harmonda Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Check this out fellas... http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/5811802693.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Do not want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Check this out fellas... http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/5811802693.html I had one when I lived in new orleans. If you ever wanted to know how unnecessarily complicated a rotary engine could get - take apart an RE-5. It has 5 throttle cables to actuate a single carb, two complete sets of ignition points to operate a single rotor, and that's just the start of it. Also it is about as fun as riding a 500lb motorcycle that makes all the power of a 500cc single cylinder can offer, so in other-words it may be ugly but at least it is slow. The only redeeming factor of the RE-5 is they were designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro (of VW Rabbit and Alfa Alfasud fame) but unfortunately this particular one doesn't have the tin can gauge cluster or tail light which were hallmarks of the design. Just in case anybody is considering this particular wreck (and generally I don't think anybody is that stupid here) here are a few things to consider: 1) Apex seals for this engine were made out of Ferro Tic and are completely unavailable now and the inside chamber was coated in nikasil. Assuming you can find the six apex seals to repair one, the entire inside of the case needs to be coated. Also, unlike many other suzuki models, there are no other repair or service parts available for them, and the one junkyard that serviced the used parts market closed down a couple years ago. 2) this ad has been on CL for a year now, starting at $500, then $800, then it ballooned up to $2000, and is not at $1500. Honestly you would have to pay me $1500 to take an RE5 in that condition. 3) It is Aircooled, oil cooled, and water cooled. The oil cools the insides of the rotor, the water cools the engine cases, and there is an air cooled system built into the pipes to keep the exhaust gas from burning the rider, passengers, or people who walk too close behind the pipes. with any suzuki that is water cooled, when it sits - everything corrodes and becomes junk since it is all aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Gump 9 Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Wow, you're full of good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Wow, you're full of good news If it keeps someone from buying that lump, then yes I am. The only way to buy an RE5 is to buy a running one. Which by the way cost about $4K for a really nice one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-Suzuki-Other-/291849873438?forcerrptr=true&hash=item43f39ba81e%3Ag%3AtacAAOSwU-pXthE5&item=291849873438&nma=true&si=8%252B%252BhvrvzyqnOJGxgGOaDK469zDU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 the only people I have ever known who have bought RE5 "projects" did so without doing any research about them and just thought a rotary would be cool. If you go Vintage Days at Mid-O the swap meet is littered with them and they never seem to change hands. Now if you do want some good news....The Norton F1 just recently became import legal to the us (1990-91) and that was based off the norton rotary race bikes (RCW588) as well as the interpol police bikes and the commander toruing bike, so if you want a good rotary motorcycle find one of those in England and import it. They are much more simple and much faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Parade officially rained on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Geeto catches a lot of shit on here, but holy fuck he has a ton of knowledge about cars/bikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 If it keeps someone from buying that lump, then yes I am. I didn't read your first reply past the fact that you owned one and that fact alone was more than enough for me to decide I'd never own one myself. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Geeto catches a lot of shit on here, but holy fuck he has a ton of knowledge about cars/bikes Possibly, but he also talks a ton of shit so I feel it's warranted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItzaME Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Someone make a bosozoku out if it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Someone make a bosozoku out if it Someone would but Geeto said it's a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItzaME Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Someone would but Geeto said it's a bad idea. Ls swap ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Someone make a bosozoku out if it While I agree you should bosozoku all the things, I doubt this bike will ever run again. Just to get this thread back on a rotary awesomeness kick: http://www.roadkill.com/10500-rpm-chevy-nova-wagon-is-rotary-powered/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Possibly, but he also talks a ton of shit so I feel it's warranted. I wouldn't say it's so much shit talk, as opposed to the fact he just says shit people don't like. Like how I was excited about what seemed like a cool little bike that needed some TLC, then he came in here and simply shit on my parade leaving me empty, cynical and unfulfilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItzaME Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Thing actually looks pretty sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 then he came in here and simply shit on my parade leaving me empty, cynical and unfulfilled. you were those things way before I ever came along... The thing about old 1970's-80's Japanese bikes is that many were testbeds for really wild technology long before they made it to their cars and some can be fun and quirky and cool and some can be unmitigated disasters. But they all look the same and people generally regard Japanese machinery as being indestructible, which is not true. The one thing that I find that frustrates car people who are looking to get into bikes is that during that era there are very few shared mfg standards. A good examples of this are wheels: with cars it's basically a lug pattern and offset and while there are a few to choose from they are easily identified - and that is how you can mount jeep wheels on a ford, bmw wheels on a honda, or buick wheels on a mopar fairly easily. For bikes, every wheel is proprietary and while you can sometimes get bearings to make it fit an axle everybody used different rotor offsets and thicknesses, different spacers, etc....so a wheel swap usually involves somebody machining something. Internally there are some standards, like honda using the same rear axle diameter on everything from a 1960 cb750 to a 1998 cbr600f3 but it wouldn't be the same for suzuki, kawasaki, or yamaha. Even among same models you run into significant interchange problems - for example a 1976 cb750F and 1977 cb750F use the same engine and chassis, however they use different wheels, brakes, and forks that are not individually interchangeable. The 76 uses a 6 lug stainless rotor that is really thick, the 77 uses a pair of 5 lug thinner steel rotors. The only way to upgrade a 1976 with the better 1977 brakes is to swap the entire front end over from the top clamp to the tire, and even then you change the geometry slightly since the 77 uses a 60mm fork offset and the 76 has a 50mm fork offset. Something like the RE5 has parts bin compatibility with the GT750 and GT550 suzuki two stroke triples, so getting parts like brake pads, fork seals, etc are easy (but may be getting more expensive since those bikes are getting collectible). But that rotary engine? yeah there are no parts for that engine. I suppose you could take the chance that corrosion has not ruined the apex seals, but I wouldn't gamble for $1500. Want a cool bike that needs some TLC?: http://dayton.craigslist.org/mcy/5794758015.html Same mfg, 2 years newer. roller bearing crank, same money. Parts are widely available including racing parts. This was the bike that convinced pops yoshimura to stay in AMA superbike racing after the butler and smith bmw's stomped a mud hole in everyone's ass and walked it dry in 1976. By 1979 he had Wes Cooly on a gs1000 dominating AMA superbike. If you look hard enough there are turbo kits and you can run up to 12 psi on a stock engine, provided you can keep the turbo oiled (the old turbo suzuki drag racers used to use cessna fuel pumps to pump oil because the big zook has a HVLP oil system that makes 15psi at redline). That's a heck of a lot of value for $1500 compared to the RE5, and let's be honest, the only reason these are not $1000 more expensive is they don't say honda on the tank and nobody makes a bolt on cafe racer seat for them, even though they handle better, are faster than a SOHC honda, and are more comfy. I have owned three of them, and I was stupid for selling any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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