Suter Racing Technologies, a long-time supplier of components to the racing world, has developed its own two-stroke V4 Grand Prix replica racebike, the Suter MMX 500. Designed, engineered, and manufactured entirely in-house at Suter’s facilities in Switzerland, the MMX 500 is powered by a 576cc V4 engine with a bore and stroke of 56.0mm x 58.5mm and twin counter-rotating crankshafts. With Mectronic electronic port fuel-injection and custom single-resonance exhaust expansion chambers from Akrapovic, the engine produces a claimed 190 horsepower at 13,000 rpm, measured at the output shaft. The bike does not come with wheelie control, traction control or launch control.
The engine and its six-speed gearbox are mounted in a twin-spar aluminum frame, which carries an aluminum swingarm. The chassis is adjustable for steering angle, wheelbase, ride height, riding position, and swingarm pivot position. The suspension components are from Öhlins, the brake system is from Brembo, the 17-inch magnesium wheels are from OZ, and the bodywork and fuel tank are made from carbon fiber. Claimed dry weight is 279 pounds (127 kg).
Suter is selling the MMX 500 – only 99 will be built — to the public for 128,000 Swiss Francs, which is just under $127,000 dollars at current exchange rates.
On January 12, 2017, at The Thermal Club, near Palm Springs, California, track day rider and two-stroke enthusiast David Frick of Washington, Missouri became the first person to take delivery of a Suter MMX in the U.S. Thanks to Frick and GPtech’s Geoff Maloney (who has been assisting Suter with sales, service and support), Roadracing World was there to share the experience — on and off the track.
“I grew up watching 500cc two-strokes racing in the GPs,” said Roadracing World Racing Editor Chris Ulrich, who spent a significant amount of time test riding Frick’s Suter MMX500 at The Thermal Club. “I memorized the 1990 and 1991 seasons and could tell you everything that happened, race by race.
“Even watching those guys get flicked off by their 500s all the time, I still always aspired to ride one of those machines. There was some talk of me doing it a long time ago, but it never happened. Now, 17 years after I stopped racing two-strokes, I finally got to ride the modern equivalent of a 500 two-stroke Grand Prix bike, and I was like a kid in a candy store.
“The Suter MMX 500 is a true, die-hard enthusiast’s bike, something you buy to experience a modern version of 500 Grand Prix racebikes. The guys at Suter used modern engine technology, modern chassis design and modern tire performance so us mere mortals can ride a bike that only the racing gods could ride before. And it did not disappoint!”
To read Ulrich’s full report on test riding the Suter MMX 500, check out the upcoming March 2017 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, which should be available in early February.