How many McIntosh Suzukis were made ? I originally made over 40 of the McIntosh Suzuki kits .

Are any of your kits road legal ? Most of the original Bathurst Replica kits were for road bikes . Only about 10 were race bikes . Most seem to have survived . There were three Bathurst replica road bikes at Puke ’ this year .

How much power did they make ? A standard 1982 Suzuki Katana road bike made about 85hp at the rear wheel on a Dynojet dyno . Rodger Freeth ’ s original 1135cc motor , rebuilt to original specs , ( as ridden by Rodney O ’ Connor at the 2023 Festival ), has just over 140hp .

What power are you getting from the new build bikes ? The full spec 1275cc motors we build now are close to 170hp at 10,000rpm .

How much of the machine is hand made by McIntosh Racing ? More than half is done in house or by our sub-contractors . In New Zealand we make the frame , swingarm , fork yokes , fibreglass , alloy tank , footrests and handlebars , as well as all the mounting hardware and axles . We also make the McIntosh wire wheels , if ordered . We have just done some 17-inch sets for both road and race . The originals were 18-inch diameter , but tyre choice in that wheel size is now very limited . The bike seems to really like the modern 17-inch tyres as we have enough chassis stiffness to suit the grip levels . Pete Welch has built all the race motors in house in recent times .

What would it cost to buy one now ? Getting hold of new McIntosh Suzuki , the price would depend on the build spec , but you ’ d be looking at around $ 100k for a full spec race bike today . The chassis kit is $ 30,000 , plus GST . The original bikes cost around $ 12,000 to $ 15,000 in 1982 . For comparison , a brand new Suzuki GSX1100 in 1981 was around $ 6500 . The original race bikes very rarely come up for sale .

60 KIWI RIDER