ROAD RACER
“IT DOESN’T REQUIRE TOO MUCH EFFORT TO FIT A 1200 BANDIT INTO A GSX-R750”
BIKE builder James Mott of Hand Made Racers in Brisbane is careful not to describe his latest build, the HMR XRc 1200, as a replica of the famous Texaco Heron Suzuki XR69 F1 racers. It’s what the muscle car guys would call a ‘tribute’. James likes to call it a ‘celebration’.
Team Heron Suzuki was a British motorcycle racing team that competed in Formula 1 and 500GP during the mid to late 1970s and early 1980s. With riders of the calibre of Barry Sheene, Steve Parrish and Graeme Crosby, the team enjoyed considerable success with Sheene winning the 500 GP world championship in 1976 and 1977. Crosby also won consecutive F1 world championships in 1981 and 1982, and it was his bike that inspired this build.
The original Heron
