuter.
The air-cooled single motor is from a GN250, and it produces 20 horsepower. Power was transferred to the rear wheel via belt drive. I mentioned that it has a 5-speed transmission, but there’s something the next owner needs to know: the shifting works by going up for neutral and then down for all 5 gears! Because the fuel tank is under the seat, you’ll get storage where it looks like the fuel tank is, as well as storage in the integrated side luggage.
These are rare even in Japan, let alone in the US – making this a wonderful find for non-Californians as it was legally imported and already has an Arizona title. It’s not perfect, but it’s not like you’ve got a choice if you’re looking for one of these! When the seller acquired the bike, he had his painter touch up some scratches but there’s still some road rash on the right rear crash bar and exhaust. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the left side of the frame had a good, as he puts it, “whack” in it. He didn’t notice any issues as it rode fine beyond 70 miles per hour, but he sourced a solid frame and subframe that will be included with the sale if the next owner decides to do a restoration. The seller’s guess is that “the kickstand mount probably hit going off a curb which put a depression in that area of the frame where it attaches.”
Over the years the seller acquired spare parts when he could, so he’ll give those to you as well. Including the frame, you’ll get a swingarm assembly, mirrors, trim pieces, and more. The sale includes both original keys, the owners manual, and the tool kit. I recently got the front brake fluid flushed and an oil change. Everything is said to work. This is the kind of seller I like – he’s got rare stuff (like the Transalp 400 from last week) and he takes lots of photos. If you’re as surprised as I was that this vehicle even exists, you should definitely head to the listing just to browse through all the images.
Find this rare Suzuki for sale in San Jacinto, California with a BIN of $5,500 or best offer