I’ve owned two Suzuki Turbos!

VJMC stalwart Roger Wood has owned not just one but two of the rare Suzuki XN85 Turbos, the most recent since 1994 and he still rides it regularly. “Originally I was grabbed by the ‘ground-breaking’ looks of the 1100 Katanas when they came out in 1981, but they were always beyond my reach money-wise,” says the 60-year-old retired accounts supervisor from south London. “A couple of years passed and Suzuki launched the Turbo and to me it had all of the styling cues of the Katana but I also liked the 16in front wheel and a more sporty attitude, and that at £2499 it was more affordable (the RRP of the Katana was £3050).” It wasn’t until 1987 that Roger bought his first XN85, by which time unenthusiastic press coverage had taken effect. “It was a buyer’s market for anyone looking for a second-hand XN85, so I got it at a good price. I’d never been too bothered about the report... I just wanted one because of the way it looked.” After seven years of day-to-day use, the effects were beginning to show on Roger’s XN85, so when riding into central London he was pleased to see a mint-condition XN85 parked in a bike bay. “I wished mine still looked as fresh as that,” he recalls. The following week he saw an XN85 advertised for sale in Charlton, and knew it had to be the same one. When called, the owner asked if Roger wanted to see it. Roger revealed that he already had and the sale was agreed on the spot. “Buying the new one gave me a chance to start again and make sure with this one to keep it looked after.” Roger started riding bikes aged 19 on Lambrettas, even getting a part as an extra in the film Quadrophenia. In time the scooters went, to be replaced by ‘proper bikes’, one of the first of which was a Kawasaki 500 triple. Most of the bikes he has owned since have been Suzukis, including a GS1000S, GSX-RS, RF900S, and a number of two and four-stroke trail bikes. “After 30 years of ownership, it’d be fair to say the XN85 is special enough to be called ‘a keeper’,” says Roger.