Mighty Merkel's race bike for sale

FLYING FRED Merkel, one of the most iconic racers of his generation, is putting one of his most famous bikes up for sale.

The former World Superbike and AMA Superbike Champion is getting rid of the 1995 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 he rode in final race weekend. The bike was ridden by the American in morning warm-up on the day he suffered career ending injuries as Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona.

The Californian retired after the event and later moved to New Zealand, where the bike has been held in storage for the past 12 years. The GSX-R750 is one of three Merkel rode that final year. It was given to him as a retirement gift by Yoshimura Suzuki.

"The motor is completely new. It's only had 15 minutes during the warm-up in Phoenix the day I was injured, and I also have all of the Daytona quick change gear," Merkel said. "She is a very rare item indeed. I have all the original bike stands, and all of the original stickers and emblems are still in place as they were on the day." Merkel doesn't say whether the bike's been repaired from the damage sustained in the accident or not.

If you fancy getting your hands on a piece of true racing history, you can contact Fred himself at: flyinfred@xtra.co.nz

There's not been any news on the price, but you can bet it isn't going to be cheap...