WORK THIS THING OUT?

[T.W.R]

got sent this from a mate in England, it ain't related to biking or such but it gets ya mind working!

[Magua]

Damn powerpoint, this comp doesn't have it and like hell I'm walking upstairs to a comp that does.

[Karma]

That's great... an obvious but cool trick

[Jantar]

Yeah? All the original cards are gone.

[Karma]

Yeah? All the original cards are gone.

I was going to wait until the intellectually challenged lined up to ask how it does it

[T.W.R]

Yeah? All the original cards are gone.

good spotting Jantar

P.S hows the RE5 go ? haven't seen one for years, is it the model with the barrel instrument panel ?

[Jantar]

Yes, it is the original one.

It goes OK, but is not up to the standard I used to get from it. Its hard to start, and if I retard the timing sufficiently for it to start then its very flat in its performance. If I advance the ignition to where it should be then it just wont start. I'm having trouble locating a compression tester to check out the condition of the seals. Handling is also a bit soft on what a new one was, but then it is a 30 year old bike.

[T.W.R]

oh true, well the old girls worth a bit of TLC though. got a mate in ashburton who used to run the suzuki dealership, he has 2 of them stashed away, i'll touch base with him about it. he may be able offer some advice & may have a comp tester suitable for the job ( hes also the rep for darbi accessories & does travel down sth so may be able to jack up a meeting at your local bikeshop maybe) i'll keep you posted if your interested?

[2much]

Hey Jantar, why don't you just use a normal one with the hold valve removed? That way you'll be able to see the 3 seperate comp values as the gauge bounces up and down will you wind the engine over. That's all we do with the mazda rotaries.

[Jantar]

It rotates at 300 rpm on the starter motor, thats 5 readings per second. I just can't read a gauge that fast with any degree of accuracy. If it revs any slower then the reading isn't worth using for analysis anyway. Minimum reading at 300 RPM is 95 PSI on any lobe with no more than 10 PSI differential.

How fast do the Mazdas rotate on the starter motor?

[2much]

At a guess it would be much the same speed, tho not sure to be honest.
Assuming you comp ratios much the same (9-9.5)?? then those measurements are pretty good. As far as 12A/13B's go, You should get around 105 from a fresh build and at 75-80 it's rebuild time. If an apex seal goes you'll get 2 chambers low and one high, if just one is low, it's usually a side seal. So sounds your problem isn't compression.
If you ever need a rebuild done, would be happy to sort it out for you, I assume you can still get seal kits from suzuki?

BTW: If you're ever up this way ppplease drop in, I'd love to check out your bike. Only one I've seen in the flesh is at Southwards museum.

[Jantar]

The readings I gave are NOT what I get from my bike, they are the standards from the workshop manual. I have no idea what my bike is reading, hence why I need to get the correct compression tester.

Unfortunately, there are no seal kits left anywhere in the world that I have been able to find. However there are still a few full rotor units available from USA at US$950 plus shipping.

I will be up your way in about a week, but it'll be on the GS1200SS not the RE5.

[2much]

Oops, sorry, misread that. When we do it the needle does pulse very quickly but you can get a good idea of the peak and a drop in 1 or 2 chambers is usually pretty obvious.
That sounds a reasonable price for a new engine. Dunno what the cost of having seals specially manufactured would be like, and water seals would a pain... though i've seen engines pulled apart to reveal some had used o-rings!!! cheap pricks.
What do you get for an overall reading?
Glen at Rotary Power in Glenfield is the only person I'm aware of with the proper digital Comp tester that I'm aware of, about $1200-1600 from mazda if I remember right. I assume you've tried the rotary workshops down there?

[Jantar]

There are no rotary workshops in this part of Otago. After our North Island trip I'll start ringing around all Mazda and Suzuki dealers from Invercargill north until I find one with the proper gear. However I'm temped to get a new unit from the States whether I need it or not. They can only get rarer, not more common.

[2much]

Sorry don't know bout rotary workshops in the south island, RE Sinclair in CHCH may be worth a try? Be surprised if many suzuki dealers have even seen one before. A mazda dealer workshop may have one, possibly. If your bringing the bike north and you're around the mount let us know, get you to take it into Nocamz motorsport and we could have a look. Or even better, Glen as I mentioned before.
I'ld say that's a very good idea, and if you can afford it, do it.... you're not gonna regret it.