RE5 on ebay with 0 miles

[jasonu]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-Other...US_motorcycles

[mossy1200]

Who wouldn't want to buy it.

The low price surprises me.

[Jantar]

US$11,000 and hasn't even reached reserve. Will be interesting to see what it goes for. The last new one that I saw auctioned was US$13,900, and that was a few years ago.

[Voltaire]

One sold here a few weeks back, met reserve at 9K
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=809825480

[Jantar]

But the one on TM wasn't brand new, never run.

[Voltaire]

Is that a good thing? We had a BMW R90s with 117 kms from new at the Classic Show and it would have needed a complete strip down to be a usable bike again, but if your after an ornament...

[AllanB]

Collectible as a big blunder by Suzuki? They were a lemon of a seller in 75/76.

Oddly enough they look OK now in the modern world of water cooled, fin-less engines.

It's a nice piece of history, but it's no 1969 750/4 Honda

[RogIrwin]

Collectible as a big blunder by Suzuki? They were a lemon of a seller in 75/76.

They made a bit oven 6000 bikes according to Wikipedia. I guess that it wasn't as good a bike as the GT750 or T500. Both quite similar in a way.

These were also scrapped a year latter and replaced by the GS750. Can't beat a 4 stroke! (So far anyway)

To me it's an interesting bike that I'd like to see in a museum... Suzuki were one of few manufacturers that were brave / silly enough to try a rotary engine.

[robinm]

Just a shame that it is a "A" model rather than a "M" model, the "M: with its barrel style instruments and tail lights is the RE5 to have, the "A" just used GT750 instruments,tail light and tank in an effort to make the bike more saleable.
I have the "distinction" of having ridden different 5 RE5's back in the day, the original Suzuki demo bike, 1 in PN for sale in 1979, 1 in Dunedin for sale in 1981, 1 in ChCh belonging to a friend (who still has it I think) in 1982-83 and one more but I can not remember where, Wellington I think from memory.
Actually a funny story re RE5's, back in 1981-82 I was parts manager for Doug Cresswell Suzuki in ChCh and stumbled across a parts bulletin giving the part number of the rotor end seals kit ( it was commonly thought that you could not buy any engine internals for the RE5, but this proved that wrong). I mentioned it to Owen, my friend with the RE5 and he said get me one, I might need it one day. So I got the last one the Colemans had, I THINK it was the only one ever sold in NZ.
Time marched on and the years became decades and back in 2005 I was back in ChCh and looked up Owen again. He still had the RE5 and reminded me of getting him the kit.
He had decided to use the kit on the bike, but even though he was a brilliant engineer he could not get the motor back together correctly.
He mentioned this to another friend we had in common , John Boote,(any older race followers here will know the name, others can Google it) and the old boys network took over, a phone call to Joe Lett from Wanganui ( colemans service manager of the RE5 era, talented road racer in his day and generally all round good guy) and within a day or two the genuine Suzuki RE5 service tools were in Chch enabling Owen to get the RE5 back together.
When I got home from that trip I took my Genuine Suzuki RE5 service manual that I had treasured for 30 years and posted it down to Owen, seemed a shame for it not to be with a RE5.

[Voltaire]

Cool, what are they like to ride?

[Jantar]

Cool, what are they like to ride?

I think the demo bike robinm talks of was my first RE5. I asked Holland and Bell in Dunedin abouth the Suzuki Rotary in early 1973 when I first heard the rumour that they were going to build one. A year later and still no word so I asked again, they still knew nothing. So I asked them to ring Coleman's in Wanganui while I was in the shop, and Coleman's had just had advance notice that same week. I ordered one, unseen and price unknown.

A few months later Holland and Bell phoned me with an offer from Coleman's. I could have the first one in the country if I would allow Coleman's to use it at the RE5 workshop class they were running in Wanganui. I agreed and finally received it in early 1975 with only 95 km on the clock. As a sweetener I also received sponsorship via H&B to enter it in the Shell 500 in Auckland 1975 so the RE5 would be seen from one end of the country to the other.

That was a great bike to ride. Very smooth, and superb handling for a bike of that era. It was another 10 years before anything out of Japan could match the RE5's handling. It had a long wheelbase and a very low center of gravity. Just as nimble to tip into a corner as an RD350, and much more stable even on rough surfaces. Widish handlebars meant countersteering was easy and that also helped with the rate that the bike could be flipped from side to side. Gravel roads were no problem, and it cruised over corrogations like it was a dirt bike.

The claimed HP was 2 HP less than a GT750, but would out accellerate the 750 and had a higher top speed. That first RE5 would only get to around 185 on the speedo, which appeared to be more accurate than most of that era. A friend on a Kwaka Mach 3 was showing 180 on his speedo when the RE5 was showing 160.

The two things I did not like about it were the rate it ate chains; 3000km from a chain sprocket set, and the amount of dirt that got thrown up from the wheels. Both these were fixed by Suzuki in the A model.

I sold that bike in a fit of anger after throwing the 3rd chain and smashing the alloy around the countershaft sprocket and also bending the clutch pushrod.

But I bought another RE5A from Coleman's, Auckland, in 1979, and had that for a number of years. I got a ticket on that one for 199 kmh near Rotorua. It was destroyed by Vandals in 1986, and I bought a 3rd RE5M from New Plymouth, imported from Aussie. Over the years it deteriorated and got a bit rough so I bought another RE5M from Christchurch in 2002 and built up one good bike out of the 2. That bike won the award for best post classic at the Brass Monkey 2 years running.

Sadly my RE5 and all parts were sold to another KBer a couple of weeks ago, and is now in Auckland, where I hope it will be lovingly restored and back on the road soon.

[Mike.Gayner]

I've seen a few of these zero km auctions over the last few years, and don't understand why anyone would want to bid. The only reason to own one of these is if you're a snooty collector who lets the bike sit in a shed rather than actually riding it. The bike will likely be unrideable without a rebuilt motor, which will immediately diminish the "value". Then as soon as you take the first ride it loses every bit of that 0km premium you just paid for.

An interesting curiosity, and not much else.

[Jantar]

..... The bike will likely be unrideable without a rebuilt motor, which will immediately diminish the "value". .....

That's one thing about the RE5 proper engine. Only 3 moving parts, and all metal. Even then the coating is a not just plated like in a conventional engine, but infused into the metal, so no rebuild needed, or even possible. The parts that would need to be replaced before use would be tyres, fuel hoses, brake lines etc.

I must admit I am tempted, depending on what the reserve is.

[pete-blen]

Cool, what are they like to ride?

In a word.....PIGS....
heavy / didn't want to lean... I wish I kept mine..
blue 1975 , frame number No 11734 or 11736
still have a few new bits for them.. points/water pump seal
did have the flip up lid for the panel might still have it..not seen it around in years..
any RE5 owners want them..i will dig them out sometime..

[Voltaire]

That's cleared that up....

In a word.....PIGS....

That was a great bike to ride. Very smooth, and superb handling for a bike of that era.