Super rare Yoshimura Tornado S-1 hits the second-hand market
Limited to just 50 bikes worldwide, the Yoshimura Tornado is one of the rarest bikes money can buy, and this one has just gone up for sale.
If you were to ask your riding buddies to name a famous motorcycle tuner, the most likely name they’d muster up would be Yoshimura. Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura built his reputation alongside the growth of Japanese brands on the global stage, and went on to become a name synonymous with Suzuki.
2003 saw the brand branch out, as it created a motorcycle that would go on to become two-wheeled folklore: the Tornado S-1. Built from the innards of a first-generation Suzuki GSX-R1000, just 50 examples of this mythical beast were ever produced, making it rarer than both the Ducati Desmosedici and Honda RC213V-S.
And there is more going on here than simply some aftermarket fairings and a sticker kit. Yoshimura went to town with the GSX-R1000, updating and upgrading the bike at a forensic level.
Internally, the engine features a thinner head gasket, high-compression pistons, beefed-up valve springs, and hot cams. The exhaust is a bespoke four-into-one system, topped off by a beautiful Tri-Oval end can. The chassis is also boosted thanks to Ohlins fully adjustable suspension and upgraded brakes. All told, the Tornado produced around 170bhp, more than five more than the donor bike it’s based on.
But this bike’s allure isn’t the performance gap between it and the bike it is based on. Its allure is the exclusivity of the thing. With just 50 produced for the global market (this bike is number 21 of that run), the Yoshimura Tornado S1 is your chance to add one of the world’s rarest sports bikes to your collection - without having to sell a kidney to buy it!
This bike is for sale now in Poland, with an asking price of €40,000. You can check out the full listing on the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
